UX/UI Case Study — Discord App
Challenge
Analyze an already existing and highly adopted app and incorporate a new feature into the existing product. The feature will be based on an area of functionality to be explored and compared to user input.
Introduction
If you’re a gamer, you know the situation of having a full list of games but at the same time you’re sick of all of them. So you start looking for new games on the web and all platforms, get lost, tired and frustrated, finding anything interesting to play.
Thinking about that, I had the idea of a possible new feature for the Discord app.
The general idea for this new feature, is to create a new category called “What’s new” that is going to be a place where you could find new discoveries based on what you really enjoy to play.
About Discord App
Discord is one of the most popular communication platform that allows you to speak with your friends while playing games. This service was originally designed for gamers, to help players coordinate servers and communicate with voice and text. Today, the app is used for other communities that just want a place to share ideas by voice, text or video.
Process
Understanding the user needs
I used the Jobs to be Done framework to understand what is the user needs and their desire outcomes. I used the Value Proposition Canvas to make sure that the pains and gains of the users and business were aligned, creating value for both.
Ideating the solution
Having a clear view about what was the user needs it was time to sketch some potential solutions.
Prototyping and Testing
After that I jumped in Adobe XD to make my Mid-Fi wireframe and tested with 5 people. With their feedback, I refined some elements to start my Hi-Fi mockup.
Solution
How this is going to work?
Personalized profile
Your profile — You will have a profile with your avatar, nickname and bio. But also you can personalize what games have you been playing and choose a variety of tags about what kind of games do you like to play.
Friends profile — When you click to view your friends profile, you will also find the same kind of information that you described on your own profile. That way you can compare what kind of games both of you like and you can also invite your friend to play some game of the list.
If it is a person that you don’t know yet, like someone from one of the public servers, you can see their profile, analyse if you have the same taste for games and possibly get a new friend!
Wishlist
You will have the possibility to create a list of games you saw and has the desire to buy. You will be able to see the price and discounts if available, and what platform you would purchase.
Discovery lists
This part is all about discovering your next adventure.
New releases — Here you will have all new releases from all platforms, so you will always be within the news.
Top sellers — Here are the best games of the moment that people from all over the world are buying and playing.
Recommend for you — Based on your profile, what games do you play and the tags that you choose, here you will find a sort of games that are especially selected for you.
Tag search — It is a full list of categories that you can select one or more to search the games that are the combination of the tags you choose.
Hi-Fi Prototype
Here is a video showing the final prototype.
Starting with the new category “What’s New”, profile, wishlist, discoveries. Going to how you could personalize your profile, and how it changes your feed. See information about a game. When search with tags will gives you a list of games related to that. And an example of your friends profile.
Inspiration and conclusion
As a gamer, I would really enjoy the idea for Discord to be a place where every game from all platforms and companies come together, to facilitate the endless hunting for new games, something that every gamer have been through at least once in their lives.
Bearing in mind groups and friendships are mostly made up by the same interests, the fact of Discord having a big community with a lot of public servers and the idea of having more information on your profile, is something that could allow people to get to know more people.
This case study is part of a design challenge. I am not in any way affiliated to Discord.
Project developed for Week 4 at Ironhack UX/UI Design Bootcamp
Special thanks for my Teacher Mayra Sasso, Teacher Assistants Juliana Furtado and Constance Chen, and all my classmates.
