pARty
An AR escape room game,
now from the comfort of your home.
Theme
Interaction Design,
AR Interactions
Timeline
9 weeks
Role
UX Designer: Conception, User Flow, IA, Design System, UI Screens, Lo-Fi of AR Elements
UX Researcher: Conducted interviews, testing for users
PROBLEM
Need to revive social life and gatherings after the impact of social distancing measures by
bringing people together
SOLUTION
Through interactive gameplay that promotes social interaction, incorporating physical movement and digital elements for an inclusive and engaging experience
An affordable AR escape room game that offers multiple storylines and collaborative puzzle-solving experiences, encouraging social interaction and bonding
What you’ll need?
TV Screen
Mobile
Who would play?
Young adults (20-35 years)
Family get-togethers
Why would someone play?
Level up your social life with games
Diverse, inexpensive, and at-home entertainment
Find shared interests and create unforgettable stories through gaming
A mission to reconnect people and bring back the fun in socializing through the power of interactive gaming! After years of social distancing, some may still feel uneasy with larger gatherings, but fear not!
With a unique combination of collaboration and problem-solving, the AR game is sure to keep you and your friends engaged and entertained.
Plus, it's easy on the wallet!
Step Up Your Game:
Get Ready to pARty Like Never Before!
Started off with…
Mood boards
Organize ideas in a visual way during brainstorming.
Concept
Combine virtual and physical aspects of games to bring people together.
Ideas
Tangible digital board games, adult Candy Land, Ouija board, and AR scavenger hunt.
Final product idea:
AR Escape Room
An escape room-like game that you can PLAY from anywhere
Escape Reality Anywhere with Our Augmented Reality Escape Room Experience!
Immerse Yourself in a Creative Story and Complete Challenges - from Riddles to Mini-Games.
Customize Your Experience with Unique Stories and Kits Adapted to Any Room!
Storyline
Ideation: Brainstormed different concepts for the game's storyline, the team used mood boards for inspiration. Through collaborative iteration and refinement, the "Elves stuck in Santa's office" storyline was selected, promising to be engaging and immersive for players.
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the workshop, not a creature was stirring...except for the overindulgent elves who partied too hard on eggnog whiskey. Now, trapped in Santa's workshop with no escape, they have just 45 minutes to find a way out before Santa returns from his rounds. Will they make it out in time, or will they be out of a job?
Let's dive into our Augmented Reality escape room game where the fun starts!
Affinity Mapping
Conducted 10 interviews with escape room, board game, AR/VR enthusiasts to understand user preferences. Consolidated notes and did affinity mapping to identify major findings and user needs.
More Ideation!
Crazy 8s got us 40 unique interaction ideas for our immersive escape room game! These included various puzzle ideas for selected story theme, AR interactions etc.
Competitor Analysis
Analyzing the competition was key to setting ourselves apart and creating a unique product that stands out in the market. We took inspiration from competitors while also innovating and identifying our unique value proposition.
Personas
Getting to know our users was key to creating an immersive and engaging experience. By developing 3 personas:
Introvert
Extrovert
Ambivert
for each user segment based on interviews and surveys, we gained valuable insight into our users' goals, needs, experiences, and behaviours. These personas helped us create a user-centric approach and ensure our ideas were aligned with our target audience.
Information Architecture
Unveiling the Blueprint: How Information Architecture Paves the Way for our Storyline's Success!
After tackling usability issues, we delved into crafting the final screens with Figma.
Our mission?
To capture the brand's "have fun" message by injecting a playful, game-like vibe using shades of red and purple. Inspired by competitors and our own reference library, we nailed a typography that's both fun and readable. And to ensure maximum accessibility, the game is optimized for mobile devices.
Prototyping & Design
Set the Stage.
Select Player Type, Number.
Connect via Bluetooth.
Across all Devices.
Game: Claus-trophobic
Get ready for an immersive experience! After choosing your game theme, the TV device sets up the story and mood. Scan your room during onboarding for personalized AR elements and clues.
Upgrade Your Game Night with Effortless Invites!
Planning a game night earlier in the week? Want to have your friends mark their calendars?
Set up the details for your game and invite your friends to mark their calendars! With our easy-to-use onboarding process, planning your next game night has never been this fun and effortless!
Collaborate to Conquer: Mid-Fidelity Interactions
Using Figma, low-fi sketches were translated into mid-fidelity wireframes. Mid-fidelity frames were also developed for interactions now that the storyline was set. Certain interactions require collaboration and rest can be done by individual players.
User Testing
Putting Our Prototypes to the Test:
Innovative Low-Fidelity User Testing with Paper Prototypes and AR Elements!
We used 2D printouts for AR and cardboard phone screens for interactions, with team members acting as the backend and using a soundboard for system feedback. The results helped us understand user interactions and optimize the game's ecology.
Check out how our testing went!
With learnings in hand, we leveled up to high-fidelity prototypes and conducted quick, yet effective, testing using Adobe Aero.
Check out the impressive results of our user-tested interactions below!
Learnings from the testing…
Piece it Together: Reassemble the mystery toy and unravel the clues!
Players find and put together broken toy pieces with their phones, leading to a present with Kyle's name on it, prompting them to search for more clues.
Unwrap the Secrets of Santa's Table: Can You Unlock the Drawer and Solve the Candy Cane Conundrum?
Players solve a puzzle on Santa's table by finding a common snowflake on a snow globe and candies, then creating a pattern seen through a window. This unlocks a drawer to reveal a naughty and nice list book with a surprising entry.
Ring in the Holidays: Can you play the right notes on the wreathes with bells to save the elves trapped in the TV screen?
Players tap on musical bells to play the last two notes of "Rudolph the red nose reindeer". If played correctly, the vent on the TV screen opens and elves escape.
AR Interactions:
Puzzles solved in real-time!
Want to try out these interactions?
Piece it Together
Unwrap the Secrets of Santa's Table
Ring in the Holidays
Takeaways
Pushing Beyond Traditional Methods
Designing a game was a thrilling twist to the UX design process, requiring us to get creative with innovative approaches that pushed beyond traditional UX methods.
Rapid Iterations
Rapid iterations kept the game design process exciting and dynamic, from brainstorming to testing.
A Multi-Faceted Approach to UX
Designing games is a multi-faceted process that requires consideration of various factors, including physical, social, emotional, digital, technological, and ecological elements. To create a successful game experience, it's crucial to understand the user's mental model from each of these perspectives and design the game accordingly.
Pushing boundaries and discovering potential - our game design project taught us to strive for the most delightful and immersive user experience.
Gamifying UX
Gamification adds an extra layer of complexity to UX design, as it requires creating not just a functional interface, but a compelling and entertaining experience.
Course
Interaction Design, Fall ‘22
Tools Used
Figma, Adobe Aero, Adobe Dimension, Blender, Google suite
Team
Monika Agarwal, Sneha Balakrishnan, Vershanjali Chauhan,
Elizaveta Kravchenko, Talia Potochny