Experience Designer
TIMELINE
2 weeks
MY ROLE
TOOLS USED
FIGMA
Ending the 'which map do we play' argument
Every squad session started the same way, 10 minutes of arguing over which mode to play before we'd even loaded in. One friend wanted Zero Build map, another wanted Reload map, I wanted Bed Wars map. It sometimes got tense enough that someone would threaten to quit the group entirely. I wanted to see if this was a wider problem and if a better decision-making moment could actually make squad time more fun.
Type
Passion Project
80% described the exact same problem.
I wanted to know if this was a wider problem, not just my squad's. So I interviewed 5 Fortnite players across duo, trio, and squad sessions.
Problem Discovery
Deciding what to play takes 5–15 minutes before a match even starts
The process isn't fair, someone always gives in, stays quiet, or gets talked over
The back-and-forth kills the excitement before the match even begins
From the beginning, spin wheel was the solution in my mind. A spin wheel is used to make a decision, and in fact, it's a fun activity to decide which map to play among the many Fortnite game maps.
How might I solve?
equal chance for everyone, no one to blame.
Right from the start, this felt like the clearest way to remove blame from any one player.
Removes social pressure from whoever picked the map.
Turns the argument into a fun, exciting, engaging moment with friends.
Map Roulette - Spin Wheel
I sketched out spin wheel, pointer, and concept of interface to visualize on how it should look and also focusing on how it is accessed, used and experienced by players.
Concept Sketches
Original sketches were refined and polished using Gemini.
Spin wheel icon is designed and placed in the lobby, so that players can easily access it.
Players can add any map they want to any one slot, giving them more flexibility instead of forcing them into specific slots.
This is where players choose a map and add it to the spin wheel. Each player in the squad, trio, or duo can add the map they want to play.
This was designed to clearly inform the player that they can only add one map, as the other slots are for the other players in the squad.
This was designed to inform player, that to spin the wheel other players in the squad or trio or duo, needs to add their maps.
Once everyone adds their maps, the squad can spin the wheel. Players can also remove their selected map and choose a new one whenever they want.
After the spin is complete, the winning map is revealed. I designed this moment to give the player a small win feel, with the option to re-spin if they want to try again.