Word Whirl
Helping users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors
A common complaint with our customers was that certain words weren’t valid. However, they weren’t valid for specific reasons, such as they were a proper noun, a bad/inappropriate word, or it was a zero-point word. Although these rules were stated in the rules tab, people still didn’t get it. If our users didn’t understand, it was our fault, not theirs. We needed to create a singular feature on the front page that would notify users and communicate clearly. Since we had issues before with people not seeing the feature, I focused solely on the placement of the feature on the front page.
RESPONSIBILITIES
UI / UX Design
Reaserch
Data
TEAM
CEO
Software Engineers
Researcher
DESIGN
Mockups
I designed the feature in different ways to decide which placement was best for the users. I chose to focus on mobile since most new users are sent the link on their phones, and the first thing they will do isn’t download an app. It is to use mobile. However, since this feature will be used on mobile and desktop, I made sure to give it distinctive mobile features so as not to confuse my software developers.
FEEDBACK
One-on-one Research
For this project, we asked 20 randomized people in our target market (age 27-42) their opinions. I did one-on-ones because we needed to explain what they were looking at and how the game worked for them to understand the context of the feature. From the explanation we gave them, we collected quantitative data to help us choose which mockup to move forward with. We then asked them follow-up questions to understand why they felt a certain way about each question.
“Why” Feedback
"Mockup 3 is easiest to communicate because it is simple and to the point- no fluff."
“Mockup 1 feels scammy because it feels like a popup ad to get an email."
"Mockup 4 feels scammy because it feels like a cookie."
"Mockup 2 gives me feedback because it tells me the most about why it doesn’t work.”
"Mockup 3 gives the best feedback because it feels like it is in the right spot since that's where the words are."
Data Analysis
Mockup 3 is the feature that makes the most sense because it doesn’t look like an ad, it doesn’t feel scammy, and it communicates to the user. It does not give the best feedback, but the ones that provide the best feedback feel scammy and like an ad (according to the users).
DECISION
Choosing A Feature
Taking the research gathered from the mock-ups, I presented it to the software engineers and the CEO to decide the best feature as a group. We have a more unified team by getting the software engineer’s opinion.
Above is a visual version of the data. By creating a visual like this, I make sure the data is easily translatable to the CEO or anyone who is quickly looking at the data. After presenting, the group chose Mockup 3 as the new feature. I also heard from the software engineers about which features were feasible and made sense from their perspective. They thought Mockup 3 would be easy to implement.
ITERATIONS
Small Tweaks
After making a unified decision, I made some tweaks to improve the look and feel of the feature.
First, I ensured the format would look good with the different text variations.
Then, I edited the text to be 16 pt instead of 18 and adjusted the box size since the format on the app and Desktop are different.
After ensuring the sizing would look good on all variations, I focused on blending the feature into the app. I rounded the edges, added the border, and made the colors fit better with the game’s aesthetic. The red text is the same color as the live color above. From previous experiences, I knew that if the feature looked too similar to the board, people would think it was part of the board and try to click on it. Therefore, I made the colors different from the board.
SOLUTION
Impact Overview
Before changes were made
After making these changes, we have fewer complaints that “words are missing.” We have noticed a decrease in our users' frustration as they receive quick feedback on their words, and we are communicating more clearly with our users. We are very thankful that our research and design better serve our users' needs.
The data above shows the ratings of 30 users before and after we implemented this feature. We asked specifically about the word list because people misunderstood that their words didn’t work. Therefore, the complaint we were often hearing was that the word list was bad because it was missing words. By implementing this feature, our users have a better opinion of the word list on word whirl.
After changes were made
