Buddy Battle

A NEW WAY TO ENJOY PLAYSTATION

Buddy Battle helps PS players nurture their relationships with people close to them

Sponsored Project | Multi-modal Interaction | Prototyping

There is a growing demand for newbie and existing gamers to use gaming as a means for connecting with closer family members and friends while also exploring new social connections with others. Our team envisioned interactions around the game that can strengthen the communication, connection and socializing between gamers.

Context

Sony Playstation sponsored the topic in the Interaction Design Workshop course.

Jan 2021 - May 2021 (14 weeks)

My Role

Implementing Interview
UI Design
Usability Testing
Prototyping

Team

Subin Kim
Mridula Dasari
Siwei Sun

Feature 1

Onboarding

Users can figure out what this new feature is before they try.

Feature 2

Select Users

Users can choose who they play the game with, and they can skip the account registration process through the Quick Play button.

Feature 3

Select Battle Card

Choose a battle theme. If users do not have the card they want, they can create a new one, and they can also battle with a theme designated by the PS at random.

Feature 4-1

Add Spectator

The spectator feature gives people who are watching the game an opportunity to participate in the game in addition to the person playing the game.

Feature 4-2

Add Spectator

Spectators can easily vote on who they think will win the game through mobile, and this is reflected on the game screen.

Feature 5

5. Enjoy Game and See the Result

The game shows who has to perform the mission with the result, and winner can get ps battle point.

How might PlayStation
be a community centric platform where users strengthen their offline relationship with families and friends?

Process

By using secondary research methods, we identified market trends in the gaming industry and define our project goal.

We looked into gamer's behavior and relationship with other gamers through the Bartle player-type model to understand the systems around them. In this process, we interviewed 3 active gamers and 2 regular gamers.

With the insights we got from the research process, we created an experience model to materialize our concept.

Using Figma, we designed the UI that goes into both smartphone and TV screen. Various use cases compiled together to see how users use the UI in what situation and what additional explanations are needed in the screen.

To test what we've made, we conducted user testing to 2 heavy PlayStation users and 2 regular users. We used Think Aloud method to deep understand how they think about our concept, how smooth the process is and what we can iterate again.

We presented our final interactive prototypes and user experiences to our workshop partner, Sony PlayStation and other game experts and were able to receive positive feedback.

Identifying Context

After the pandemic, many people are playing video games for the purpose of socializing.

Source

Deloitte's report for Technology Media & Telecommunication shows gamers have adjusted their behavior during the pandemic. 34% of them stated they "played video games at home with family a lot more". 27% said they "played video games to socially connect with others".

There is higher penetration of new gamers in the market who are using the gaming platforms to find the sense of belonging. They are also looking at gaming or watching games as a way of having fun.

Early Hypothesis

Game shouldn’t only entertain players, but also everyone around them. Mission is the place involves everyone.

The research showed that many gamers play games for the purpose of socialization. Our team first devised a possible concepts for socialization in games. Then, we wondered what if the game result is not limited to the online world and has an impact on real life.

Identifying Users & Challenges

The Bartle player-type model

According to The Bartle player-type model, there are four types of online game players: socialisers, killers, achievers, and explores. This model helped us identify the behaviors, motivations and purposes of gamers by category, and helped us better understand them when we interviewed real users.

Source

In-depth Interview

"I play FIFA, people don't need to talk to each other. And I don't want to say it first to others because I think it feels like I'm saying hi to someone I don’t know on the street. I don't want to feel awkward." -Shin

"I mostly only play PlayStation games when partying with my friends. However, since I have only 3 consoles, when I play, I worry that my friends who are just watching game will get bored." -Abhishek

Key Insights from research

Insight 1
It's challenging to talk to gamers you meet for the first time.
Obviously, on the PS platform, speaking is a more comfortable interaction method than typing, but gamers feel awkward because there is no other common topic to continue the conversation with others.

Insight 2
It's challenging both gamers and viewers enjoy the time together.
People who watch the game other than those who play the game may feel alienated and think they are not belonging with others.

Insight 3
Regular games with family and friends help people feel a bond even if they don't actually meet.
Video games can be another communication method other than the familiar communication methods such as phone calls, messages, and SNS.

Define Experience Model

We thought the socialized PlayStation platform would have two parts. One is a platform that can socialize people who enjoy the same game as me or people with similar skill levels in the same community. On the other hand, it is a platform that can strengthen close internal relationships such as players' families and friends. And we focused more on internal relationships.

Who Will Use This Service?

To make decisions easier and more fun

For those who need a way to determine who will be responsible for what through the mission.

To spend time with loved ones

Light ps users who want to spend time with their family and friends and build a connection

To explore something new

Gamers who love to explore new features and different themes

User Scenario

1. Tae lives in Chicago whereas his brother James and his parents live in California. Tae comes back home for a break.

2. Their parents ask them to mow a lawn this afternoon, and James suggests to Tae to play a Buddy Battle and decide who will do the work.

3. After they choose which game they will play together, there is an option that they can add a Buddy Battle mode.

4. While they are adding information on the Buddy Battle screen, parents vote who they think will win through mobile and participate as spectators.

5. Tae won the game and James took responsibility for the task.

6. After dinner, Tae’s family plays PS Buddy Battle again to decide who will wash dish.

Testing and Revised with Key Insights

With the mid-fi prototype, we did prototype testing with 2 active PS gamers and 2 regular gamers, and we were able to get detailed feedback and insights from them.