DreamWorld

Increasing player engagement through an overhauled website.

Overview

DreamWorld is an upcoming MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) preparing for their Alpha 2 build release. To boost player adoption and sign-up conversions, the website needed a significant overhaul.

Keeping in close contact with the co-founders and lead engineer, I analyzed the existing website, identified areas for improvement, and implemented a player-centric redesign. This included optimizing the layout for various devices, streamlining the sign-up process, and enhancing visual appeal.

DreamWorld now has a dynamic, responsive website that not only attracts new players but also retains their interest, ultimately leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

Collaborators

Garrison Bellack

Co-Founder, CEO

Zachary Kaplan

Co-Founder, CCO

Loren Wang

Lead Software Engineer

Type

Browser Extension

Date

Winter 2023

Tools

Figma, FigJam, Loom

Role

Lead Product Designer -
Research, Stakeholder Interviews, Heuristic Analysis, Wireframing, Content Strategy

What’s the problem?

Dreamworld is entering its next phase, and needs a new website.

With the Alpha 2 build of the game releasing, the CEO approached me to redesign their site to reflect the game’s growth and attract new players. Along with an improvement to the user’s experience on the site, new players needed a way to seamlessly register for the build, along with additional features to meet business metrics.

State of the original site

A heuristic analysis reveals key usability issues.

I conducted a comprehensive website audit, thoroughly evaluating the information structure, content, functionality, and design aesthetics. Here are the main findings from my analysis, highlighting critical areas for improvement.

Constraints and opportunities

Discussions with the CEO and players revealed that these goals needed to be met:

Easily sign up for the build

As a primary objective, users need to easily create an account and gain access to next steps in joining the build.

Introduce support incentives

To align with business objectives, there needs to be a dedicated webpage to promote supplementary incentives for the game's supporters.

Clear theme and consistent navigation

Alongside a visual overhaul to match the game’s tone, users need to easily explore the site and quickly access other sections.

Fleshing out the sign-up flow

I raised questions to clarify how players sign up and catch potential edge cases.

I spent considerable time speaking to the stakeholders to flesh out a proper sign-up flow. This includes, "How does a player sign out?", "Would players be taken to a separate page, or complete the entire form on the home page?", and "What other pages may be needed in case of edge cases? e.g. forgot password, etc." I designed a couple of user flows to illustrate these questions and brought them to the team:

User flow - User creates an account and signs up for the build

User flow - User purchases a Founders Pack

Highlights of the design

Establishing a foundation for how the content will be presented.

The stakeholders and I decided that redesigning the DreamWorld site from scratch was the best approach, rather than building on the existing design. A critical design choice was to ensure the game's visuals took center stage throughout the site. To achieve this, I carefully selected elements to display, ensuring they complemented rather than distracted from the main visuals.

On landing, players can immediately sign up for an account.

A key focus was to ensure that players could quickly create an account and jump straight into the adventure, with the trailer placed beneath this feature. This approach prioritized directing players towards entering or returning to the game while reducing the strain on returning site visitors by not showing the video immediately.

Players can easily connect with the team and keep up with game updates.

Players can easily join our community on Discord, keep track of game updates through dedicated posts, and sign up for the alpha with the added CTA at the bottom.

Article pages are now made more clear and consistent.

Redesigning the article pages focuses on providing a clear and consistent user experience. By standardizing the layout and design elements, I made it easier for players to follow game updates and stay informed about the latest developments.

What’s next?

Impact and measuring success

Continuous A/B testing and feedback with the team and players in the community, including the CEO and CPO, resulted in a successful design, ready to serve as the official new website for the game in time for launch. Although my contract ended before development with the site was finished, I would use these metrics to test user performance:

Task Completion Rate: Measure how long it takes users to sign up. This will help identify any friction points in the sign-up process and areas for improvement.

Sign-Up Conversion Rate: Measure the percentage of visitors who successfully sign up. This metric indicates the effectiveness of the onboarding process and overall user interest.

Bounce Rate: Measure the percentage of visitors who leave on the first page. A lower bounce rate suggests that the website is engaging and successfully capturing user interest.

Net Promoter Score: Measure user feedback scores and satisfaction rate. This provides insight into overall user satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the website to others.

DreamWorld

Autopilot

Kindsettle

Design Gallery

Let's connect.
I'd love to hear your story.

DreamWorld

Autopilot

Kindsettle

Design Gallery

Let's connect.I'd love to hear your story.

Let's connect.
I'd love to hear your story.