Role

UX Designer &

Researcher

Tools

Figma

Timeline

2 Weeks

Team

4 Members

BACKGROUND

Improving Functionality & User Experience

BuddyTV, a TV news site for show enthusiasts, is focused on expanding its platform by introducing new features and improving user experience. The goal is to create an engaging, show-specific sub-site that hooks users to stay on the application longer. However, the existing site faces challenges in both functionality and visual design, which need significant improvement to better meet user expectations and provide a more involved experience.

Shaping a Vision for User Engagement

Our vision was to deliver a unique platform tailored for each show’s dedicated fanbase, increasing user engagement with entertaining content while seamlessly integrating social media for a more connected experience.

RESEARCH

Gaining Insights from Existing Data

To kick off the project, we needed a deeper understanding of 'The Mandalorian' and its audience. Our team conducted thorough secondary research on the show’s fanbase and demographics, drawing insights from 3 scholarly articles, 2 wikis, and 3 additional relevant sources.

Key Insights: What the Data Revealed

Our secondary research revealed that 73% of the show's audience identifies as male, while only 23% are female. In addition, the viewers' ages range from 14 to 60, with an average of 37.

Based on these insights, we planned to tailor the design to engage the predominantly male audience while exploring opportunities to attract more female viewers. We aimed to balance modern, dynamic elements for younger users with simple navigation for older audiences, ensuring usability across the wide age range.

The data also highlighted the immense popularity of the character 'Baby Yoda.' Fan forums, showcased the phenomenon and its significant impact on the audience, with widespread enthusiasm reflected in the amount of Baby Yoda merchandise.

Diving Deep: Understanding the Fans

Building on our newly gathered insights about 'The Mandalorian' fanbase, we conducted six in-depth, in-person interviews with die-hard fans. These interviews allowed us to go beyond surface-level findings and directly engage with the show's most dedicated followers.

Key Questions and Responses

During our interviews, we asked fans targeted questions designed to shed light on their viewing experiences and expectations. Here are a few key questions we explored, along with insightful responses from the fans:

Questions

Does the show appeal to different audiences? Do you think a male Star Wars fan would enjoy the show more than a female Star Wars fan?

Who would you recommend the show to? What are characteristics of someone that would likely what the show?

Does the show appeal to different audiences? Do you think a male Star Wars fan would enjoy the show more than a female Star Wars fan?

Responses

“Well, Baby Yoda was a huge reason why female fans like this show, and the same with kids. Baby Yoda brings a aura of innocence and maybe kids can relate to the show more through that character.”

“Honestly, anyone that likes action-packed adventures. Definitely not for the boring mind.”

“I do have Mandalorian merch. I have a Baby Yoda plushie. I also have two other items. Although I doesn’t own all that much, I’m definitely considering buying a lot more. I even has a wish list.”

FINDINGS

Sticky Notes: Design Must Haves!

To summarize the insights gathered from our interviews, we distilled the key findings into actionable must-haves. These sticky notes highlight the essential elements we need to prioritize in our design to resonate with 'The Mandalorian' fanbase.

Capture the essence of the show's action-packed sequences and rich character development.

Highlight the beloved character Baby Yoda and leveraging his charm to engage fans.

Explore concepts and features that would enhance the fan experience and align with their expectations.

Ensure that the designs resonates with the diverse Mandalorian fanbase, from teenagers to adults.

IDEATION

Developing a Solution

Create three different features within BuddyTV tailored towards fans of 'The Mandalorian', that build momentum for BuddyTV and the show.

Hitting the Sketch Pad

We took our key insights and hit the sketch pad to bring our ideas to life. Through a series of whiteboarding sessions, we brainstormed, refined, and mapped out key features for the app. Below are some snapshots from the process, highlighting how we iterated on the initial concepts and made real-time adjustments.

Trivia Prototype

Here is the initial concept of our Trivia game. The process of white-boarding helped us gage the order of screens and what they should include. Upon reviewing we noticed there was no “Play” button, which we took into account when creating the final design.

Baby Yoda Prototype

Here is the white-boarding of our Baby Yoda feature. By white-boarding we planned the different pop-ups that would appear on the screen to make the feature more interactive.

Planet Prototype

Our white-boarding of the planet prototype was the one we spent most time on. Here we included all the screens we wanted to include with specific labels to make designing the high-fidelity screens a breeze.

FINAL DESIGN

Showcasing the High-Fidelity Designs

After several iterations and refinement, we transformed our concepts into high-fidelity screens that highlight the key features of the BuddyTV mobile app for 'The Mandalorian.' Below are the final designs, each with details on their functionality and user benefits.

THE END

Wrapping up

This project has been a rewarding journey of discovery and creativity. Through research, collaboration, and a user-centric approach, we've laid a strong foundation for future development. I'm excited to see how our prototypes evolve through user feedback, ultimately creating a compelling experience for Mandalorian fans.

BuddyTV

BuddyTV

A Dream Destination for Every Mandalorian Fan

BuddyTV

BuddyTV

Project Overview

For this project, I collaborated with a team to design a dedicated fan sub-site for The Mandalorian on behalf of BuddyTV, a popular TV news platform. This project focused on addressing existing design and functionality challenges while delivering a visually compelling, immersive experience for dedicated fans of The Mandalorian.

Role

UX Designer &

Researcher

Tools

Figma

Timeline

2 Weeks

Team

4 Members

BACKGROUND

Improving Functionality & User Experience

Improving Functionality & User Experience

BuddyTV, a TV news site for show enthusiasts, is focused on expanding its platform by introducing new features and improving user experience. The goal is to create an engaging, show-specific sub-site that hooks users to stay on the application longer. However, the existing site faces challenges in both functionality and visual design, which need significant improvement to better meet user expectations and provide a more involved experience.

BuddyTV, a TV news site for show enthusiasts, is focused on expanding its platform by introducing new features and improving user experience. The goal is to create an engaging, show-specific sub-site that hooks users to stay on the application longer. However, the existing site faces challenges in both functionality and visual design, which need significant improvement to better meet user expectations and provide a more involved experience.

Shaping a Vision for User Engagement

Shaping a Vision for User Engagement

Our vision was to deliver a unique platform tailored for each show’s dedicated fanbase, increasing user engagement with entertaining content while seamlessly integrating social media for a more connected experience.

Our vision was to deliver a unique platform tailored for each show’s dedicated fanbase, increasing user engagement with entertaining content while seamlessly integrating social media for a more connected experience.

RESEARCH

Gaining Insights from Existing Data

Gaining Insights from Existing Data

To kick off the project, we needed a deeper understanding of The Mandalorian and its audience. Our team conducted thorough secondary research, exploring the show’s fanbase and demographics through various sources:

To kick off the project, we needed a deeper understanding of The Mandalorian and its audience. Our team conducted thorough secondary research, exploring the show’s fanbase and demographics through various sources:

3 Scholarly Articles

2 Wikis

3 Relevant Sources

Key Insights: What the Data Revealed

Key Insights: What the Data Revealed

Our secondary research revealed that 73% of the show's audience identifies as male, while only 23% are female. In addition, the viewers' ages range from 14 to 60, with an average of 37.

Our secondary research revealed that 73% of the show's audience identifies as male, while only 23% are female. In addition, the viewers' ages range from 14 to 60, with an average of 37.

Based on these insights, we planned to tailor the design to engage the predominantly male audience while exploring opportunities to attract more female viewers. We aimed to balance modern, dynamic elements for younger users with simple navigation for older audiences, ensuring usability across the wide age range.

Based on these insights, we planned to tailor the design to engage the predominantly male audience while exploring opportunities to attract more female viewers. We aimed to balance modern, dynamic elements for younger users with simple navigation for older audiences, ensuring usability across the wide age range.

The data also highlighted the immense popularity of the character 'Baby Yoda.' Fan forums, showcased the phenomenon and its significant impact on the audience, with widespread enthusiasm reflected in the amount of Baby Yoda merchandise.

The data also highlighted the immense popularity of the character 'Baby Yoda.' Fan forums, showcased the phenomenon and its significant impact on the audience, with widespread enthusiasm reflected in the amount of Baby Yoda merchandise.

Diving Deep: Understanding the Fans

Diving Deep: Understanding the Fans

Building on our newly gathered insights about 'The Mandalorian' fanbase, we conducted six in-depth, in-person interviews with die-hard fans. These interviews allowed us to go beyond surface-level findings and directly engage with the show's most dedicated followers.

Building on our newly gathered insights about 'The Mandalorian' fanbase, we conducted six in-depth, in-person interviews with die-hard fans. These interviews allowed us to go beyond surface-level findings and directly engage with the show's most dedicated followers.

Key Questions and Responses

Key Questions and Responses

During our interviews, we asked fans targeted questions designed to shed light on their viewing experiences and expectations. Here are a few key questions we explored, along with insightful responses from the fans:

During our interviews, we asked fans targeted questions designed to shed light on their viewing experiences and expectations. Here are a few key questions we explored, along with insightful responses from the fans:

Questions

Does the show appeal to different audiences? Do you think a male Star Wars fan would enjoy the show more than a female Star Wars fan?

Does the show appeal to different audiences? Do you think a male Star Wars fan would enjoy the show more than a female Star Wars fan?

Who would you recommend the show to? What are characteristics of someone that would likely what the show?

Who would you recommend the show to? What are characteristics of someone that would likely what the show?

Does the show appeal to different audiences? Do you think a male Star Wars fan would enjoy the show more than a female Star Wars fan?

Does the show appeal to different audiences? Do you think a male Star Wars fan would enjoy the show more than a female Star Wars fan?

Responses

“Well, Baby Yoda was a huge reason why female fans like this show, and the same with kids. Baby Yoda brings a aura of innocence and maybe kids can relate to the show more through that character.”

“Honestly, anyone that likes action-packed adventures. Definitely not for the boring mind.”

“Well, Baby Yoda was a huge reason why female fans like this show, and the same with kids. Baby Yoda brings a aura of innocence and maybe kids can relate to the show more through that character.”

“Honestly, anyone that likes action-packed adventures. Definitely not for the boring mind.”

“I do have Mandalorian merch. I have a Baby Yoda plushie. I also have two other items. Although I doesn’t own all that much, I’m definitely considering buying a lot more. I even has a wish list.”

“I do have Mandalorian merch. I have a Baby Yoda plushie. I also have two other items. Although I doesn’t own all that much, I’m definitely considering buying a lot more. I even has a wish list.”

FINDINGS

Sticky Notes: Design Must Haves!

Sticky Notes: Design Must Haves!

To summarize the insights gathered from our interviews, we distilled the key findings into actionable must-haves. These sticky notes highlight the essential elements we need to prioritize in our design to resonate with 'The Mandalorian' fanbase.

To summarize the insights gathered from our interviews, we distilled the key findings into actionable must-haves. These sticky notes highlight the essential elements we need to prioritize in our design to resonate with 'The Mandalorian' fanbase.

Capture the essence of the show's action-packed sequences and rich character development.

Capture the essence of the show's action-packed sequences and rich character development.

Highlight the beloved character Baby Yoda and leveraging his charm to engage fans.

Highlight the beloved character Baby Yoda and leveraging his charm to engage fans.

Explore concepts and features that would enhance the fan experience and align with their expectations.

Explore concepts and features that would enhance the fan experience and align with their expectations.

Ensure that the designs resonates with the diverse Mandalorian fanbase, from teenagers to adults.

Ensure that the designs resonates with the diverse Mandalorian fanbase, from teenagers to adults.

IDEATION

Designing the Solution: Whiteboards and First Drafts

Designing the Solution: Whiteboards and First Drafts

We channeled our key insights into three unique features within BuddyTV tailored specifically for 'The Mandalorian' fans, designed to build momentum for both BuddyTV and the show. Hitting the sketch pad, our team dove into a series of whiteboarding sessions, brainstorming, refining, and mapping out these core app features. Below are snapshots from our process, showcasing how we iterated on initial concepts and made real-time adjustments to bring our ideas to life.

We channeled our key insights into three unique features within BuddyTV tailored specifically for 'The Mandalorian' fans, designed to build momentum for both BuddyTV and the show. Hitting the sketch pad, our team dove into a series of whiteboarding sessions, brainstorming, refining, and mapping out these core app features. Below are snapshots from our process, showcasing how we iterated on initial concepts and made real-time adjustments to bring our ideas to life.

Trivia Prototype

Trivia Prototype

Here is the initial concept of our Trivia game. The process of white-boarding helped us gage the order of screens and what they should include. Upon reviewing we noticed there was no “Play” button, which we took into account when creating the final design.

Here is the initial concept of our Trivia game. The process of white-boarding helped us gage the order of screens and what they should include. Upon reviewing we noticed there was no “Play” button, which we took into account when creating the final design.

Baby Yoda Prototype

Baby Yoda Prototype

Here is the white-boarding of our Baby Yoda feature. By white-boarding we planned the different pop-ups that would appear on the screen to make the feature more interactive.

Here is the white-boarding of our Baby Yoda feature. By white-boarding we planned the different pop-ups that would appear on the screen to make the feature more interactive.

Planet Prototype

Planet Prototype

Our white-boarding of the planet prototype was the one we spent most time on. Here we included all the screens we wanted to include with specific labels to make designing the high-fidelity screens a breeze.

Our white-boarding of the planet prototype was the one we spent most time on. Here we included all the screens we wanted to include with specific labels to make designing the high-fidelity screens a breeze.

FINAL DESIGN

Showcasing the High-Fidelity Designs

Showcasing the High-Fidelity Designs

After several iterations and refinement, we transformed our concepts into high-fidelity screens that highlight the key features of the BuddyTV mobile app for 'The Mandalorian.' Below are the final designs, each with details on their functionality and user benefits.

After several iterations and refinement, we transformed our concepts into high-fidelity screens that highlight the key features of the BuddyTV mobile app for 'The Mandalorian.' Below are the final designs, each with details on their functionality and user benefits.

THE END

Wrapping up

Wrapping up

This project has been a rewarding journey of discovery and creativity. Through research, collaboration, and a user-centric approach, we've laid a strong foundation for future development. I'm excited to see how our prototypes evolve through user feedback, ultimately creating a compelling experience for Mandalorian fans.

This project has been a rewarding journey of discovery and creativity. Through research, collaboration, and a user-centric approach, we've laid a strong foundation for future development. I'm excited to see how our prototypes evolve through user feedback, ultimately creating a compelling experience for Mandalorian fans.

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Jonathan To

© 2024 Jonathan To Site. All rights reserved.

Stay in touch

Subscribe for email updates

Navigations

Work

Let's Connect

Jonathan To

© 2024 Jonathan To Site. All rights reserved.