Lootboxd
a mobile UI/UX design concept
A mobile app idea focused on enhancing game reviews with a social spin.
Conceptualization
In today's social media landscape, people who enjoy video games frequently find themselves challenged with making informed purchasing decisions, as their only available options tend to be limited to sensationalized social media reviews and official journalist critiques. This project was inspired by a strong desire to reintroduce a valuable third alternative: shifting the spotlight back onto authentic community-driven reviews, with the goal of ultimately making gaming enjoyable again.
Idea
Lootboxd is a centralized platform for creating, publishing, and sharing video game reviews from friends as well as the broader gaming community. This approach creates a positive, user-centered space in gaming discussions and allows users to share more thoughtful and honest reviews. By centralizing friends' opinions, users will have an easier time accessing the insights of their social circle and broader community on games they are interested in.
To achieve this, the platform will merge the social engagement features found in applications like Letterboxd with the comprehensive feedback mechanisms seen in Steam Reviews. This will not only enhance the social aspect of gaming discussions but also ensure that users have access to thorough evaluations of their gaming choices.
In the development process, close attention will be paid to existing review systems, referencing platforms such as Letterboxd, Steam Reviews, and Goodreads. This will help in creating a user-friendly experience that mirrors the functionalities of these established review systems. Overall, the goal is to empower players to make informed choices about the games they enjoy.
User Personas
The Frequent Gamer:
Pain Points:
No place to voice opinions and reviews on games except on personal social media platforms. Relies on platforms like X to find peer reviews.
Lack of in-depth discussions about game mechanics and strategies.
Looking for detailed esoteric communities to discuss games.
Goals:
Share detailed reviews and insights about the games they play.
Find in-depth reviews critiquing specific and obscure aspects of games.
Connect with like-minded gamers to discuss strategies and game experiences.
The Casual Gamer:
Pain Points:
Difficulty in finding peer reviews for games to make informed purchasing decisions. Ends searches with “reddit” to locate more thorough reviews.
Indie games being overshadowed by mainstream titles.
Difficulty in finding comprehensive reviews of lesser-known games.
Goals:
Find peer reviews easily and accessibly, prioritizing friends’ reviews first.
Discover and support up and coming indie games.
Write and share detailed reviews and recommendations.
The New Gamer:
Pain Points:
Overly complex reviews and ratings, wanting to primarily see what friends are playing. Typically goes to Youtube for reviews, but doesn’t find it conducive for discussion.
Lack of time to engage deeply with the gaming community, wants reviews to be easily accessible.
Difficulty in finding casual games among more hardcore titles.
Goals:
Read concise and to-the-point reviews.
Easily find games that fit into their busy day to day schedule.
Discover and support new games.
User Tasks
Reviewing a Game
Locating reviews
Ideation
In order to embody the goals of the project, I started off by referencing popular review platforms like Steam reviews, Letterboxd, and Goodreads. After studying various apps and sites for key features, I deconstructed the primary mechanics of a review platform by noting how ratings, user information, and media content were stored.
Once I came up with a laundry list of features I felt were imperative and features that felt nice to have, I started to work on branding and then low fidelity mockups.
Branding
The creation of a name and logo took several rounds of brainstorming, mostly trying to be plays off already successful review platforms.
After many iterations, I landed on Lootboxd, for its allusion to Letterboxd and an in game functionality that's well known to gamers. Lootboxes are described as “features in video games which may be accessed through gameplay, or purchased with in-game items, virtual currencies, or directly with real-world money”.
The logo references the shape of Overwatch’s loot boxes, and forms the letters 'LB' when turned sideways. The blue and gold color scheme is a reference to the lootboxes in Overwatch 1, a favorite game of mine.
Visual Identity
When designing this app, I aimed to create a design system that felt fun, approachable, and collaborative. Rounded edges, buttons, and icons lend themselves to more inviting user interactions, while the high contrast color palette helps reduce visual strain, contributing to the app's welcoming nature. These design choices foster a sense of approachability and friendliness, encouraging users to explore the app without feeling overwhelmed (eg. the amount of games being presented at once, jarring color clashes, etc.). By prioritizing accessibility and approachability, we create a user experience that feels sleek and professional, leading to an intuitive and engaging app right from its launch.
Themes
Primary Colors
Secondary Colors
Fonts
Wireframing
To create my prototype, I started off designing low fidelity wireframes and skeletons with only necessary primary features in mind. I categorized ideas as either core functionalities or optional nice-to-have features, and began iterating on my prototype. This helped inform my design decisions to ensure there wasn’t any scope creep on features and to avoid oversights. Once I was able to make features feel familiar to the user while keeping core functionalities in mind, I reiterated until the final design.
Given that the primary purpose of the app is its review system, I ensured the review process was easy to understand and seamlessly available from various areas of the app. I emphasized features such as curated lists of games and ensured review visibility across multiple screens. I also made sure that the game database page was the most refined part of the app, as it had the most information to display.
Final Design
In summary, Lootboxd is a return to form for community-driven reviews in the gaming landscape. This project aimed to celebrate diverse perspectives, allowing people to share experiences, highlight developer creativity, and interact with a supportive community.
By prioritizing feedback from friends, it emphasizes the importance of shared experiences and authentic discussions. Implementing this vision can empower people to make informed decisions and foster a sense of camaraderie within the gaming community. This approach not only elevates the quality of game reviews but also celebrates gaming as a shared passion, ultimately reigniting the joy and excitement of discovery in the gaming world.
Thank you for viewing!
Special thanks to all of my friends who participated in this project with me and helped populate the app with their favorite games and reviews. It wouldn’t have been as fun of a project without them, and was a constant reminder to how much I love gaming and the people it has brought me.