Cute to look at, fun to play with & great to collect!
Nendoroids have been around in the collector's market since 2006, and from then has amassed over 1000+ characters from various series, IPs, & celebrities. Being Good Smile Company's most popular line of products, Nendoroids have gained massive appeal over the years along with perfecting the production of newer characters over the years, along with some reissues for more popular past entries. Being such a prominent part of Good Smile Company's lineup, it's only natural that Nendoroids should have a dedicated app for consumers to view, read up on, & purchase Nendoroids that they love, especially for the mobile platform.
Design Overview:
Nendoroids have only gotten massively popular over the years since 14 years ago, and by creating an application dedicated to Nendoroids would not only provide more user interaction & gain users downloading the app & utilizing the Nendoroid App, but would also garner more sales for the product line & have further brands & IPs that have yet to be explored under the Nendoroid line become a reality. From big juggernaut IPs like the Fate series & Bloodborne to Marvel & Nintendo, Nendoroids have massive appeal worldwide, and having a premiere application dedicated to the products that would allow users to view the catalog of Nendoroids, find nearby locations & online stores that would allow users to purchase from officially partnered shops & sellers, & read up on the latest articles & community posts dedicated to Nendoroids.
The Client
Good Smile Company & Nendoroid Enthusiasts
The Challenge
Good Smile Company would love to provide a mobile experience for its consumers beyond the website regarding Nendoroids in a mobile format, be able to purchase Nendoroids through the app along with finding nearby officially sponsored shops and sellers, and to engage with the community for better feedback on what would be the next line of Nendoroids to be produced for keeping current users & consumers happy while attracting new users. Before creating this applicaton, the following questions must be considered:
• Who is the target audience when it comes to this app?
• What makes the mobile app useful for Nendoroid consumers?
• When would users utilize the app over the browser?
• Why would the user need an app exclusively for Nendoroids?
• How is the app going to be a more optimal resource?
The Objective
Provide a mobile experience for users to have a better approach with Nendoroids. The mobile app will include the ability to view all the Nendoroids ever produced under Good Smile Company, purchase Nendoroids from GSC's dedicated online shop along with other officially sponsored retailers & sellers, & to view community posts & events along with a compendium of user generated photos.
Core Tasks
Tan Nguyen ( UX Designer )
Tools Used
• Adobe XD
• After Effects
• Photoshop
• Jira
Setting up the Design
With the data and feedback regarding the Nendoroid section on Good Smile Company's current website, it's time to ideate a dedicated app for Nendoroids, now with a user flow & a set of low fidelity wireframes produced that will reflect the final design and navigation process where the user won't be intimidated into trying out a new hobby.
Creating the Mobile Experience & Refining User Experience
After iterating designs & going back to back with consumers &
Good Smile Company, the current process of finalizing the experience is in progress along with the prototype having:
• Immediate access to the catalog of existing products
• Purchasing & shipping options based on location
• Products viewed in a more clear-path way by categories
• A way to inform consumers of existing & upcoming products
• User acquisition through a more engaging, UX friendly app
What I've Learned & Personal Thoughts
Being a Nendoroid collector & working on ways to imrpove the experience for the consumers & build a stronger bond between the brand & the collectors is definitely a fun but very difficult task creating from the ground up. Having a set identity that distinguishes the products & brand also is a pivotal factor to consider when creating user experiences to keep a synonymous image that consumers relate to. The main takeaway points that I have learned doing this project were:
Defining Accessibility for Users
The features require an account to make full use of the app. What would it have been like if the user was only interested in the library?
Languages & Related Font
Adjusting to certain languages can affect the design layout of certain features within the app, & must be heavily considered.
Establishing Consistency
Utilizing as much of the design system as possible to create consistency was key to making the app successful.
Producing an app for a product has refined my approach on what identifies a product, how it reflects on the user, & how to properly implement core features present on the browser site & fine tune it to an even more simplistic yet comprehensible approach for consumers to enjoy & companies to fully utilize.
