Project documentation
Role
UX Designer
Responsibilities
User Research, Ideation and Prototyping
Duration
4 weeks
Business
LeoLuca develops browser based virtual spaces where users can engage with each other and with commercial businesses in a 3D, interactive, customizable environment. Our team was tasked with creating an integrated experience for users, with components of e-commerce, entertainment and education.
Summary
LeoLuca possesses the technology to create 3D, interactive environments, but lack the user understanding to design a meaningful way for users to utilize the potential of the metaverse.
In our research, we found that many people in Hong Kong needed to throw away items of sentimental value due to lack of space.
We designed a way for users to collect, store and display digital collectibles in a metaverse called Mementoverse. Users could collect items through achievements and milestones in real life, or within Mementoverse. They could also browse other users' collections.
Current existing prototype of LeoLuca's metaverse technology.
To narrow down the direction of our project, we conducted primary research, talked to users to find out what problems they had.
Our primary target audience were:
People who owned collectible goods
People who wanted to own collectible goods but were somehow limited.
We intended to find out why they collect items, their problems they face, and whether they would be interested in digital collectibles.
We went through many iterations of our target audience, using the how might we statement to pinpoint who we wanted to design for, then validating assumptions and refining the users after obtaining insights.
Results
We conducted surveys to collect a large amount of data, and then narrowed down based on the most common responses and conducted deeper user interviews.
Results showed that:
On average, sentimental value held the top spot when users were asked to rank their most important reason for collecting items.
71.4% of users said their main problem with collecting items were that they either did not have enough space to store their collection or did not have a way to display/share their collection
62.5% of users said they have had to throw away/sell/transfer collectibles that they still wanted to keep, because of the lack of space.
Synthesizing Results
The most popular collectibles are tied to sentimental value - souvenirs, cards from loved ones or a childhood toy. Memories and experiences are what people want to keep, rather than the functionality of the item. With that in mind, does sentimental value need to be tied to a physical item? What if these memories and experiences are tied to digital objects?
Problem Statement
From the findings, the following user needs statement was created:
Collectors who have limited space need a way of documenting their sentimental achievements, memories and experiences digitally, so that they have more living space.
Problem Statement
Collectors who have limited space need a way of documenting their sentimental achievements, memories and experiences digitally, so that they have more living space.
Crazy 8
We generated ideas based on our needs statement using the crazy 8 method:
Final Solution
Our solution was creating a collectible system within the metaverse, which could obtained through achievements in real life - such as going to certain destination or reaching a milestone. Users would also have the ability to create their own rooms within the metaverse to showcase their collection, and invite others to join and browse their collection.
We called this the "Mementoverse". Memento meaning an object that is kept as a reminder of a person or event, and a play on the word metaverse.
User Journey Flow
Before we started prototyping, we wanted to visualize the user journey of the online and offline experiences of Mementoverse.
As this was a proof of concept project, and involved offline elements, we decided to use storyboards supplemented with some mid-fidelity screens to show the overall user journey. The storyboard artwork was generated using an AI image generator.
We wanted to show:
Item collection concept scenarios
Different types of collectible items
Room and collection sharing
Collecting Scenario 1 - Offline Achievement
1 Sally is on a trip to Fantasia World, a theme park. She has always been afraid of roller-coasters, and normally waits for her friends to finish the ride.
2 But today, she finds the courage to try one, the "Thunderbolt Run", and turns out, she loves it!
3 After the ride, she makes her way down to the counter to see photos of her on the rollercoaster with her friends.
4 Wanting to remember this moment, a time when she overcame one of her fears, she decides to buy a photo. However, she realizes she doesn't have any space at home to put a photo frame.
5 Feeling upset, Sally begins to leave. At that moment, she sees a sign next to her photo:
"Collect an item on Mementoverse to commemorate the time you conquered the Thunderbolt Run!" with a QR code next to it.
6 Sally scans the QR code and is brought to a website to sign up for Mementoverse.
7 After going through the tutorial and onboarding process, she has now obtained Thunderbolt Run collectible, which also contains her photo as an attachment!
Collecting Scenario 2 - Online Achievement
1 Michael is attending a virtual seminar on Mementoverse. He is one of the guest speakers today.
2 After speaking at the seminar, he is sent a link. "Thank you for speaking at our seminar, you have received an item for your avatar!"
3 Michael selects the item to wear on his avatar, now people who see his t-shirt know that he attended and spoke at this virtual event.
Room and Collection Sharing
There are 3 ways of room sharing:
Setting room to public mode
Setting room to friends only mode
Direct invite (also applies to above)
1 Tim has collected many items in Mementoverse over the years, and filled his room with them. He meets a new friend, John and invites him to his room.
2 John enters the room, wanders around and something catches his eye in the corner of the room. It's a glowing surfboard.
3 Tim tells John that he collected that item on his trip to Australia a few years ago and has been wanting to go back. John says that he always wanted to go! They found a common interest and begin to plan a surfing trip together.
We showed these storyboards in a pitch to an audience, and asked for feedback on how it could be used.
Loyalty card
Collectible items could act as milestones for companies. Similar to existing loyalty stamp cards, but with extra engagement.
Education and Recruitment
In addition to sending in a CV, resume or portfolio, users could invite their recruiters to their room. They could explain their achievements through collectibles previous employers gave within the metaverse.
LeoLuca could partner with educational institutes to provide digital certifications and qualifications which are verified.
Virtual memorial for those who passed away
"I always imagined what my grandparent's lives were like"
"I would like to have some things to remember my mum who passed away"
It's great to have memories of big events of loved ones who passed away, but also the small mundane details. Perhaps they would have collectibles that showed their favourite coffee order.
User - A way to retain sentimental items without taking up physical space
Users can revisit their memories by looking and interacting with the collectible
User - Customizable environment and avatar
Create an extension of their identity through virtual world, that they cannot do in physical world. For example, dyeing their hair because of professional reasons.
Business - Collaboration with brands
Brands can use Mementoverse to host events such as virtual exhibitions, concerts and more. LeoLuca can charge a 'rental' fee for the space and service.
Business - Revenue streams
Businesses can create and sell virtual goods, services and experiences.
Unlimited space also means unlimited ad space. Businesses can pay to have their ads placed in Mementoverse.
Addiction and mental health
Immersive and addictive nature of video games are an indicator of what virtual worlds could have on mental health. There needs to be a way to deal with individuals who spend excessive amounts of time in Mementoverse.
Privacy and Security
Some may view items in Mementoverse as a way to track their behaviour. Personal information and financial transactions may also be involved, which may be vulnerable to hacking and other forms of cybercrime.
Next steps
Our prototype consisted of a macro experience. The next step would be to work with developers to create a high-fidelity prototype with screens and a working metaverse to move around in. From there, we would need to perform market research, as this is a new industry space. What is the product market fit? Once a market demand is validated, then an MVP should be created.
Embrace ambiguity
Many times during the design process, I did not know whether we were on track. It was important not to jump to solutions straight away and really define whether there is a problem to be solved.
Alleviating pain, or achieving a want?
This project made me reflect on whether I was designing a product to alleviate pain, or is a luxury for users. Humans are much more motivated to move away from pain than to go towards a want. For this reason, doing thorough research to determine the actual pain points of the users is important.