Enhancing Shades with gamification features for a modern, interactive news experience that targets Gen-Z users.
Shades
3 months
Solo
Product Designer
Shades News is an app guided by cultural relevance for Generation Z, offering concise overviews and various viewpoints on current happenings. It recreates conventional news into a more captivating experience with elements such as real-time polling, summarized news, and its distinctive bright theme.
The CEO identified user retention and time spent on the app as key challenges, influenced by various user behaviors. This was crucial since Shades operates on an advertisement-based model rather than a paid service, ensuring the app remains free on the App Store.
I developed four key guiding statements to shape my work, helping me identify and address Shades' core challenges during design and research. Establishing these early on ensured that every design decision aligned with these principles, leading to a final solution that covers all bases.
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USER INTERVIEW (GOOGLE MEETS)
Conducting five user interviews with primarily Gen-Z participants, I focused on uncovering actionable recommendations and identifying key pain points to inform design decisions. In the interview the participants were tasked with giving their perspectives on the news consumption experience as well as the current Shades games.
Current Shades Games
Pain Points
Some game instructions were unclear and confusing.
Users felt the games weren't engaging enough.
Games were not really related to news consumption.
Recommendation
Ensure games include instructional screens and seamlessly integrate news consumption, allowing users to engage with gameplay that reinforces the knowledge they acquire.
Incentives to return to the app
Pain Points
There was no urge to return to the app for the games.
Lack of statistics/leaderboards to track my performance.
Recommendation
Develop more comprehensive stats, points, and streak systems to incentivize users to keep playing and encourage them to return to the app.
User Satisfaction
Pain Points
Users felt the games weren't satisfying to play.
The app didn't feel productive or any sense of accomplishment.
Recommendation
Make games intuitively satisfying by integrating engaging news-based questions and diverse topics while incorporating interactions that create a sense of accomplishment.
As I developed low-fidelity wireframes for the game's foundational design, I ensured that the logistics of the gamification feature were well-defined. This included detailing the game mechanics, name, rules, and overall goals.
Defining the gameplay and key mechanics
Duel/Challenge
Users can challenge random opponents or compete against friends and family in a thrilling trivia duel, testing their knowledge.
Live Trivia
This game will be a trivia experience that allows users to compete against each other in real time, making the game more engaging.
News-Based Questions
Trivia questions will be derived from current events, challenging users on their news awareness and comprehension.
Defining the goals and solution
Increasing User Retention & Usage - The trivia game keeps users engaged by making news consumption interactive and competitive. By combining learning with entertaining gameplay, it encourages users to stay longer and return.
Monetization & Audience - Designed for Gen-Z, the duel and ranking mechanics create an engaging trivia experience. The gameplay attracts young users while enabling monetization through ads, cosmetics, and subscriptions.
GAME MECHANICS/FEATURES
Users will first see an instructional screen to provide context and eliminate confusion on how to play. Then, they’ll access the main trivia duel dashboard, displaying their arena level, leaderboard, stats, and a start duel button.
Simple & Informative Instructions - Users will be given instructions that give an overview of the game, something that was an issue with Shades current set of games.
Comprehensive Dashboard - A simple and informative dashboard displaying user stats, ranking, and arena level, motivating players to duel more and climb the leaderboard.
To enhance trivia engagement, I introduced a topic selection feature, allowing users to choose their strongest subject for the first question, while their opponent picks the second. All questions remain news-based, aligning perfectly with Shades' core focus on modern news consumption.
News-Based Questions - all trivia questions are based on real events, making the game both interactive with Shades and an engaging, educational experience.
Time-Based - each question features a 10-second timer, making the trivia duels fast-paced with real-time gameplay and a competitive experience.
Variety Of Topics - by categorizing trivia into broad topics, it helps users organize news content while adding a fun, interactive element throughout the game.
Built on research, concepts, and ideation, Trivia Duels directly addresses Shades' key challenges. By revisiting our "How might we" statements, this gamification feature provides a targeted solution to those statements.
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This Product Design internship was a unique and insightful experience, as it was my first time focusing on a specific feature like gamification rather than general screens. Developing a solution for Shades pushed me to think beyond design and incorporate a business-oriented mindset. Since this was also a product strategy internship, I integrated business and content strategy to create a game that effectively addressed Shades' core challenges. Working alongside other interns, I gained valuable experiences through collaboration, idea-sharing, and friendly competition, making it a methodical and enriching time here.
Endorsement from Jeff Grimes - CEO of Shades
Jaime Calabrese - Internship Program Manager
Key Highlights
Ranking & Leagues
Intern Standout