The Arcade Check-in app was the first project for the Google UX Design course. The project spanned about two months, during which I delved into User Research, interviews, wireframes, and testing, all of which were new to me. This was a significant learning experience that I chose to undertake to see how I can design something that will help improve users' lives. It was also the first app I created in Figma, and it taught me how to use the many features like components and plugins that made designing an app accessible.
Attendees want a simple way to check into an event through their smartphone. They do not want to be waiting in lines when checking in.
Create an app that will make the check in process simple and painless for our users. Make sure they are easily able to open the app on their phone and find the event with little issues to check in.
I conducted interviews with different types of gamers about what their needs are for this check-in app. I wanted to see what kind of games they were playing or events they wanted to attend. Only some video games are similar. Some games have a cooperative experience, while others are much more competitive. My users wanted a simple and easy way to check into the event on their phones.
Based on my research, I created a persona of a gamer who wants to attend gaming events. Knowing the user's pain points helped me make the wireframes and Hi-fi designs.
The wireframes for the Arcade check-in app went through several revisions. I was trying to decide on a layout that made sense for a check-in app, but I wanted my users to find out where they were going in the app. The check-in process needed to be simple. This is where I started to learn how to use Figma prototype features. Prototyping was eye-opening and fun to test before showing it to users.
1: Some users had trouble finding the settings menu
2: Yes and No labels did not make sense. Placement was not good.
3: Users did not need the "No" button to cancel check in.
I wanted my hi-fi designs to reflect an event app in terms of colors. I tried creating something with darker colors, like black to see how it will look. While I liked a black background, i wanted to add a bit more personality to the app. I settled on a dark blue background, which users complimented when using the final design. The button color was orange to draw users' attention. For my navigation, users appreciated the bottom nav, and the icons I used from Iconify helped with ease of use.
I learned many lessons when designing my first app. In my initial wireframes, my button placement could have made more sense for various users, as my research showed. The positive feedback I received reassured me that I paid attention to what my users wanted from a check-in app.
The Arcade Check-in app was the first app design I created. Designing this app differed from the websites I had made since I had almost always considered the desktop view first. Generally, my designs start on the desktop, and I scale down to what the website should look like on a phone screen. My user research and testing helped with this design challenge. Once my users were happy with the final product, I knew I was going in the right direction in designing this app.
