Word Whirl
Catering to our most avid users
We had some loyal followers who played the game an average of 8 hours a week and were highly passionate about Word Whirl. After going back and forth on email, we set up a formal UX project based on our “cult followers.” Based on their feedback, I created a profile page that helped avid players learn about their stats and how to improve them.
RESPONSIBILITIES
UI / UX
Design
TEAM
CEO
Software Engineers
TIMELINE
1 Month
DISCOVERY
Research + Analysis
Above, there are five different colors. Each color signifies a top player in the game. These people play an average of 8 hours per week, which means they know the ins and outs of our game. I asked questions to understand their behavior better and user needs.
Below are frameworks of the research synthesis that I have summarized from the findings I have made through the participants I have gathered.
Above is the feedback we got from top users, and then those were made into groups of similarities on the right. The “features” above list features our users wanted to see on our page. From this research, we decided to create a profile and statistics page to satisfy our users’ growing need for more information on their performance.
Low-Fidelity
Concept + Sketching
While sketching mockups, I added many statistics because the users I interviewed all noted that they enjoyed understanding how to get better.
Mid-Fidelity
Wireframing
Using the low-fidelity mock-up research, I created mid-fidelity wireframes to better understand the app layout. I looked at current mobile gaming apps that I use and what my colleagues use as a baseline of what works and what doesn't work on gaming apps.
HI-FIDELITY DESIGN
Style Guide + Prototyping
Getting into the app's visual design, I had previously created a competitive and vibrant environment since this app targets gamers. Below, you can see I complied with the colors in the design guide.
First Iteration
Feasability
In the first iteration, I talked more with the software engineers, and it seemed that some of these sections were not as feasible as they had originally thought, so I got rid of sections that would bog down the app. “x’ed” out are sections to the left will be gone for the next iteration.
Second Iteration
After we got rid of all the sections that weren’t feasible, we did some user functionality tests and found that they rarely pressed the “check stats” button. For us, this felt like a considerable loss of the available things to our users. We also found that users often wanted to scroll. This should make sense in many ways, considering how users mindlessly scroll through information in many apps. Why should we think that we would be different?
Final Iteration
Below is the final iteration which is based on feasibility and usability.
SOLUTION
Impact Overview
Established accounts spend an average of 3 minutes per visit on these pages. We feel so lucky to foster a community with our biggest users. We are incredibly grateful for their impact on our brand and all the people who have spread this app to others. Because of this user research, we are more tapped into what our biggest fans want.
