Analysing on-boarding experience of a gaming app : “Two Dots”
I’m pretty sure you would have heard about the “Two Dots” game, the hugely popular mobile game you just couldn’t avoid hearing about from your game-junkie friends! Not to forget, the app crossed the 1 million download mark in 36 hours. And it was also featured in the App Store as Best New Game. But just in case you missed it, here what you can do on this gaming app -
About Two dots
Two dots is a puzzling game based on you ability to make connections or matches. The player has to join maximum dots in a time frame. It’s the sequel to last year’s popular Dots game and has climbed to the top of the iOS App Store charts — and for good reason. Two Dots takes the basic gameplay of the original Dots game (connect as many vertical or horizontal dots of the same color in a grid as you can) and builds upon it with a new level-based architecture that makes the game more challenging as you progress.
Well, this article is not going to talk about the features and awe of the app. We will try to look at it from a usability perspective, moreover the process of on-boarding it follows. So, if you’re not into playing Two Dots, this article can still be valuable and interesting to you. :)
Why focus on onboarding for gaming apps?
Gaming apps usually involve very innovative ways of interacting with the device. It is not as on the same lines of usual app interaction — tap on a button to move forward or swipe to go to the next screen. It demands different gestures and actions.
Lexis Hanson very beautifully puts how Onboarding should be :
Onboarding Should Be Personalized — Onboarding flows can be built to be intelligent, identifying specific user types within an application and presenting functionality that’s most relevant to them.
When designing a gaming app, the aim should be to target users who are not game-junkies as well. Onboarding of “Two dots” takes good care of this fact!
Objective of the test
Monitoring the drop-off on the “Two Dots” app with and without the on-boarding. Analyse the onboarding step by step.
User research
User persona
Prior to conducting usability tests, I developed a user persona to better understand the target users of Two Dots android app. This process helped me get into the mindset of the users, thinking in terms of their contexts, needs, and goals
So meet Rodger!
Platform used for experiment
I have used the CanvasFlip online tool for creating the prototypes and for UX insights such as session replay (the user videos). conversion funnel and heat maps.
Number of users in the test
I prepared a list of 12 users. Picked up 6 randomly for prototype with on-boarding and the other 6 for prototype without on-boarding.
Task given to users
“Here’s a cool game, play through it and achieve higher levels! All the best dude!”
Usability Analysis
Before getting started with the analysis, try out the prototypes on which the tests were performed
When we are talking about on-boarding, there are few pointers we need to keep in mind -
- Design the on-boarding keeping every category and level of users in mind
- Understand which parts of the tutorial the user needs at which stage of the app.
- Motivate the users on the app to move and achieve quickly!
- Unhindered flow
So based on these 4 points, I analysed the usability data.
1. Design the on-boarding keeping every category and level of users in mind
This gaming app respects the users’ intelligence and adapts to the speed of learning. Two Dots guides or onboard the user with a simple playthrough. The app practices gesture based on-boarding. The user performs a certain activity while on-boarding(connecting dots) and then he gets the next set of dots to practise. You get a minute’s time to try on hands on the game. The faster you finish with a set, the more sets you get for practice.
2. Understand which parts of tutorial the user needs at which stage of the app.
It’s a commonly practised technique to squeeze in all the instructions in the initial on-boarding. Rather, the instructions should be given gradually as the user absorbs them.
The best part of Two Dots is that additional enhanced mechanisms are not bombarded onto the player till he reaches the higher levels. Gradual engagement avoids overwhelming the user with information
The initial levels in the game involves joining dots vertically, horizontally and diagonally. Later in the game, as the level increases it has enhanced mechanisms such as joining dots to create a square and more…
But, the initial on-boarding does not cater to this. Initially, the app tutors what the user is ready to grasp. For example, when the new player reaches Level 3–after having practiced her “Basics” a few times–she is taught how to make square connections in a second playthrough. She is not restricted from figuring out these skills on her own earlier than they are introduced in the playthrough.
3. Motivate the users on the app
Level 1 of the game starts only after you have played around with the app for a minute or so. It motivates the users and gives them the confidence to go ahead with the game.
Secondly, it gets the user into the playing mode quickly, also balancing the fact that they are first timers on the app.
Thirdly, the motivation to move to the second level when the app tells you in just approximately 5 mins that you are a pro!
4. Unhindered flow
With the two dots app, you can deny both — giving access to Google+ profile and information and avoid login and still play the game!
We discussed in detail what we think about the on-boarding experience of users on the gaming app. Now let’s see if the UX insights are aligned to this.
Comparison of drop-offs
Comparing the first gaming screen : with and without prototyping
Without on-boarding, users have taken far more time on the first gaming screen. This extra time taken is probably to understand how to go about with the game.
Over to you
What do you think about the onboarding process of Two Dots? We’d love to know your thoughts. Use the comments section below.
P.S. — If you liked the user experience data used in this experiment, give CanvasFlip a shot and try the same on your app!
