Overview
Board games are a popular pastime for people of all ages, and many own a variety of card and box games.
Did you know? 57% of board game owners can have up to 25 board games, with 5% owning over 76 board games.
Many have tried various ways of remembering and cataloging the board games they own, but it can be difficult to keep track and remember them all.
My role in this project as a UX UI designer was to discover board game players and help them catalog a list of all the games that they own.
The Problem
Board game players struggle to find ways to keep track of all the many board games and card games that they own, have in their closet, and have loaned to friends.
• Numerous board game enthusiasts amass extensive collections, often finding it challenging to recall all the games they own.
• By not keeping track of what board games people own, they cannot remember who they borrowed them from, which ones enthusiasts have bought already, and where they may have stored them.
• Individuals with many board games are struggling to maintain the amount of games they own and viable ways to keep track of them.
User Research
I conducted research by interviewing board game players and sending out questionnaires. I also worked with developers on the project who play board games to understand their dilemma with keeping track of all the board games they own.
Why keep track of the board games you own?
- To know which games they own: Many board game players have lost track of how many and what games they have already purchased or where they may have placed them.
- To Keep track of which games they enjoyed: Many people interviewed couldn't remember which board games they liked the most and wanted to play again.
- To know who they let borrow their games: Many users lent out or borrowed games from other board game owners when they got together.
How do users currently keep track of the board games that they own?
- Excel or Spreadsheets were the most common way users tracked their current board games they own.
- The second most common way was using a mobile phone with a note app.
- Third most common was not having a way to track the games they own and using a physical notepad.
Why don't other ways work?
- Inefficient way to write down and find what games you own.
- Not at all easy to find a random excel or spreadsheet file. Difficult to edit and add areas.
- No way to search and add games that you want. Difficult to share with others and discover other users board games.
- Local file that is only available on mobile device or ICloud. Difficult to share with friends.
- Not at all easy to find a random excel or spreadsheet file. Difficult to edit and add areas.
- Difficult to make lists and find specific games. No way to add or discover new games.
Why is it difficult to keep track of board games that you own?
Too many board games
Many users need help remembering and locating all their games in closets packed with games, especially if they've only played them once or twice.
Poor search and hierarchy
Users cannot quickly and easily catalog and categorize games. So, finding games under a specific genre or a specific type, such as "card" or "strategy," is difficult or impossible with the tools they are using.
No good way to track them
Many users have a variety of different tools, which can be confusing to remember to add to the list or even to locate where you put it in a Google or Microsoft document.
Ideation
Main Pages of the Product
- There were four main pages that were important when making a board game library.
- The main focus and most important page was the My Library/Friends Library page, where users can view their own games or a list of friends' games.
The library and main goal of Gateway Gamers to have a library and list of all the games that you own.
The homepage which lists new and popular games along with information and reviews on them.
The search page which includes the ability to discover and find all of the games that you own to review or add to your library.
Game information page that has all the information about the genre and style of game along with reviews.
Many board game players desire an easy-to-use library creator to catalog all of their board games.
Users can discover and share all of the board games they own and categorize them intuitively and clearly.
More than a library building a community
- A shareable library page allows all your friends to see which ones you own.
- Ability to foster a community of people who can view others' shelves to know what their friends own and what gifts to get them.
- The library has a borrowing system where you can see who and where you loaned your board games. This creates a community of sharing and lending for more board game fun.
Branding of Gateway Gamers
The Logo
- The logo which was created by the developer of the project prominently features meeple characters that are popular in board games.
- Also prominently featured is a roling dice.
- The color and design of the logo inspired the entire design of the website and app.
Style and Icons
- Gateway Gamers brand has a focus on orange colors like the logo which create a fun and relaxed tone.
- Light gray and solid black were used for the main text and text colors, giving the website a modern vibe, as I noticed most gaming websites use outdated website principals.
Solution
A Summary Of The Homepage
Users will first come to the home page which provides a variety of popular games along with news articles related to board games.
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A Summary Of The Library
Users will be guided to their main library, where they can add games, view their current shelves, allow games to be borrowed, search for specific games on a shelf, and more.
Summary of Info Page
Information, ratings, reviews, guides, and more on each individual board game that exists on Gateway Gamers website.
Summary Of The Search Page
The search page where users can find new games to add to their game closet and refine the search based on specific criteria.
Testing and Iterations
Users could navigate the design well and liked the idea of how it worked. They suggested some navigation improvements as well as design choice improvements.
Interviews/Questionnaires
I conducted interviews early on to learn about the current ways that people track their board games and got great feedback.
- All users desired a better way to make a list of board games they own.
- All users had different ways of categorizing board games. The most popular is a spreadsheet.
- Some users did not keep track of the game they owned at all because they couldn’t find any good way to do so.
- Users’ interest in board games was a good way to socialize. As well as a way to have a fun competition.
Library Before
Library After
- Improved spacing and clarity of buttons.
- Improved overall page design and contrast in different areas.
- Improved shelf navigation and features.
Homepage Before
Homepage After
- Added new features to create more features for people who like board games to make sure they will return like news and favorites.
- Improved concept and design of page making it more interesting and appealing for users who want to discover board games.
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Final Product
Next Steps
Continue working with developers on the design and iterating with feedback from users.
Improve on library design and features.
Expand the news and main hub to be more entertaining.
Lessons Learned
Listen To User Feedback
I learned a lot from feedback on how navigation and spacing are very important for designs.
Working With Developers
I gained real-world experience working with developers and understanding different viewpoints on projects other than my own.
