Overview

1 | Project Background

Asiaray is an out-of-home (OOH) media company focused on mega transport advertising media management, including airport and metro lines in Hong Kong, China and Singapore.

During the challenging period of COVID-19, Asiaray faced a significant shift in the needs and behaviours of our target audience. To adapt and find new avenues for sustainability, we made the strategic decision to explore alternative advertising platforms.

2 | Responsibilities

Collaborated with internal Graphic Designer, Marketing team, and external engineers
Created the MVP and kept on the iteration by evidence-based data
Meeting with the marketing team about promotional plan

3 | Challenge

Time constraints and team expertise:
Due to industry-wide disruptions and uncertain durations, we needed to expedite product delivery. Senior stakeholders favoured diving directly into the design phase.
Resource constraints:
Our IT team's expertise is primarily in internal websites and booking systems, with limited app experience. Therefore, we collaborated with an external IT engineers from agency for this project.
Dual roles:
Transitioned from product manager to product designer in a short time due to my UX design experience and the impact of COVID, despite limited internal guidance.

4 | Outcome

2,000+ downloads at the first month
Media budget exceeded by over 40% of sales target
User satisfaction ratings improved from 3.3 to 4.1 based on post-launch user surveys, marking a 24% enhancement.

Product Background

WhereWeWow is a location-based game app which combined Creation, Collection and Redemption elements. Users can create and upload their monster to the platform, catch them under AR technique in different zones and earn the coins to redeem the gift.

Tutorial video

Design Process

As an experiment for our new business channel, we began by analysing the current resources and situation to minimise costs. Our primary focus was delivering the MVP swiftly to gather market feedback and data.

Key issues we found:

Lack of attractiveness to compare with digital advertisement.
High production cost and lack of flexibility to update the content.
Agencies step by step to relocate their media budget toward the mobile market.
The COVID-19 situation has proven to be a complex challenge, and it appears unlikely to be resolved in the near future.
Many big protest events happened, and people have less willingness to spend and prefer stay home

How might we test the market swiftly with an MVP to navigate the challenges posed by the pandemic and the OOH industry's weaknesses?

Considering Asiaray's exclusive focus on the OOH channel for over two decades, it became apparent that we needed to explore new directions. In light of this, I strongly recommended the development of an MVP as a cost-effective way to learn from users and adapt to changing circumstances.

Ideation
(Assumption)

Exploring new mobile opportunities: Developing an app with engaging mini-games

In response to industry shifts towards the mobile market, we embarked on app development to provide a fresh mobile channel to our client. During a senior management meeting, we conceived a mini-game with a redemption system to engage and retain users through interactive ads.

Assumptions we made:

App is the best channel to deliver advertisement during this moment
People will stay in the game if we reward them constantly
People are more focus on the type of gift instead of the game concept

Light Research

Conducting light research to find early insights

I conducted a brief, week-long research effort to mitigate potential risks, aligning with our timeline.

01 | Feasibility of game concept

To ensure a smooth gameplay experience, I assessed the game design for user-friendliness. One key consideration was determining the optimal distance between monster zones to keep users engaged.

02 | Short survey

Short surveys were well-suited to our situation, enabling us to grasp user preferences and identify their key concerns quickly. For instance, we sought to understand the types of gifts that piqued user interest. As a result, we garnered 48 valuable responses.

💡 Survey insights:
- Over 80% of respondents spent at least 2 hours to play mobile app
- 23% of respondents actively searched for new games from the App/ Play store
- The most acceptable walking distance is within 20 minutes
- 35% of respondents were concerned about the value of the gift instead of the type

03 | Proto-documents

I have created proto-persona and proto-user journey map as initial guides, these documents made the communication effective and clear, especially when I cooperated with external engineers.

Proto-Persona

Proto-User journey map

Design
Deliverable

Intuitive and simple made friendly to new users

Given our ability to promote the app at a low cost, I concentrated on creating an impressive onboarding experience for new users through an intuitive and simple structure.

Iterations

Enhancing the current design and adding new features to create an enjoyable experience

01 | Prioritising intuitiveness and consistency in the upcoming version

Based on user feedback, I found there were a couple of things that could be improved especially on the redemption pages.

Main changes:

Reduced cognitive load by presenting critical information in the gift list instead of in the details page
Improved usability through quota checking
Maintained consistency by consistently using full-screen for all information

02 | Adding new features to enrich the experience to enhance constant user engagement

I actively engage with users through interviews and surveys to understand their gaming experiences. Our team iterates on design and introduces new features, such as AR monster photos, seasonal events, and user-generated content, all to enhance engagement. These efforts also strengthen our relationship with the user community, evident from the consistent feedback we receive on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Outcome

+40%

Media budget

+23%

Ad clicking

+18%

DAU after launch monster creation

+24%

User satisfaction

01 | Over 2,000 download at the first month

Asiaray focus on outdoor billboard and panel advertisement over 20 years, and then explore in the online platform. WhereWeWow is the first online platform with gaming and redemption element, over 2,000 downloads at the first month.

02 | Balancing Ad clicking logic for enhanced user experience and revenue

We strategically placed ad banners within the game flow, ensuring a positive user experience. To further enhance this experience, I suggested reducing the number of ad banners, displaying them randomly, and removing them when catching a monster to address user concerns about screen space.

Moreover, during the UI redesign of the gift page, I recognised an opportunity to boost ad engagement. Knowing that users frequently spent time browsing gift offerings, I introduced an additional ad banner. This initiative resulted in a significant 23% increase in ad clicks.

03 | Every design decision related to user satisfaction

We closely listened to user feedback and our aims resulted in a win-win situation, I'm proud to say that user satisfaction ratings enhanced from 3.3 to 4.1 based on post-launch user surveys.

Takeaway

Reflection on balancing user experience and business objectives

The clash between crafting compelling user experiences and fulfilling business objectives is a familiar challenge for designers. In this reflection, I recount a project that demanded a delicate balance between these two domains.

Company Perspective

The company saw the concept as promising, offering a unique, city-friendly game for Hong Kong.
The added benefit was the capability to record user locations during gameplay, providing valuable data for measuring the visibility of outdoor advertisements.

Personal Perspective

I had concerns about requiring users to visit multiple locations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I believed alternative ways existed to engage users on the mobile platform without a physical component.
It was essential to find a balance between the user's benefit and the company's business objectives.

Outcome and Key Takeaways

The project yielded significant achievements. We successfully secured the allocated media budget, meeting our primary goal. Moreover, the download rate was impressive, providing an excellent reference for our sales team in future contract negotiations.

Despite my initial concerns, I contributed to the project's success by introducing more zones in residential areas. This decision allowed users to enjoy the game without traveling far from their homes, balancing the user's needs for convenience and safety with the company's desire to gather location data.

This project taught me the importance of aligning with a company that shares similar values and priorities. It reinforced the notion that, as a designer, I must advocate for the user while finding ways to meet business objectives. Achieving a perfect balance may be challenging, but the effort to strike the right chord between user experience and business goals is essential in delivering successful projects.

Transformation: Navigating the COVID-19 shift by creating an app and shifting OOH advertising to a mobile platform

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