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ROLE
Product Design Intern
TEAM
Chris No
Jon Malkemus
John Kumahara
Lyndon Mayer
TOOLS
Figma
Wireframing
Interaction Design
User Research
DURATION
Summer 2020
(3 months)
PROBLEM
New releases are not discoverable in the store.
Challenge: How might I increase user exposure to newly released apps in the Oculus Store?
How many new releases can you spot?
Design Goals
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Increase discoverability through assorted layouts, techniques and features
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Identify pain points customers may have when browsing new releases in the current system
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Work with an XFN team to user-test designs, iterate and deploy them as a refined design in the store
Personal Goals
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Learn to think about the product and strategize my designs from an XFN perspective
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Hone my visual and interaction design skills in a fast-paced design environment
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Learn how to effectively work with an XFN team and streamline design ideas
BACKGROUND RESEARCH
In order to better understand the current system, I conducted an audit of how users navigate to new releases and identified challenges they face.
Surfacing content audit to understand the current system.
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Two Main Entry Points
Chart - "New Releases" chart could be selected to take users to a list of the top 20 newest releases.
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Shelf - "New & Updated Games We Love" shelf could be viewed in the main page, after scrolling.
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BRAINSTORMING & IDEATION
Next I began ideating and exploring potential solutions.
I did an initial brain dump of any idea that came to mind, without constraints. Next, I received feedback from the XFN team and iterated on three main solutions.
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USER RESEARCH
The first user research took place in July, then I was given the opportunity to iterate on my design and test the refined design a second time in August.
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*Note: I am unable to publicly disclose the findings of the study
I conducted two user studies
to test out my designs.
01
USER TEST
TESTING NEW LAYOUTS AND BADGING
Goal #1: Badging placement and iconography usage
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Which badge location is the most discoverable?
Is the badge understandable in each location?
Is there value in iconography?
Goal #2: Modifying the new releases layout
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Does modifying the new releases layout provide additional value to the user?
Is it clear that layouts differ due to represent new releases?
Which aspects of new releases are most important to users?
02
USER TEST
MODIFYING THE CURRENT SYSTEM TO FIT NEW BADGES
Goal #1: Taxonomy of Bundle badge
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Is there value in knowing how many items are in a bundle at this stage?
Do users understand it's a bundle without saying "bundle"?
Are the numbers understandable?
Goal #2: Discoverability of bundle badge placement
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Badge location needs to be modified to fit the new system, is it still just as discoverable?
Is this placement discoverable in VR?
Badge​ for Brand New Apps
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As new releases and play a major role in purchase decision, it’s crucial to keep this information as discoverable as possible.
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This also keeps the system scalable, so that if there is other permanent information to come as VR evolves, it can also be placed below.
Entry Point for a Single Release​
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There aren’t too many new releases, so intentionally advertising one makes sense.
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Autoplaying the trailer makes the new release particularly stand out among the shelves, while allowing the user to scroll to see more details and featured images.
Entry Point for Multiple Releases​
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- I chose to modify the chart layout so that content could be seen in an intuitive way that the user is already familiar with.
- This also eliminates the need for a second click into the new releases chart.
DESIGN OUTCOME
My project outcome: One big problem, three small solutions.
Three solutions: 1) Badging, 2) differentiated entry points to highlight a single release and 3) entry points to highlight multiple releases increase discoverability of new releases in the Oculus Store.