Samsung | Createxion.com

Understand

Context

Understand

Context

Secondary

Research

Secondary

Research

Primary

Research

Primary

Research

Identify &

Define

Identify &

Define

Ideation & Solution

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Resume

Samsung R&D Bengaluru

State of gaming in 5G era

UX Designer | Graduation Project

Duration: 6 Months

The Story experiment

Finding out the best way to explain my projects using

Instagram Story format and to effectively communicate

my work in short duration

Project Omni | Samsung

Overview

I had to identify possible changes that could happen in the field of gaming with the advent of 5G and explore new modalities that gamers can use.

The resulting solution to address the identified intent and need was Project Omni

The Process

Understand

Context

Secondary

Research

Primary

Research

Identify &

Define

Ideation & Solution

Context

Evolution of Design Brief

Find possible intervention points that 5G technology presents in changing the day to day activity of the user

Explore the possibilities that 5G technology presents in changing the gaming experience on Samsung devices. Following this exploration, create design concepts emerging from the research, leading to detailed final solutions.

Design experience for Platform Agnostic gaming on Samsung Devices that facilitates Unsolicited Expression and Freedom to control

Team

Abhishek Srivastava | RM
Prasad Ghone | Lead Designer | Primary Guide
Vandana Banapuram | Lead Designer | Secondary Guide
Vijay K Harikumar | Lead Designer | Secondary Guide

Uniqueness I Offered

4 years of experience in the Gaming Sector
Experience of Designing VUI / AR/ VR Experiences
Background as Interaction Designer
Rapid Prototyping skills and Usability Testing Experience

Context

The advent of 5G is expected to throw open the floodgates into the world of gaming. People won’t need high-end PCs or consoles to play online. But while 5G will undoubtedly deliver low latency and more capacity, success depends on getting the right business models in place and creating experiences to keep them coming back for more. However, to have a clearer forecast on what 5G has in store for the future of gaming, one also has to take into account the sudden changes that the pandemic has brought into the global lifestyle and consumption patterns, interests, and behaviors.

Understanding 5G and things that would change

Problem Setting/Research Question

How do we leverage 5G to improve the gaming experience?
Can we improve the platform-agnostic gaming experience?
Is mobile gaming the future of platform gaming?
What are the upcoming modality trends that I can leverage to improve the gaming experience?
What is the modality matrix of the user while playing games on Mobile vs Desktop?
What are the problems faced by users while playing games online irrespective of platforms?
What exactly do users consider immersive gaming, what are the factors that facilitate this / disrupt user experience?
What importance does a device form and configuration play, and how it affects the UX of gaming?
How would the demography of users (Gamers) change with the implementation of 5G?
Are we looking forward to Netlfix like OTT platforms for gaming which would enable subscription-based services?
How can I improve content finding/ content suggestion for the Samsung App store?
What are the surface level, Deep level, behavioral and root-level changes that would happen because of 5G?
What are Samsung's competitors up to?
Would 5G enable a new way of content creating in gaming and boost game streaming to another level?
What are users expectations from 5G?
How can I create a Samsung device ecosystem which further improves the gaming experience?

Secondary

Secondary Research

Summary of Secondary Research | Level wise changes due to 5G

Information Redacted from Secondary Research | NDA

Some information has been redacted from this secondary research summary. Please download the protected report. May require password

Download Reports - Secondary Research

Report: Level of Changes

Details on Level of changes, Why would it happen and what can we expect, and what could be done?

Table: Streaming Exp Evaluation

Evaluation of experience of streaming on major streaming applications

Report: Competitive Analysis

Details on Devices and Services by Samsung's Competitors

Report: 5G Use Cases

A quick study of 5G uses cases proposed by leading 5G service providers

Report: Cloud Gaming

Evaluation of cloud gaming service porviders

Primary Research

Qualitative Research | Research Methods

Focus Group Discussion

Topic: Future of Gaming and Platform Agnostic Gaming

A closed team group discussion was conducted with 5 Samsung employees including the moderator. All participants had knowledge of working of 5G and Platform Agnostic Gaming. Total duration of discussion was 2Hrs approx.

Semi-Structured Interview

Objective: Learn about the user experience of gaming, on mobile devices vs other platforms

Use the insight to find out critical touchpoint areas, problems, and user's expectations.
On average the interviews lasted for 45mins

Quantitative Research | Survey & Validating Q-Insights

Google Form

Responses 167 | 1 Week

Data was collected from google form which was floated in dedicated gaming groups on Facebook and also in the network of NID.

Summary of Primary Research

Games and Genre

Preference

"I rarely search for new games, too much of work man.."
"I ask my friend for a suggestion or I would download the game which he is playing currently..."
"I usually play games which are in trend like Among Us" so that I don't miss out on memes..."

Gaming Experience

and Controls

"on pc, I can choose to play any game with any controller of my choice which is absent in mobile phones.."
"I would really love it if I can play mobile games with Xbox or PS controller.."

Device preference

and experience

"I can't play my PC games on other PC or laptop without having to re-download the whole game"
"I play PUBG mobile on bluestacks because I find PC more comfortable"
"I really want Cloud gaming, all these mobile games look like a strip down version of something good"

Sharing Achievements
and Game Streaming

"For streaming, I need a camera and mic setup, my laptop camera is not good for vlogs"
"I shout a lot, I mean a lotttt while playing PUBG"
"I really enjoy it when I see my girlfriend screaming while playing Mario Kart with me..."

Social

Experience

"I enjoyed the time when I played CS on Lan with my college friends"
"I don't like playing multiplayer games with strangers"
"It's difficult to invite my friends for a match or session of rocket league"

Sharing Achievements
and Game Streaming

"I feel stressed after having an intense session of COD Mobile and my head gets warm..."
"I really like that I can play games on my bed in my own comfort.."
"Sometimes I feel stiffness in my palm while playing on mobile..."

Download Reports - Primary Research

Report: Brief on Primary Research

Report Contains my questionnaire, Raw Data from Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Chart: Factors Affecting Player UX

This chart shows the factors affecting Player UX. Also Contains references to the research I have read.

Primary

Define

Identify & Define

Identified Archetypes and Narrowed Target Volume

Personas | Personifying Archetypes

Identified Intent

Critic

Streamer

Mark Jr.

21, Itch.io Twitch Streamer
Works in Art Studio, Germany

About

Mark is an artsy guy with an interest in game arts. He travels a lot for client work. Has 27K subscribers on his Twitch Channel. He likes to stream indie title and talk about their game art

Goals

Wants to have 1M subscribers
Have a nice discussion with his viewers on twitch while streaming
Find a new game and critique their artwork and gameplay

Pain Points

It is difficult to stream on the go
Cannot play mobile game with Xbox controller
Too many devices and long setup time

Competitive Gamer

PUBG

Akhil Samal

25, FPS, BattleRoyal
Works in MNC, India

About

Akhil is a tech enthusiast. He has a large group of friends who play FPS and Battleroyal titles. He plays games for 1-2 hours every day.

Goals

Want to have a good time with his friends
Communicate and share his day while playing
Find Online friends who play the same game so that he can play games with them

Pain Points

It is difficult to invite his friends for a match
Battle royal PC vs Mobile is not same
Eye strain while playing on mobile
Make compilation video of headshots

Power Gamer

Age of empires

Samira Batra

29, Roleplaying, RTS
Works in Finance , India

About

Samira is a state-level chess player and works in finance. Love to play RTS games with her friends to enhance her strategic thinking. Usually plays at weekends

Goals

Want to relax and have a mindful session
Learn new skills and tactics and share them on social media and Whatsapp group
Find Online friends who play the same game so that she can play games with them

Pain Points

Cannot switch devices while having a long session
Not many RTS games on Mobile. Her favorite title AOE is only on PC
Her back hurts after a long session on PC

Identified Needs

Strengthen the connection

Platform Agnostic

Unsolicited Expression

Sensitising Aftermath

Freedom to control

Seamless Explorations

Solution

*Images sourced from google

Ideation & Solution

Ideations

Strengthen the connection

Collaborative Remote Access
Now any game can be multiplayer. Leveraging 5G connectivity to allow multiple users to have persistent single player sessions

Freedom to control

Galaxy Smart Watch and other devices
Exploring how can we leverage interaction offered by various smart devices and accessories as game controller

Exploration in Fold Displays

Galaxy Fold Series
Exploring interaction offered due to device form and methods to utilize more screen estate effectively

Unsolicited Expression

Bobbleheads
Replacing the in-game character's face with your face by using Samsung's Camera & AI UX

Information Redacted from Ideations | NDA

Some information has been redacted from this Ideation summary. Unfortunately, I will not be able to disclose any details about it here.

Solution

Omnipresent Gaming

A comprehensive solution for streaming games
Make personalized reaction Videos
Instant Console launch for complete immersion
Play PC/ Console titles with Cloud gaming
A plethora of Controller Option ( Xbox Controller, Keyboard, etc. )
Smart Downloads
Instant launch Demo
Monitor Player progress and social game feed
Understands user Body position and gives warning to reduce fatigue

Features

A comprehensive solution for streaming

How Omni improves your streaming experience?

Reduce equipments required
Reduce Setup time and complications
Make Mobile game streaming more accessible
Stream in your own comfort

From this

To this

Flow of Simplified Streaming in Omni

*Click to zoom in on UI

Step 1

Choose your game

Step 1a

(Not needed if launching from Quick Launch)

Tap play now

Step 2

Choose your expression mood

Step 3

Obliterate your enemy team and make a awesome viral stream

FPS and Battle-Royal Games Streaming UI layout | Landscape

Casual Games Streaming UI layout | Portrait

Omni paired with Galaxy fold devices will revolutionize mobile game streaming

Features of Streaming Mode

Read Viewer comments
Use the front-facing camera to capture yourself
Minimal Non-Intrusive UI
Customizable UI Layout
Background Segmentation

About Dual Screen Setup UI Layout

Leveraging Samsung's Camera & AI UX

Custom Styling to make you look photogenic!

Personalized and Dynamic Filters which change with game status

PUBG

Player Helmet changes wrt game's status

Among Us

Shows what the color of players character in-game

Minecraft

Customized Helmet unlocked when they achieves something in-game

Curated Gallery &

Smart Content Creation

Omni Smart Gallery Features

All your game-related media in one place
AI created highlights
Auto highlight duration can be adjusted for optimal experience on your desired sharing platform

Big Screen Mode

DeX platform as Console

Big Screen Features

With Big Screen Mode you can make any Samsung smart TV or Chromecast/Miracast Enabled display as your Gaming Screen. Lay back on your sofa and enjoy your favorite game in complete immersion. With 5G connectivity now you can play all your favorite AAA titles on any device.