Skinfinite

ROLE: UX/UI Designer

SCOPE: UI/UX Design, IOS App Design, User Research, Prototype

TOOLS: Figma, Adobe Photoshop

TIMELINE: 2 weeks

Overview

Skinfinite is crafted as a solution to empower League of Legends players with convenient, real-time access to skin sales, ensuring they never miss an opportunity to enhance their in-game experience. League of Legends, commonly referred to as League, is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games.

The Problem

Users often encounter challenges when it comes to staying informed about League of Legends skin sales. As a gamer enthusiast, tracking champion skin sales across various platforms and updates can be incredibly challenging. Current solutions often lack a user-friendly interface tailored for mobile devices, which is essential for gamers who want quick and easy access to real-time updates.

The Solution

A real-time third-party platform that informs the latest skin sales to elevate your in-game aesthetics.

Skinfinite at a glance:

  • Intuitive navigation for easy use

  • Highlighted skins to feature popular and new releases

  • Notifications and calendar for upcoming sales and events

  • Personalized recommendations based on player preferences

  • Interactive skin previews with YouTube integration

  • User profile with purchase history and saving list of favorites.

Research

A 2021 Newzoo report projected the global games market to generate $175.8 billion, with mobile gaming alone contributing $90.7 billion. This underscores the significant market for in-game purchases, including skins, and highlights the vast audience of 2.9 billion gamers worldwide. Gamers purchasing skins represent a diverse demographic, spanning various age groups and regions. Their motivations vary from personalization and status to supporting game developers. The gaming community, especially platforms like Discord and social media, significantly influences their purchasing decisions through discussions, recommendations, and influencer showcases. Event-based sales, often tied to in-game events or holidays, create urgency and drive increased purchases. Understanding these behaviors and preferences is crucial for optimizing monetization strategies and enhancing the overall gaming experience.

Competitive Analysis

The competitor does not offer a platform for real-time tracking of skins currently on sale, or allowing players to stay updated even when they are not actively playing the game through PC. Simultaneously, we conducted an analysis of existing competitors in the market, SoL. We noted that while there was an Android-only app available, there was a significant gap between iOS users and user applicable experience. Furthermore, SoL does not currently appear to be in the market for applicable use.

User Personas & Interviews

Having immersed myself within the main Discord community of League of Legends players, I've gained invaluable insights into their skin sales buying and tracking journey. Engaging directly with 3 fellow gaming enthusiasts has provided a firsthand understanding of their preferences, challenges, and desires regarding staying updated on skin sales. The interviewees are more likely to consider an updated platform to track skin sales based on the champions they play the most in-game.

  1. How long have you been playing League of Legends?

  2. How frequently do you shop for in-game skins?

  3. Have you ever missed out on purchasing a skin that went on sale?

Empathy Mapping

The interviewees express frustration with no platforms to keep up with real-time updates on skin sales, interactive features for exploring skins, and sufficient personalization options. Exploring skin sales dynamics reveals a complex interplay of player preferences, developer strategies, and community influence. Understanding this involves analyzing player behaviors, purchase patterns, and the impact of in-game events on sales.

“How might we streamline the process for League of Legends players to stay effortlessly informed about skin sales, ensuring they never miss out on enhancing their in-game experience?”

Quick Sketching

This quick sketching process focuses on enabling easy navigation through skin sales, personalized notifications, and quick access to favorite skins, laying the groundwork for a user-friendly interface.

User Flow

The user flow in Skinfinite is designed for simplicity and efficiency, guiding players from the home screen to discovering, filtering, and purchasing skins with minimal effort. Starting by logging in to your Riot Games account, and welcoming you with a personalized dashboard, users can easily navigate to current sales, set notifications for upcoming deals, and manage their favorite skins. Each step in the flow is intuitive, ensuring a seamless experience.

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

In low-fidelity wireframes, these functionalities allow users to effortlessly navigate through skin sales, tailor notifications to their preferences, and easily access their favorite skins. By emphasizing these features early in the design process, we lay a solid foundation for an intuitive and user-centric interface, enhancing usability and satisfaction for League of Legends players in-game.

Style Guide

The Skinfinite style guide blends the iconic League of Legends branding with a fresh, unique twist. By incorporating the game's rich color palette and distinctive typography, we've maintained a familiar aesthetic that resonates with players. Adding our creative elements, like modernized icons and subtle gradients, gives Skinfinite a distinct identity.

High-Fidelity Wireframes

Incorporating these elements into high-fidelity wireframes ensures seamless navigation of skin sales, customizable notifications, and quick access to favorite skins. Prioritizing these features in the final design establishes a robust foundation for an intuitive and user-centric interface, enhancing usability and satisfaction for League of Legends players.