GameTime is an app designed to aid gamers with game time management and prevent addiction. The “timer” stops the user from over-gaming and the “game scheduler” maintains a record of the user's gaming time, keeping it in a healthy interval. The “user profile” page is mainly a show window for users to display their gaming history and badges received from gaming healthily in a consistent manner. Also included is a “chat hub” where gamers can chat with friends and groups or view other players’ gaming profiles.
• Auto generate healthy schedule • User customizable
User Profile
• Display user gaming data • Exhibit user achievement badges
Community Hub
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PROCESS OVERVIEW
01 RESEARCH
• User Pain Point •
• Competitve Analysis •
• Video gaming addiction is becoming a serious problem among children, teenagers, and young adults, but the remedy to this problem remains scarce and immature.
• It is extremely hard for gamers to find a helpful assisting app to make the self-control process easier, and more efficient.
• Persona •
• Possible Solutions •
02 SYNTHESIZE
• Key Features & Wireframe•
The most critical component of the design solution is a game control feature aimed to keep users away from the keyboard when a certain amount of game time is over. It functions by requiring the user to put both hands on the device in order to stop a 3-minute-long buzzing alarm. If the user does not hold the button or only holds one button, the countdown of the buzzing alarm will not start or continue.
Another key feature of the app is to assist and encourage gamers in building and keeping their own gaming schedule. The schedule is fully customizable but contains a weekly gaming time limit which restricts users from over-gaming. Gamers will not be able to start gaming without building a schedule. This should in turn promote gamer’s discipline.
A gaming community hub feature is deployed in the app. Gamers should be able to support each other throughout the struggle with gaming addiction. This gaming hub will hopefully develop into a healthy gaming promotion community where gamers call on each other to balance gaming and life.
Lastly, the gaming time data of each user is recorded and visualized for the user to have a clear understanding of what amount of time was spent on gaming. This feature provides quantitative data for the user as a solid reference and reminder of the “game health” level. This is also the place for users to keep their rewards and bedges from gaming healthily.
03 Interaction Design
• User Task Flow •
• Paper Prototyping •
04 TESTING & FINALIZE
• Usability Testing •
A major change in my design was the interconnection between the schedule builder and the time control. Originally, the two features of my app were not interrelated, which meant gamers could start a gaming section with or without a generated gaming schedule. However, users in my usability testing strongly suggested making the two features connected so that the features may not seem to be isolated which resulted in the app becoming fractured. Thus, I eventually made the two features related. A user can only start a gaming period after making a schedule and when the recorded gaming hour starts.
• High-Fi Prototype •
The "timer"
• Stop user from over-gaming
The "game scheduler"
• Auto generate healthy schedule • User customizable
The "user profile"
• Display user gaming data • Exhibit user achievement badges
•Design Philosophy & Value•
My design philosophy was to apply both restriction and support to users in order to help them gain a sufficient amount of self-discipline. The core belief of my design philosophy was that every individual had the sense and ability to control themselves, even when suffering from addiction problems. Thus, I did not want the app to become the user’s walking stick for a lifetime. In contrast, I wanted the app to cultivate self-control deep down in the user’s heart and bring their unbalanced life back on track.
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