You are communicating through updates — Learnings from PokemonGo
Yesterday, when I was walking through the city on my way home, I noticed something. Walking past a beautiful statue, I thought to myself “Hey, this is a Pokearena.” Because, a few weeks earlier it was the PokemonGo hotspot, where you could meet other Go players. But now, not even one lonely trainer was sitting around.
But how did this sudden drop in interest for PokemonGo came to be? In my opinion, there are several reasons. But mainly, because your product is a channel for communication.
1. They shipped an MVP
Sadly, in this context I don’t mean “Most Valuable Player” but “Minimum Viable Product”.
Those of you, who are working with SCRUM, know what I mean:
The first version of a product, which acts as the first iteration, is usually finished in a short amount of time and contains the smallest set of features needed in order to have a working product.
PokemonGo, at the time it was shipped, was a fun game, but there was nothing that could motivate the casual gamer after the initial “OMG IT’S POKEMON!” hype was over, to stay on board.
Missed most: You couldn’t play against friends or even trade Pokemons with them.
The same problem can occur in all early access releases. People will come, take a look, invest time and never pick it up again once they are done with it. They will forget about it. This way, they never see your full featured product.
It’s hard to get people to pick up your product again, after they put it away.
I can tell based on my own experience and when looking at my Steam Library, which contains early access games (that I enjoyed playing), but I won’t pick them up again. Why? Because I already played the game and I don’t know the new features and if they are worth it.
On the other side, there are many examples, where developers profited from this release model too. It’s hard to stay relevant and build up a lasting relationship with your users.
2. Updates can build trust. Can.
Pokemon Go’s updates certainly didn’t, because the first couple of updates that were made available were, well… irrelevant.
I remember a friend of mine saying: “I’m excited for new features and do new stuff. But this update only includes ‘Text changes’.”
Another big issue was that the Pokemon search feature was broken. So a next update just removed it.
Result: Disappointment.
Niantic’s update schedule demonstrated that they don’t really understand what the players want, or don’t care. Additionally, if they did understand, they didn’t seem to be able to handle the players needs.
They could have implemented little teasers of info-screens for new features, directly in the game. This can ensure that players, who don’t read all the gaming news, knew that there was more to come. It would have been a path towards the renewal of trust, while telling the players that their requests are being valued and implemented.
For many companies, the product itself is the only channel for communication with the audience.
I know it’s harsh, as I said, nobody could have expected the hype and the massive amount of players. The truth is that “normal players” don’t really care about that. They want a cool game. Changing text and removing broken features, leads to the conclusion that the company is unable to create the experience that the audience seeks.
3. Trend
PokemonGo has been trending, and trends tend to fade.
Since Niantic failed to leverage motivation, it faded quite quickly. I believe, if they had handled their product and the players requests and needs with more care, more players would have transitioned from surfing on the hype wave to regular players and motivated trainers.
Conclusion
Many people I spoke to (Pokearenas were great to meet people), didn’t know what Niantic’s vision of the app was, so they thought the app on their phone was a finished product.
So, in summary, please keep in mind that your update/development schedule is a form of communication. It has an impact on your relationship with the customer, your users. Show them that their input is valued and that you care about what they really want.
Make sure to communicate your vision and embark users on your journey to the perfect product.
About me
Oh, hi there! I’m Tim. After studying Design and Interaction, I created various Games and Apps for a few international Brands. I now work as a UX Designer. I love Video Games and Interaction Design with a message, as well as the theory behind it.
Thanks for reading!
I would love if you say hello right here, or on Twitter: @11Alfy
