Creating a first time user experience

Project: Ultimate Sackboy

Ultimate Sackboy, an endless runner game developed by Exient, is available on the Apple Store and Google Play. The game plunges players into the captivating universe of Sackboy, a renowned hero from PlayStation. Your mission is to guide the character through an exhilarating run, dodging obstacles and striving to reach the goal while earning valuable points. I had the delightful opportunity to contribute to the development of several features within this exciting game.

Details

01

Role

Product/UX Designer

02

Date

March 2022 – March 2023

03

Skills Used

Competitor Research
Wireframing & Prototyping
Visual Communication
Analytics
Collaboration
Critical Thinking
Documentation

04

Tools Used

Adobe XD
Figma
FigJam
Adobe Photoshop
Unity
Confluence
In-house localisation software

The Challenge

How do we onboard first-time users to Ultimate Sackboy and teach them various aspects of the game?

The Solution

01

Competitor Analysis

I researched direct and indirect competitors’ onboarding methods to understand their design approach, strengths, and weaknesses. This provided insights for ideating and improving our own process and identifying gaps and opportunities.

02

Ideation

I began brainstorming by creating a guide to categorize critical game features for each stage. After listing and defining the significance of each feature, I prioritized them based on importance and learning difficulty. Then, I determined when to introduce these features and suggested teaching methods for each one.

Next, a high-level flow encompassing all the main user steps was created using FigJam. This flow was later refined through iterations based on valuable feedback received from the Lead Designer.

After collaborating with another UX designer, we created a flow chart depicting the desired user journey.

03

Design

I then created wireframes using Adobe XD and compiled a detailed design document. We then developed a clickable prototype and the design underwent thorough review by stakeholders from Art, Design, Code, and QA disciplines. After receiving feedback, iterative improvements were made.

Prototype footage

04

Implementation

Before Code started implementing the design, Art began creating the necessary UI assets and compiled a UI Supporting Document. Meanwhile, I supported both disciplines for alignment until the design was fully implemented.

UI Supporting Documentation

Implemented First Time User Experience

05

Analytics

During Soft Launch we assessed the onboarding process using analytics. Working with analysts, we established a funnel where I defined the necessary analytic events. Thankfully, the onboarding process exhibited excellent performance even during Hard Launch. Utilizing the funnel analysis, we iterated on various design aspects to enhance it and eliminate any pain points.

High and medium priority analytic events displaying overall completion rate. Through a lot of improvements and bug fixing, the funnel is in a linear decline as intended.

High priority analytic events displaying completion rate by the first hour, by the first day and by the third day. As predicted, a small percentage of players will take longer to complete certain steps.

Completion rate since hard launch shows similar performance by both android and iOS users, with x3 more android users so far.

06

Next Steps

Moving ahead, my main goal is to enhance player retention by addressing a specific pain point: making parts of the FTUE feel less forced. I want to allow users to freely explore different areas of the game and trigger the corresponding FTUE sequence after they’ve interacted with those areas. Improving the onboarding journey is and will remain an ongoing process!

More Projects

PROJECT: ULTIMATE SACKBOY

Creating a first time user experience

A UX designer & product person passionate about creating simple and innovative user experiences.

PROJECT: ULTIMATE SACKBOY

Creating a first time user experience

A UX designer & product person passionate about creating simple and innovative user experiences.

More Projects