A Future of Pokémon GO:
Player Quality-of-Life & UX Study Concepts
I’ve been an avid player of the game since it was first released in 2016. Pokémon GO faced several Player Experience Design issues when it was first launched in 2016. These issues included server instability, a lack of content, tracking problems, battery drain, and safety concerns. Players quickly lost interest due to these problems.
Since then, Niantic has released numerous updates to improve the game. These updates have introduced new content, improved the tracking system, upgraded server stability and performance, added safety features, and increased community integration. The game has become more engaging, stable, and safe for players, making significant improvements to the overall player experience.
General Objectives
It begs the question: What are the overarching objectives of Niantic? All suppositions are mere assumptions, but in my perspective, they can be classified into two primary realms: Enhancing monetization strategies while consistently expanding their player base through effective acquisition efforts.
Edge Cases
The Power Creep issue may no longer be a concern, and Accessibility can be considered an edge case. It is possible that these two aspects might not be prioritized for immediate attention or may not receive comprehensive solutions. In User Experience Design, edge cases are often handled with the understanding that some situations may not be fully addressed.
Addressing Pain Points
Bugs & Glitches
I agree that this issue is serious, but the solution is fairly straightforward and doesn't require extensive UX analysis: Fix those Bugs. It's primarily the responsibility of the development team and software QA to address the problem, ensuring that the bugs are thoroughly resolved and tested across different networks before deploying any updates to production.
Lack of Innovation
This is subjective. When I think of "innovation" in the context of Pokémon GO, I imagine a whole new version of the game (Pokémon GO 2), not just an update or iteration. This would involve a complete overhaul of the visuals, UI, and game mechanics, and could even include new wearables like head-up display glasses or Apple/Samsung smartwatch add-ons. That would be a truly innovative step forward for the game.
Interaction Design?
I believe the current button positions and interface flows in Pokémon GO are well-designed and do not require any changes at the moment. In fact, I believe the game has already achieved a high level of human-computer interaction design, a rare accomplishment in the mobile gaming industry.
If you are a designer who has new ideas to change interface flows and the whole experience for the game—congratulations. I'm a great believer in a basic human principle:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Of course, addressing the issues already mentioned, such as introducing new Pokémons and making quality-of-life improvements for players, would also be necessary. But I won't go into more detail here, as that's something Niantic would need to hire me for (L.O.L!).
In-Game Economy
This goes back to the Main Objectives: Enhancing monetization strategies while consistently expanding their player base through effective acquisition efforts.
While this can also appear slightly subjective because I only have assumptions and no User Research yet (I could go on Discord for that), as an invested player, I can use myself as the first persona.
Monetize on POGO battles. The most invested players in the game are the ones who participate in POGO Battles. Concentrate monetization on players’ efforts to improve their Battling.
Add new features for fast and charged attacks.
Don’t charge players to obtain New Pokémon. Make free remote raids more available and allow players to buy additional permanent incubators. There are other ideas as well.
(FigJam) Objective Strategy Concept Map: (Redacted/Classified) You can't expect me to give this out for free. If I'm right, this is potentially millions of dollars' worth of profit.
(UX) Player Experience Blocks
Pokémon GO still have some player experience blocks that could be fixed quickly in subsequent iterations.
Search Strings and Tags
I've been a fan of a feature that's been around for a few years now, dramatically improving players' quality of life: Search Strings and Pokémon Tags, which are incredibly useful for quickly finding items and creatures. I've found it to be a great addition to the game and it's made my experience playing it much more enjoyable.
Search Strings/Search Filters are special character combinations that players can use in the search bar to filter their Pokémon by specific criteria, such as type, move, or IV stats. These search strings can be combined and customized to create complex search filters, allowing players to quickly find and manage their Pokémon collection.
The addition of Pokémon Tags in Pokémon GO allows players to organize and filter their Pokémon more easily. Each Pokémon can be assigned multiple tags, customised by the player for personal preference. making it easier to find and manage specific Pokémon. This feature was added in a 2021 update and has been well-received by the Pokémon GO community.
Although the feature's implementation was commendable, it wasn't without its shortcomings. Unfortunately, the issue at hand was quite elementary. As someone who enjoys the game, I found this disappointing and couldn't help but wonder, "How could they miss that?"
UX Block: Search Tags not available during Gym Defence Selection
Full Figma Project | Open Prototype in New Window
UX Block: Move Preview not available during Gym Defence Selection
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