Overview
Online gaming is one of the most widely shared pastimes today, and while many games work fine solo, playing with others makes them richer. "Looking for Group" (LFG) apps exist to fill that gap, connecting players who want to team up. But gaming's culture hasn't always kept pace with its player base.
Female gamers now make up a significant, fast-growing share of the community, yet many still don't feel fully welcomed within it. That tension is where this project started.
I designed a social matchmaking app for gamers, pairing product design with research to make the experience both inclusive and genuinely enjoyable.
Problem
Female gamers often struggle to find safe and supportive connections due to harassment, exclusion, and a lack of inclusive community spaces.
Solution
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Create a mobile LFG app that provide a supportive and welcoming environment where women are comfortable with connecting with other players
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Foster an inclusive environment that encourages and empowers female gamers to participate actively without fear of harassment and toxicity
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Develop features that support community engagement and interaction among users, along with tools to ensure safe conduct
My Role
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UI/UX and Visual Designer
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Created interactive prototypes, components, visuals, and user research
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Worked closely with my mentor and design cohorts during development and iteration
1. Research & Analysis
Uncovering Insights to Drive Informed Decisions
1.1 Statistics
Nearly half of the 90 million gamers are women, yet many face targeting and feel too intimidated to fully engage.
1.2 Competitive Analysis
The limitations of existing platforms, combined with the broader issue of low awareness and popularity of such platforms, made competitor analysis a challenging yet essential task in identifying gaps and opportunities to create a solution that truly stood out in the market.
1.3 User Interviews
To tackle these challenges, I conducted extensive user research to understand the pain points of female gamers and identified opportunities for improvement in existing solutions. This research informed the design of unique features, such as customizable safety settings and community-building tools tailored to foster trust and inclusivity.
1.4 User Persona
Interviews conducted helped me develop a user persona that reflects their gaming habits, preferences, and pain points, enabling more targeted design decisions and improved user experience alignment.
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2. Information Architecture
Structuring a Seamless User Journey
2.1 Sitemap
A sitemap was created to outline the app’s structure, ensuring a clear and intuitive navigation flow while organizing key features and content for optimal user experience.
2.2 Task Flow
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2.3 User Flow
3. Ideation & Design
Transforming idea into intuitive experiences
3.1 Low-Fidelity Wireframe
During the low-fidelity wireframe phase, I sketched out potential screens that focused on core functionalities, user flows, and layout structures to establish the foundation for an intuitive and efficient design.
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3.1 High-Fidelity Wireframe
User Profile
Filter
Matchmaking
Match Success
Chat Message
Settings
3.2 User Interviews
User testing was conducted on 11 participants (ages 18-24) who have various experiences with gaming. 3 task flows were tested: Filtering matches, Finding game stats, and requesting to duo.
These task flows play a critical role in the user experience and therefore were essential to test for any potential pain points and areas of improvement. The goal of this usability test is to ensure that user needs and expectations were met.
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3.3 User Testing Results
User testing revealed that significant changes were needed for the User Profile screen and Matchmaking flow. Navigational issues were consistent, prompting the need for a more intuitive layout and clearer pathways to improve user accessibility and overall experience.
3.4 Iterations
Final Prototype
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Reflection
Overall, I found this process to be a great experience. As gaming is a huge passion of mine, I’ve always felt strongly about creating tools that improve user experiences within this space. This opportunity allowed me to combine my love for gaming with my design skills, leading to a product that aligns with my personal interests and professional growth.
Expecting mistakes and using them as opportunities to learn
Some things I learned:
Choosing the right testing method and platform
Ensuring that my design was aesthetic and accessible