MFA thesis game at NYU Game Center
Problem Statement
In a world increasingly defined by digital interaction, individuals struggle to express their identities and establish meaningful community connections online. Existing platforms often fall short in enabling authentic self-expression, fostering safety and a sense of belonging, leaving users feeling disconnected in virtual spaces.
Solution
An online social game where users design virtual spaces, set the mood with music, and connect with others in a creative community. By bridging the gap between self-expression and social connection, this game redefines how we interact and build relationships in digital environments.
We created a product vision board to describe the desired state of our product, outlining its purpose, goals, and the value it aims to deliver to its users and the market.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
With a goal to validate the concept, we started by focusing on the most essential features of our product - interaction through sending notes and community building and bootstrapped an Minimum Viable Product (MVP) accordingly.
We created an immersive augmented reality experience where users could visualize a virtual tree and interact with it in augmented reality (AR) by expressing their thoughts through posting messages. All the messages posted by the other users could be viewable by everyone.
Users could also screen record their experience using the in-app feature, then save and share it with their friends and family.
User Feedback
We conducted usability testing with 30+ users and found they enjoyed interacting with the experience, learning about others' thoughts through notes, and visualizing objects in AR.
However, users desired more interaction, such as replying to notes and personalizing their experience. We shared this feedback with stakeholders for further discussion.
Originally, our goal was to create a real-time AR experience that fostered unity through anonymous notes. However, MVP testing revealed that users wanted more agency in self-expression, which our prototype couldn't deliver. We pivoted to make player expression the core focus of the game.
Kickoff
In our first UX design meeting, we realigned the project to prioritize community building and self-expression. We consulted stakeholders on MVP feedback to clarify expectations and refine the design. This collaborative approach ensured alignment and prepared us to deliver a standout product, featured at the NYU Game Center 2023 Spring Showcase.
Stakeholder Meeting
We held a meeting with our stakeholder mentors to review MVP feedback, discuss project scope, and address key questions. In-person discussions allowed us to share user feedback, understand their perspectives, and define problem statements.
Challenges:
Tacking the blank canvas challenge and providing context/prompt for players to send notes.
Content moderation to make sure the users feel safe in the community they build.
Working on replayability of the experience.
Emotional intention of the players to engage with the experience.
Provide players with the motivation to express themselves.
Competitive Analysis
We held a meeting with the stakeholders-who are also our mentors for the project, to review the feedback received on our Minimal Viable Product (MVP) and gain vital insights regarding the scope of the project, as well as addressed questions we had to find answers to.
Using the problem statements, I began the ideation process to develop potential solutions for the users.
Brainstorming
I brainstormed by sketching ideas and preparing a project brief, which I pitched to my teammate and collaborators as if presenting to the end-user. The sketches focused on enhancing player expression and multiplayer interaction.
Gameloop
Start with a blank canvas to design your own space. Explore other users' spaces to see their unique expressions and customizations, and leave letters for them to discover and read.
Stakeholder Insights
The expanded project scope raised uncertainty about integrating multiplayer functionality within the timeline. A design review clarified priorities, task allocation, and milestones.
Key Takeaways:
Validate the concepts by testing interactions separately - Navigation, Customization.
Curating assets and textures carefully, and determine an estimate range of options.
Focusing more on delivering the values than the actual isometric genre.
Integrating NPCs if we can not make the multiplayer feature happen by our milestone deadline.
Concept Testing - Prototype
Before progressing, we tested two key features: space customization and visiting other players’ spaces. To validate these concepts, we developed a prototype. I created all 3D assets in a low-poly art style and integrated them into the Unity build.
Concept Testing - Prototype
The 20+ users who tested this version enjoyed the isometric view and successfully navigated between spaces. They also expressed interest in playing the game on portable devices, such as Android or iOS.
Usability testing revealed that objects facing away from the light source were obscured by shadows, prompting a need to revise the lighting system. Given our extensive task list and timeline - including asset creation, UX design, and playtesting - we implemented a static lighting system to ensure scalability and consistent visuals across devices.
User Stories
We developed user stories to empathize with players’ needs and used the MoSCoW prioritization method to determine the most critical features for the game.
User Flows
These are the paths users take to complete actions within the game. We focused on the most critical paths addressing the identified problems and created three user flows: creating an account and getting started, visiting other players' spaces, and sending messages to other players.
Sketches
To bring the ideas to life, we sketched screens based on the three previously developed user flows. During the process, we focused on fundamental design principles to ensure seamless usability and intuitive navigation.
Lo-Fi Wireframes
The sketches guided the creation of wireframes in Figma and clarified the placement of visual elements within the game UI. Wireframes were designed for 16:9 screen sizes and covered the three primary user flows, along with additional flows integral to the game experience.
Mid-Fi Prototype
Faced with a crucial design decision about the placement and orientation of the build menu, we decided to run a usability test to gather direct user feedback. Collaborating with our programmer and incorporating stakeholder insights, we developed a mid-fidelity prototype based on updated wireframes that reflected the game’s new 2D-inspired art direction. This version introduced a vertical build menu, allowing players to access a furniture catalog and start customizing their spaces.
Mid-Fi Prototype Testing
Main Goal:
To evaluate the interaction of customizing spaces using furniture items from the build menu.
Test Objectives:
Assess users’ initial impressions of specific screens.
Evaluate the process of customizing a space from scratch.
Test the usability of the vertical build menu.
Understand users' cognitive processes during interactions.
Test Questions:
Can users select items from the build menu and place them in their spaces?
Can users easily move and rotate items?
Can users complete decorating their space without interruptions?
Mid-Fi Prototype Testing Results
85%
of users attempted to click and drag items from the build menu, uncovering a critical bug that disrupted functionality.
50%
of users found it inconvenient to move the cursor to the screen corner to exit selection mode, highlighting a key usability pain point.
70%
of users reported that the build menu reopening after placing each item disrupted their workflow and customization experience.
30%
of users expressed a desire to customize floor textures, revealing an opportunity to expand customization options.
This digital game allows players to express themselves by customizing spaces. We aim to integrate multiplayer features where players can visit others' spaces, interact with them (rotate the space), and send notes that can be displayed, fostering a sense of community.
2D Concept Art
I created a 2D concept sketch using Procreate on iPad to visualize the perspective of the space and how the furniture items would appear within it.
3D Concept Art
I created a 3D concept art using Blender, based on the 2D sketch to visualize depth and shadows and further explore this art style. The results were highly promising.
Asset Pipeline
We initially planned to port the game to multiple platforms, requiring consistent lighting across all. Following the Concept Testing phase, we decided against real-time lighting but aimed to maintain a sense of depth and subtle richness in the objects. I also optimized the models for gameplay, ensuring they could be seamlessly dragged and dropped into Unity.
For the first batch, I modeled 20–30 unique assets in a low-poly art style, optimized for Unity. Using Blender, I ensured each object adhered to dimensional constraints (X:Y:Z ratios) compatible with the Unity build.
After modeling, I baked the ambient occlusion map and a shadow catcher for each object.
The process was challenging, as each texture took over 15 minutes to bake, and the results were often grainy. While increasing the sample count could improve quality, it significantly increased baking time, posing a trade-off.
64 Samples
Contrast + Blur
I optimized the baking settings and reduced the sample count, cutting the baking time by over 85%, from 15 minutes to less than 2 minutes per model. To compensate for the quality loss, I used Photoshop to adjust the contrast and apply a slight blur. The final results are shown below.
Solid View
Ambient Occlusion
Textured View
This digital game allows players to express themselves by customizing spaces. We aim to integrate multiplayer features where players can visit others' spaces, interact with them (rotate the space), and send notes that can be displayed, fostering a sense of community.
Moodboard
I created a mood board to define the visual aesthetics and values of tinySPACES. The selected images convey a cozy, chill vibe, reflecting a welcoming aesthetic that fosters comfort and a sense of belonging for players.
UI Inspiration
Given the game's focus on space customization, we designed a UI with a neutral and clean and sleek look to complement the diverse spaces created by players.
Style Guide
After handpicking the fonts, we selected duo tone gradients for the buttons
Game Tutorial
A clear, minimal tutorial was designed to teach players the controls, navigation, and interactions within the game. I created all tutorial animations in After Effects, breaking them into six concise steps for easy understanding.
Object Placement
Design Menu
Space Rotation
Setting Prompt
Introducing Messages
Game Tutorial 06
High Fidelity Screens
After several iterations, I designed the high-fidelity screens. Players can customize their spaces from a curated selection of over 250+ unique assets. To support this, I focused on creating minimal, visually clean screens to reduce cognitive load and enhance usability.
Hi-Fi Prototype Testing
With the Hi-Fi prototype ready, we tested both the remaining objectives and the updated versions of previous ones.
Test Objectives:
Overall navigation and gameplay experience.
Explore the impressions of the players visiting other players' spaces.
Test the new optimized build menu.
Sending notes to other players.
Test Questions:
Are the players reading other players' prompts before sending them notes?
Are the users taking inspiration from visiting other players' spaces? And if so, is it affecting their artistic expression?
How much time is an average user spending customizing their space?
Hi-Fi Prototype Testing Results
80%
of users spent an average of 10 minutes customizing their spaces, indicating strong engagement with the core feature.
30%
of users highlighted redundant text on the Visiting Neighbor's screen, leading to content revisions and improved typography for accessibility.
60%
of users visited others' spaces and made changes to their own after drawing inspiration, demonstrating effective social interaction mechanics.
75%
of users visited others' spaces and made changes to their own after drawing inspiration, demonstrating effective social interaction mechanics.
Final Version (Gameplay)
We began by creating an immersive experience centered around sending augmented reality notes to bring people together. After testing multiple prototypes, we had a major breakthrough: players wanted more than just messaging- they craved deeper interaction and customization. This realization led us to pivot and make customization the centerpiece of our game, shaping the experience into what it is today.
This project was both fun and rewarding! Running playtests and seeing players enjoy the game in real time was incredibly fulfilling.
The Outcome
Delivered a multiplayer experience centered on space customization and social interaction, achieving seamless usability and high player engagement despite strict deadlines. Designed and executed a scalable 3D asset pipeline and optimized gameplay mechanics for cross-platform compatibility.
What I Learnt
This project refined my expertise in user-centered design, agile workflows, and interactive systems. Collaborating on iterative testing and prototyping allowed me to address usability friction points effectively. Seeing real-time player engagement validated the design decisions and reinforced the importance of crafting intuitive, delightful experiences.
What’s Next
Expand core functionality to include player-driven features such as furniture trading, NPC-driven side quests, and decor challenges. Leverage advanced visualization techniques to elevate user immersion, focusing on dynamic customization tools and enhanced aesthetic elements for deeper player engagement.
