World of Warcraft Companion App

Introduction

World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released initially in 2004. W.O.W Classic is a remake of the original game based on a release from 2009 by Blizzard Entertainment.

Overview

About

The W.O.W companion app gives players access to small parts of the game while away from their computers.

Duration

• 4 Weeks

My Role

• UI/UX Designer

Tools

• Figma
• Discord
• Adobe Photoshop

Platform

• iOS
• Andriod

The Journey

• Competitive analysis
• User interview
• MVP
• User flow
• Low-High fidelity wireframes
• Usability test
• Feedback & critique
• Iterate
• Prototype

Context

The Problem

As a player myself, I find it challenging to connect with the players other than being at home. I want to create a platform that allows players to access some parts of the game while away from their computers.

The Goal

What parts of the game do players want to access while they are away? Why?

Learning From Others

First, I conducted a quick competitive analysis of a few companion apps and game-related apps to better understand what functionalities they have, why they are helpful, and the design patterns they use.

• Target Demographic
  • Daily players who are familiar with the game UI

Gathering information

Since this is a W.O.W companion app, what’s a better way than asking players about their needs and wants. I gathered insights from 7 players through Discord and learned about their in-game habits and daily interactions

Discovery

Summarizing the data from my interview notes and defining the MVP for the companion app, these functionalities should be useful to the players while away from their computers.

• Chat
  • Some players enjoy connecting with their friends and other players in the game

• Auction House
  • Most players want to access their auction items while they are away because making gold is important to them

• Updates
  • Keeping track of popular topics and updates in the game are also important to some players

User Flow

The user flow for the companion app is very simple. The intention is to give players access to the small parts of the game that are the most important to them

Design Solutions

Using the user flow above as guidance, I sketched out possible solutions for iOS and Android platforms. I made some changes along the way while referencing the results from my competitive analysis.

Understanding The Human Interface Guidelines & Material Design

I spent some time studying both design guidelines and downloaded BlueStacks to experience and become more familiar with the Android platform, and then I made sure the grid and elements aligned with both design guidelines.

The Theme

Design Strategy

I want the companion app to feel and look like it is part of the game, so I decided to pick up a few colors from their website, made some adjustments and applied them to my design.

Colors

Typography