GRIPLE

OVERVIEW

Griple is a “full-contact” chat game tailored for live sporting events. While I worked in several areas of the app including introducing and developing new product features, the focus in this case study was effective communication of a game specific feature critical to the core game loop of the app.

Problem

The core product differentiator for this app is the ability to send outrageous animations to other players to more effectively talk smack and enjoy rivalries. The technical limitations of the team and the old UI design did not communicate this feature of the app effectively to players.

Solution

Using my technical skills from developing UI changes across the app and leaning on my years of UX and product design experience, I was able to facilitate collaboration between design, art, and engineering teams to implement a creative UI solution that married the visions across all three teams.

Execution

• Highlighted the UX problems with the current art assets that did not show the action or result that players were being offered

• Strategized with the art team to update assets that better communicated the action that players were taking by selecting a duo

• Redeveloped the scriptable objects and implemented the new design while also setting up the art requirements for future content updates

Griple’s duo animations

In Griple, players can select other players that are live in the room with them to send taunting animations that encourage smack talk and rivalries among fans of different teams. In order to send these “Duo Animations” to other players, a player must choose which player avatar they want to send the animation to. After that, a duo animation drawer pops up and prompts the controlling player to select which animation they would like to send.

Player needs

• Players need to understand which player avatar they have selected in the room

• Players need to understand who they are versus who their target is in each duo animation

• Players need to understand that by selecting a duo they are taking an action against another player

CHALLENGES

• The original design relied heavily on custom GIF animations to communicate what the player needed to understand but the platform (iOS mobile) had technical limitations on performance for this type of design

• The team needed a quick, simple, and elegant solution that wouldn’t require much technical rework in order to get the app launched onto the App Store in a short deadline

• For future content updates, the team needed to understand what should be communicated in the generated art assets that would align with the new UI design

conclusion

By working and communicating player needs, technical limitations, and team members’ own special skills, we were able to craft a much improved UI design that communicated everything we wanted players to understand when reaching this feature of the app. I was able to facilitate ideas and talks between 3 different teams and eventually implement this collaborative design in the app itself in time for its initial release on the App Store. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times - teamwork makes the dream work. This project solution showcases that cross-functional collaboration results in the best outcomes for the product and for the team.