Summary
This project served as a UX interview challenge for a role at The Pokemon Company, allowing me to explore a hypothetical scenario for a Pokedex mobile app. It challenged me to understand the needs of various pokemon trainer profiles and translate those insights into a user-friendly and engaging experience. The focus was on creating an intuitive information architecture, crafting detailed wireframes (and potentially a user interface – optional for this exercise), to showcase a seamless user journey. This practice provided valuable experience in user research, information architecture, and wireframing, showcasing my ability to translate complex concepts into clear and user-centric designs.
Project Brief
Buckle up, aspiring UX designer! This isn't your average job application. We've cooked up a special UX design practice exercise to test your skills and see if you have the right stuff to tackle real-world projects. Think of it as a training ground for future UX battles!
Mission:
This practice project simulates a redesign of the Pokedex mobile app. It's a chance to flex your muscles in understanding what makes trainers tick, crafting solutions to their problems, and visualizing those solutions in a user-friendly interface (though the UI part is optional for this exercise). Here, you'll get to play around with different UX tools like user research, information architecture, and wireframing. It's a crash course in the exciting world of UX design to test your skills. Don't forget to have fun, trainer!
My Challenge:
• Understand the trainer's needs
• Craft a seamless app structure
• Integrate and improve current features
• Design a visually appealing interface (optional)
• Build prototypes and test user experience
Bonus
Explore ways for trainers to connect and collaborate
Design Process
01. Understand
Glossary for non-Pokemon players
Pokédex: An Electronic tool that appears in the imaginary world of Pokémon. It’s a personal digital assistant, designed to catalogue and provide information about the various Pokémon species.
IVs: Individual Values, unique stats that indicate the potential max power for certain Pokémon traits.
Executive Summary
The iconic Pokédex, a beloved resource for Pokémon fans, is trapped on the desktop. This proposal outlines a comprehensive redesign of the Pokédex website as a mobile app, incorporating real-world user feedback to create a dynamic and engaging experience for fans of all ages.
User Research: Beyond the Screen
I conducted in-depth interviews with a diverse group of Pokémon enthusiasts to understand their needs and frustrations with the existing Pokédex website. After interviewing 25 users of different age ranges, I created some User Personas. Here’s what I learned:
• The Casual Fan (Age 18, Iris): Iris loves learning about Pokémon and enjoys casual browsing. She finds the website clunky on her phone and craves a more engaging way to explore the Pokédex. Interactive features like AR Pokémon encounters and detailed 3D models would spark her imagination and deepen her understanding of the Pokémon universe.
• The Competitive Battler (Age 22, Noah): Noah participates in online Pokémon battle leagues and needs detailed information to strategize. He desires an app-based "Team Builder" section offering complex stat analysis tools, move-set optimization based on opponent data, and real-time type matchup simulations. The ability to track encountered Pokémon with their Individual Values (IVs) would be a game-changer.
• The Completionist Collector (Age 35, David): David enjoys collecting virtual Pokémon merchandise and completing Pokédexes in all the Pokémon games he plays. He needs a user-friendly interface with intuitive search filters to locate specific Pokémon. Integration with popular Pokémon games would allow him to track his virtual collection progress and identify missing Pokémon. An in-app trading platform would facilitate safe and convenient trades with other fans.
• The Creative Fan (Age 42, Sarah): Sarah enjoys creating Pokémon-themed art and stories. The current Pokedex lacks tools for sparking creativity. She envisions a dedicated "Pokedex Studio" section within the app, allowing users to create and share fan art, write Pokémon-themed stories, and collaborate with other creative fans.
02. Define
Analyzing the Current Pokedex Website: Room for Improvement
The Pokedex website, while a valuable resource for Pokémon fans, has limitations when compared to a mobile app. Here's a breakdown of technical pain points:
Accessibility
• Mobile Friendliness: The website can be clunky to navigate on smartphones, requiring zooming and scrolling.
• Information Density: Dense text blocks and static images can overwhelm users, especially younger audiences.
Engagement
• Limited Interactivity: The website lacks interactive features like 3D Pokémon models, animations, or AR experiences that could enhance user engagement.
• Static Content: Information updates might be slow, and the website doesn't cater to user-generated content or community interaction.
Functionality
• Search and Filtering: Search options might be limited, making it difficult to find specific Pokémon or filter by desired criteria. Filters cannot be combined with search or other functionalities like the “Surprise me” button.
• Team Management Tools: The website lacks features for building and managing Pokémon teams, including stat tracking or move-set optimization.
Additional Considerations
• Integration with Pokémon Games: The website doesn't currently integrate with Pokémon games, making it difficult to track virtual collections or transfer data. The only external integration that the website has is the list of available TCG cards for the specific Pokémon selected.
• Monetization Potential: The website lacks a clear monetization strategy, limiting potential for future development and updates. It doesn’t add direct external links to Pokémon games or products that could be linked.
Screenshots from the current mobile website (July 2022)
Focus areas (sticky notes)
User Journey Maps
Goal: Unleashing the Potential of Every Trainer
The goal of the Pokédex mobile app redesign is to empower Pokémon enthusiasts of all backgrounds to become the ultimate trainers. After creating the previous personas, I aim to achieve this by:
• Simplifying Information Access: Provide a user-friendly interface and intuitive search functions, making it easier than ever to explore the vast world of Pokémon.
• Enhancing Engagement: Incorporate interactive features like 3D models and AR experiences to foster a deeper connection with Pokémon and their unique abilities.
• Enriching the Training Experience: Offer advanced tools for team building, strategy development, and data analysis, empowering users to become more effective trainers.
• Fostering Community: Create a vibrant platform for fans to connect, share experiences, and trade virtual items, fostering a sense of belonging within the Pokémon universe.
03. Sketch
IA Structure
Lo-fi wireframes
04. Decide
Final steps before prototyping
Alright, wireframes are looking good, and the user-centered design is locked in! Time to prep for the magic of prototyping. Here's what I'll tackle before diving in:
• Usability Testing: Time to recruit some real trainers! Usability testing with actual users will help sniff out any last-minute pain points or areas in the wireframes that need tweaking. I will show my ideas to these participants and put those in contrast with the current Pokédex website.
• Polishing key sections: According to research, the most important section in the Pokédex is the Pokémon details page; this section needs to be polished to include as much valuable information as the users may want.
• Visual Style Guide: Gotta define the app's visual identity! This means locking down the color palettes, typography, and iconography to create a cohesive and eye-catching user interface. This step is optional for the exercise, but the core structure was finished before the estimated timeline, and I’ll use the remaining time to improve the UI.
