ROLE
UX Researcher
CLIENT
Student Project,
at Vancouver Film School.
TOOLS
Figma, FigJam, Excel.
DURATION
2024.
Safe Matchmaking
A multi-platform to find your right gaming match.
Gaming is important for its multifaceted impact on entertainment, socialization, education, economy, culture, mental health, innovation, and competitive sports. It has become an integral part of modern life, influencing how we learn, interact and unwind.
Gaming is a source of entertainment and social interaction for many. However, a prevalent challenge faced by some gamers is the difficulty in finding compatible players to engage with, impacting their gaming experience.
PROJECT SCOPE
Create a high-level research report to address the difficulty in finding compatible players.
DELIVERABLES
Develop research reports, conduct primary, secondary, and exploratory research, build a high level concept.
BACKGROUND
Gaming has become a significant part of modern culture, impacting various aspects of society, from entertainment and social interaction to education and the economy.
Its evolution from simple electronic experiments to a multi-billion dollar industry highlights its profound and enduring significance in modern society.
PROBLEM
Toxic behavior and poor matchmaking in online gaming are driving players away from the community.
Players frequently encounter harassment, bullying, and negative comments, which often lead to frustration, demotivation, and even a complete disengagement from gaming. Existing matchmaking systems often fail to pair players based on compatibility, leading to imbalanced games and increased conflict.
MY ASK
How can we develop something to help players find the right match to enhance their gaming experience?
Research Summary
INTERVIEWS SUMMARY
"The friends I’ve made during those long nights and early morning are my favorite memories while gaming."
- Interviewee 08
"Me and my friends found a random player in Valorant and decided to protect them as a joke. That person ended up becoming our friend."
- Interviewee 05
KEY FINDINGS #1
Users often cherish their most memorable gaming building connections.
When asked them to share any memorable experience, most of the interviewees mentioned moments with their friends.
Gaming has shown to be a way to connect with friends and meet people.
"Although I moved out of my hometown around 3 years ago, my friends and I are still able to connect and catch up with one another mostly through video games each week."
- Interviewee 03
KEY FINDINGS #2
Users prefer highly value multiplayer games.
88.89% of the interviewees reported having a significant preference for multiplayer games.
The mentioned reasons were the idea of cooperating to achieve an objective, the possibility of building new connections in each game.
"Multiplayer is the most important for me though, because I don’t like to play games by myself and find gaming with friends much more enjoyable as it provides more entertainment, and motivation to play a game."
- Interviewee 01
"I like the idea of ​​working as a team to achieve a goal, whether in cooperative missions or competitive matches. Multiplayer games generally have a longer lifespan, as experiences can be different from game to game, making each gaming session unique and exciting."
- Interviewee 02
"I always enjoyed playing online games, but lately it is just frustrating. One out of five rounds is decent. You can't make any mistakes anymore, otherwise kids just start shouting at you like crazy. Not even to mention the mid age dudes trying so hard to flex their masculinity through "
- Interviewee 01
"I started avoiding multiplayer games after playing with so many toxic dudes. I also started being afraid of using the voice chat.
I can't understand why some people take the game so seriously at the point they feel they are entitled to humiliate someone."
- Interviewee 09
KEY FINDINGS #3
Toxicity is pushing gamers away from multiplayers games.
Even though they had a preference for multiplayer games, users reported to start losing the interest for those after many encounter with toxic gamers.
"These toxic people make my gaming experience and my mood worse and makes me not want to play a game or enjoy it much less."
- Interviewee 02
KEY FINDINGS #4
The community is generally not welcoming.
When asked about how they felt towards the community, mostly shared a frustration related to the growing toxic environment.
"Generally, I don’t see the overall gaming community in a positive light, because of the toxic environment that has been growing over the years. Because of this, I don’t play as many multiplayer games with randoms."
- Interviewee 03
"Awful. Chronically online. Nobody's even a person anymore. It also sucks for women sometimes as some gamers are inappropriate."
- Interviewee 02
Organizing Data After Interviews
AFFINITY DIAGRAMING AND HYPOTHESES DRIVEN APPROACH
After collecting and organizing all the data from the interviews, I organized them looking for patterns and then focus on the needed area.
I learned about the Hypotheses Driven Approach to draw my initial assumptions about gamers, their jobs-to-be-done and problems, a great tool to then bring back to users and validate information.
Sample of the Gameplay Style
Sample of the Company Preference
EMPATHY MAP
After the affinity mapping, I did an empathy map to better understand the users thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and experiences. It helped me to move forward and create an archetype based on real data.
ARCHETYPE
With all the data collected and organized previously, I developed two archetypes, but then I realized both had the same pain points and goals, their only difference were their demographics. So I decided to move forward with only one of them.
Understanding the Current Experience
To understand better players' behaviors and challenges within online gaming, I created a user journey map based on the data collected previously. And by focusing on key stages of their current experience, I identified critical pain points and opportunities to improve the players' experience.
PAIN POINTS
From the experience map, I could notice that the repeated toxicity from other players impact the user’s experience, transforming their journey more troubled and giving room to constant unpleasant feelings, such as frustration and tiredness.
PAIN POINTS
After dealing with the persistent toxicity from other players, the user contemplates giving up due to negative experiences, but chooses to persevere, seeking support and like-minded players.
User Journey Map
Mapping Opportunities
I developed a mental model based on my data and previous research methods. By analyzing this model, I pointed major opportunities for improvement.
MENTAL MODEL
With the mental model, I could notice that the most lacked area of solutions involves the toxicity, loneliness and auto-reflection of players.
As for the solution, a matchmaking platform that match you and players with similar interests. With verified accounts and reviewing systems, players interested in building real connections would feel safer to play multiplayers games.
Experience Principles
SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY
Foster strong social connections and inclusivity within the community.
QUALITY CONTROL
Player ratings and reports after each match.
FACE CONSEQUENCES
Penalties for consistently poor behavior, and reward players with positive feedback.
FAIR PLAY
Ensure fair and balanced matchmaking.
UI Design
Coming soon...
Evaluation and reflection
At the start, the idea for this project came from a personal pain point. I fell into the trap of thinking I was my user and that I had a complete understanding of who my target users were and what they needed. I was completely wrong.
​
Throughout the project, I realized that each individual has a unique background, perspective, set of goals, and mental model. This diversity significantly influences their experiences and needs.
​
I am particularly grateful to my instructor, Henry, who consistently challenged my assumptions and emphasized the importance of validating them through user feedback. He showed me that revisiting users to confirm assumptions is not a setback but an essential part of the design process.
I can clearly see how this project has significantly impacted my daily design practices and processes, teaching me to recognize and mitigate bias, ensuring that designs are based by real user insights rather than my personal assumptions.
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My next step with this project is to start developing the UI design of it.
