3 Things to Learn from Pokémon GO About the Future of Mobile Design
Pokémon GO is welcoming big changes to the way we use our devices. And soon, the way we design for them.
According to Recode there are 9.55 million total daily U.S. users for Pokémon GO. Plenty more inspired apps will try to ride the wave of Augmented Reality for mobile, and they won’t be limited to games. It’s true that most current Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality content — often abbreviated as VR, AR and MR (all of which I will also refer to as 3D) — is run by gaming engines.
But what UX and UI designers tend to write off as “game design” will eventually merge seamlessly into the web and mobile apps we use every day, and we can thank Pokémon GO for the push.
It’s so early in this new era that everyone who has a part in creating these new web and mobile experiences is essentially responsible for shaping the standards.
For those of us who are just beginning to think about these blossoming 3D interfaces, I’ve come up with three core things to keep in mind as we wrap our collective consciousness around this shift.
Tip #1 — Skills Are Not Pokémon; You Don’t Have to Catch ’Em All
The initial reaction to a new challenge, like designing for 3D, is to scramble and try to be good at all of the things, in a thought process that I imagine goes like this: Real designers use Sketch! Oh wait, Keynote! We need to design for AR now? Time to learn Unity…
Shiny tools are awesome and useful, and you should totally excel at the ones you decide to keep in your toolbelt. But like a Pokemon battle, be strategic about which ones you choose, and why.
Don’t get caught up in tools and forget about the user.
Evolving your design sensibilities toward 3D is not quite as simple as adding hip new design app skills to your LinkedIn profile. Technology will always be changing, there will always be new tools, and your tools of choice should be whichever ones make it easy for you to communicate about a problem that you are solving for the user.
For now, Unity seems to be the leading tool for AR/VR design and development; but in addition to learning about 3D space by experimenting with Unity, Unreal, Vuforia, Maya, etc. — we should also prioritize our attention on understanding users’ changing habits and behaviors.
Do the designer thing and ask questions:
How is the user connecting, thinking and moving in 3D, both within the interface and outside of it?
Why would working in AR/VR/MR on this device be a compelling solution for this particular problem?
How can we ideate, wireframe or prototype effectively?
Tip #2 — Start Learning the Language of Space
Translating 3D experiential models and placing them into a digital format takes a special, nuanced approach. The future of AR/VR/MR-based mobile apps is not limited to games, but the design language that evolves from here will borrow from patterns and terminology used by the gaming, film and animation communities — the birthplaces of digital 3D environments. The good news is that we are also human, and life is in 3D. We already have 3D awareness, it’s just so second nature that we need to refine it.
Since some of the best 2D mobile interface design patterns are formed with physics in mind, the learning curve for understanding 3D might be less steep than you think. Don’t be overwhelmed. Below is a list of excellent resources that document current 2D spatial thinking, and a few more starter links about the future of 3D interfaces.
Thinking Spatially for 2D
- Google’s Material Design Guidelines — “A material metaphor is the unifying theory of a rationalized space and a system of motion. The material is grounded in tactile reality, inspired by the study of paper and ink, yet technologically advanced and open to imagination and magic.”
- Spatial Interfaces by Pasquale D’Silva — “A great Spatial Interface meets our expectations of a physical model. Designed for human beings, it supports a mind, living in the dimensions of space and time.”
- The Principles of UX Choreography by Rebecca Ussai — A great piece about UX and interactions, inspired by Disney animation principles. “They knew that when an audience would watch something on screen, they expected things to move in a way that felt natural. Disney also knew that if they wanted to captivate their audience they needed a layer of emotional engagement.”
Thinking Spatially for 3D
- Inside Out: Interaction Design for Augmented Reality by Joe Lamantia — “The role of experience design in regard to the inside-out world of augmented reality is critical, because, as Vinge also pointed out, ‘Reality can be whatever the software people choose to make it, and the people operating in the outside, real world choose it to be.’”
- KIT UI Movie UI — Just a collection of UI from sci-fi pop culture that I enjoy geeking out on. Much of what exists today was inspired by fiction. What’s next?
- FUI! by Nural Choudhury— An excellent, thorough breakdown of 3DUI concepts and terms.
If you have any more resources you enjoy, please share them in the comments!
#3 — Take Users on a Hero’s Journey
It’s interesting to note that Pokémon GO’s unique use of AR and the gamification of geodata are not actually new concepts. Popular location-based apps like FourSquare, Swarm and Pokémon GO’s predecessor, Ingress (also from Niantic and Pokémon GO founder, John Hanke), even Snapchat have all tried to do what Pokémon GO does. Niantic was able to take lessons from these popular mobile app behaviors and tap into something that resonates with the world.
Many writers have already listed hundreds of technical models for why the game resonates on such a large scale. I want to touch on one high-level model that is a common thread of success through any form of design. Ultimately, Pokémon GO would not work if the Niantic team didn’t weave their goals into strong foundational core stories.
Storytelling is a Buzzword for a Reason
If you’ve studied storytelling or psychology in any form, you’ve heard of Joseph Campbell. The Hero’s Journey is a classic archetypal story formula seen in everything from Star Wars, to to your own life. The basic idea:
- An individual is called on a journey into “becoming,” is skeptical at first.
- They eventually cross the threshold and go off on a great adventure.
- At the end of the journey cycle, the hero transforms, maybe learns something new, and changes the world around him.
There are definitely more facets to this formula, so I highly recommend diving in yourself.
What does this have to do with design, or Pokémon GO?
The game thrives on story built into every touch point of the Pokémon GO experience, from the trailer to the gameplay.
Establishing Nostalgia as a Journey
- The Calling: It’s obvious that nostalgia is the main driver of gameplay.
- Crossing the Threshold: Onboarding is simple enough that it encourages players to bring their own memories of the Pokémon story and context to the game — it leaves just enough to the imagination.
- Transformation and Learning: The player’s childhood dream of becoming a Pokémon trainer IRL is achieved.
But what about the daily active users who never had that nostalgia factor?
Establishing AR/Geolocation as a Journey
Much bigger than the nostalgia factor is that the AR and geolocation features of the game essentially become emotionally-charged interfaces.
- The Calling: Player hears about Pokémon hype, downloads. Professor Willow pops the question, “Will you help me with my research?”
- Crossing the Threshold: As you journey with the app, you tap into the neighborhood you thought you knew, with local landmarks taking on a new significance. Cute, unfamiliar creatures pop up as variable rewards.
- Transformation and Learning: The fact that there may be other real people to meet at the points on your map is an important part of the interaction. In a way, the people become part of the interface as well. Everyone’s journeys become woven together in real life. They learn together, team up, compete, and affect each other’s experience.
Just like Luke Skywalker goes from Farmboy to Jedi, or Uber riders go from stranded to not stranded — Pokémon GO players go from disconnected engagement, to a form of engagement that provides much more depth and presence than any 2D social media app.
Everyone wants to be a “hero.”
In experience design terms, this means they want to come back from their digital interaction feeling better than when they entered. “Better” can be defined in a number of ways, depending on the problem the experience aims to solve.
Designers can utilize emotional story formulas and our human yearning for fulfilling journeys to create impactful, engaging experiences and interfaces.
This is true whether we’re talking about games, banking apps, social networks…the list goes on. These story formulas works great in 2D, but adding a 3rd dimension to a mobile experience gives designers another layer of opportunity to build in emotional journeys and increase user investment. Pokémon GO added that extra layer, and exploited it perfectly.
Always Be Learning
As a designer, you are also on a hero’s journey.
Design often nudges us toward adventures that boast new challenges, new tools, new languages, and new solutions to uncover. Some journeys run along familiar landmarks. Others flip the world upside down.
Designing for the mixed reality future of our devices is more like the latter. The path is long and unclear.
Will you refuse the call, or are you ready to cross the threshold?
Thank you Ariane Mohamadi, Nick deWilde, Kassi Murray, Alex Wu.
Send your thoughts on the future of UX and UI to @triciflores 💖
