I sought to take on a one person project that could hone in on some of my interests, while also solving a problem of a community that I was apart of. This was what led to redesign the xbox interface, ultimately helping to execute the needs of the gaming community.
Users of the Xbox game console are unsatisfied with the console dashboard, whether it be to pick a game to play, buy a new game, or browse their friends list. Gamers feel that the current interface is over cluttered, and confusing to use. This is a problem because gamers want to play their games free of confusion, and Xbox wants gamers to be happy.
What specific pain points are gamers facing within the usage of the Xbox dashboard?
Home is where you are 'Player 1'
Understanding the users and their frustrations is key to starting on the right foot. Through a survey, I collected opinions on the current state of the Xbox interface, while also understanding their usage patterns. Tons of the interface is covered with tiles, what one user even described as "junk." Take a look at the picture below and see for yourself just how much of the interface is covered by these tiles. This is a problem because gamers want to view their background art in it's entirety.
With 7 games displayed on the recently played tab, the xbox interface is spewing with overkill. All 20 respondents of the survey said they only play 1-2 different games a week. Ultimately, the interface was plagued by an excess of options, violating a fundamental design principle—Hick's Law: The more choices presented to users, the longer they take to make a decision.
Following the surveys, I engaged 10 participants in a card-ranking exercise involving the different categories within the interface. This process helped me identify the elements that users deemed most important, which in turn informed the organization of pages based on hierarchy.
As part of the initial phase in the redesign process for the Xbox console interface, I created a series of sketches. These preliminary drawings were informed by valuable insights gathered from the gaming community, with the aim of addressing their specific needs, preferences, and desires.
As part of the Xbox console interface redesign project, I created a wireframe to serve as a visual blueprint for the proposed changes. The wireframe functioned as a skeletal framework, outlining the layout, structure, and key elements of the new interface. This wireframe served as a basis to conduct user tests and further iterate on the design.
During user tests conducted with 5 participants, it was mentioned by 2 participants that the vertical alignment of pages was a confusing given that the entire navigation bar was not visible.
The Xbox controller features two unused buttons (L1 and R1) on the home screen interface, which are horizontally arranged at the front of the device. This presents an ideal chance to utilize L1 and R1 for navigating between pages, seamlessly incorporating these well-mapped buttons for a new horizontal navigation function.
The recently played games list has been restricted to four entries, based on research findings which reveal that, on average, users engage in no more than two games per week. This decision ensures that the list remains relevant and manageable, providing a tailored experience that accurately reflects the gaming habits of the majority of users. This decision also speaks to Hick's Law: the more choice you present users, the longer they will take to make a decision.
Advertisements have also been repositioned to appear exclusively within the store and Game Pass pages, a strategy already employed by competitors that users deemed a suitable alternative. The library now displays a green circle notification for downloading or updating applications. Moreover, the number of tiles has been reduced to minimize clutter, eliminate unnecessary clicks, and enhance background art visibility by 50%.
The challenge of undertaking this project concurrently with a UX internship at United Wholesale Mortgage resulted in significant time constraints, often requiring me to work late into the night to make progress. Given additional time, I would have appreciated the opportunity to delve deeper into the redesign process, specifically focusing on the more intricate pages within the store section.
