Galactic Snackers
Mobile game UI design
to celebrate Asian
American Nostalgia
for Android and IOS
Duration: March 2021 - Present
About
Galactic Snackers is a friendly mobile game that celebrates Asian American nostalgia and invites gamers of all skill levels to relax, have some snacks, and avoid doom scrolling. Collect your favorite snacks, defeat the obstacles, and be a hero.
Jump Ahead
Problem
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There is a lack of Asian American stories reflected in mobile games
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Doom scrolling and negative mobile apps cause anxiety and unhealthy mobile attachment
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We want to make a safe place for Asian women to feel good and escape reality
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We also want to encourage non gamers to enjoy a little fun.
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Team
Robyn To
Game development, Gameplay design
Molly Wu
UI/UX Design, Illustrations, User Testing
Research
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Beginner mobile gamers enjoy simple activities with limited options. (think Temple Run, Doodle Jump, or Frogger)
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Minimal adoption time
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Easy to pick up and put down on the go
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Adult audiences enjoy nostalgic kids games that deliver good vibes and feelings of success.
User Discovery
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After our research, we conducted a few interviews to see what our target audience was all about, what they liked, what they missed about childhood games.
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We narrowed down the initial story:
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In Galactic Snackers, Asian Americans have a thriving society on the moon, but during a delivery shipment of asian snacks from earth, an asteroid storm has impacted the shipment. We need a hungry hero to collect the goods and bring them home safely.
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We want to forge a visual aesthetic that would bring delight and escapism to our adult audience.
User Testing
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We tested the app with a group of target usersPositive feedback on the tone and delight of the game.
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Snacks brought joy and nostalgia back. They liked earning new levels to see what snacks they would unlock.
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Avatar creator was also positively received, with appreciation for facial feature representation.
Working Feedback
Make it more interesting, build more community
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to build on the gameplay, we added power ups, more obstacles for now.
Screens
UI Elements
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The Snacks
What's Next
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Emotion-based play: working on developing the gameplay to further our goals of establishing a sense of community, making the user feel like a winner
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Conduct more rounds of user testing with each update to the gameplay.
