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For this student project, a teammate and I were assigned to redesign a service. Being the biggest nerds in class, we chose to optimize the service model of a virtual reality gaming lounge to improve customer satisfaction and boost business revenue.

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The Challenge

Krypton VR Lounge is the ONLY virtual reality gaming lounge in Chicago. While this allows them the opportunity to dominate the market, they face the challenge of identifying and understanding their target audience to harness their position.

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Research Overview

We aimed to gain a grasp on their specific business and service challenges and to reveal customer needs and desires. Our discovery process included the following:

1. Inspection of company the website for UI coherence, and to collect information.
2. Application of customer reviews to affinity map and identify patterns.
3. Conduct an undercover visit as regular lounge patrons to gain firsthand knowledge of the novel virtual lounge experience.
4. view session with staff to learn about the business side of the experience, and to learn what their goals, observations, and biases were.
5. Combine blueprint of lounge and knowledge or service design to imagine patron journeys, and uncover missed service opportunities.
6. Follow the user's journey using the 5E's model (which is: Entice, Enter, Engage, Exit, Extend).
7. Analyze competitors with particular attention to Arcades and Beercades—their closest competitors.

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Website Issues

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1. Waiver link doesn't work, and lounge visitors are not asked to sign them.
   
   
2. Family Room is described as a private room, but it is a booth like all the others. The only difference is that it is larger than the others. People still have to walk through it to get the restroom.

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1. The overall layout is visually displeasing.
2. Important information is missing (i.e., legal info).

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1. Video doesn't work on PCs.
2. These thumbnails are not video links. They should be.
3. There is no multiplayer gaming at the lounge.
4. The sticky social link sidebar is plain annoying.

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User Research

USER REVIEWS

We looked at over 100 reviews. Here were a few that voice majority viewpoints of the lounge experience.

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UNDERCOVER VISIT

Through an undercover visit, we discovered some areas where the lounge's service was lacking.

1. They advertised the lounge experience as one in which friends could get together and have a good time. The language used implied a drinking-friendly environment, but there was a hidden $5/person BYOB fee. We learned about it when we asked. Nothing on their websites state this rule.
2. Also, they had a fridge filled only with Redbull. The other fridge was shoved into a corner and may have been for employees only. I inquired why there was such a variety of Redbull, but no other beverage options. The employee eventually admitted to enjoying mixed Vodka drinks.
3. There is a lounge area behind the front desk, but there is nothing to do there. It's more like a waiting area but without any distractions. Even medical clinics offer magazines and have televisions in their waiting rooms.
4. While they advertised gameplay as a group activity where the group could take turn playing and watching, seating was inadequate.
5. My colleague and I had to each spend fifteen minutes learning how to play. We realized that it would be desirable for a group of three or four to rent more than one hour for gameplay. We knew there was no easy way to rent more than one hour online and decided this was a critical service aspect to improve.
6. The lounge advertised the family room as a "private room," but there was nothing private about it. One could argue that it was "at least at the end of the hallway," but the facility restroom was only accessible through that hallway.

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STAFF INTERVIEWS

By speaking with staff, we were able to understand the business perspectives, goals, and concerns better; we were also able to discern disconnections between the business and its clientele. Here are some of the things we discovered:

1. The business was less than a year old.
2. Their budget was tight.
3. They did not know who their target audience was.
   – They received a mixed bag of patrons—from children visiting after school or during the summer, to adults ready to party.
   –Also, they noticed some unpleasant mixing between their variety of patrons when desires in environment clashed.
4. While they idealized their facility as a lounge, they did not know what their unknown target audience desired. In some cases, they focused on their own desires instead of their clientele's.
5. They were hoping to allow multiplayer participation in the future but still needed to figure out the best way that would turn a profit and keep participants safe.
6. They gained a lot of return customers through Groupon.

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USER JOURNEYS

Based on the information gathered, we bounced between two user journey exercises so we could visualize and reason through multiple possible experiences as thoroughly as possible.

   + BLUEPRINT + SERVICE DESIGN

Here we visualized some user journeys.

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   + JOURNEY THROUGH THE FIVE E'S

Here we broke down user journeys from their initial introduction to the lounge through to their thoughts, emotions, and intentions after visiting. This exercise also included some staff perspectives and intentions.

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USER RESEARCH SUMMARY

We summarized what we knew so far, to find a goal and help us focus our competitor analysis.

1. There were two target audiences:
   – Rated G
   – Rated R
2. We needed to upgrade the lounge for a more accommodating group experience.
3. We needed to clarify the information on the website, and add functionality to smooth out the service of the lounge.
4. GOAL: We needed to figure out a way to separately attract each audience and stay within a tight, estimated budget.

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Competitor Analysis

For inspiration, we considered businesses whose service most closely related to the lounge's, and then analyzed their service designs.

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We thought about why the different audiences were attracted to these experiences and found ways to apply that to Krypton.

1. Alcoholic beverages attract adults.
2. Group interactive experiences attract both target audiences.

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Design Prep

To kickstart our design stage, we gathered the core challenges, opportunities, and research-generated ideas.

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CORE SERVICE CHALLENGE

Equipment is expensive, and the business needs to make a profit, but customers interested in returning are displeased with pricing.

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

VR is a novel experience that can be made more affordable and social at an arcade or lounge.

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Design

DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND SOLUTIONS

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The Physical Space should Evoke the Emotional Response of the Word “Lounge.”

1. Add Creature Comforts (Pillows, Rug, etc.)
2. Offer a variety of Beverages, Snacks, and Games (TV)

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The Solution should Leverage the Addictive Nature of the Product.

1. Make Adding Time more Affordable
2. Add Loyalty Rewards
3. Memberships

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The Business should consider the habits of their different audiences.

1. Create separate times for Families (Children) and Adults by having Adults only hours, say after 8p Fridays and Saturdays

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The Solution should consider the Learning Curve.

1. Give Extra 15min for 1st-Timers
2. Offer Training Hour Course in Family Room: 6 people, 1 hour

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BRANDING VISION

the arcade of the 80s

the beercade of today

the possibilities for VR gaming arcades in Chicago

emphasizing a theme

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RENOVATION

Initial Layout

Improved Layout

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WEBSITE REDESIGN

Home Page

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MVP

1. Created MVP Booking Bar. Now visitors can book gaming sessions right on the homepage for however many hours at a time. (There was no option to adjust how long one wanted to play before.) Also, I added a prompt for venue booking.

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Copywriting

1. First, before I get into how I improved the space, note that I was playful with the copy. Copy is a colossal branding aspect! We were designing for KRYPTON VR LOUNGE! Why not make it fun, quirky, and nerdy?

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Information Architecture

1. Second, I reassembled the navbar. What used to be "Pricing," is now "Booking"; "Gameplay" is now merely "Games"; and I combined "About" and "Home."

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Content Strategy

1. I created a video space with a header and subheader for the hero. The landing page can now define brand and company purpose and entice visitor both verbally and visually.
2. The summary info of the site is now staggered. The info includes a How-To-Use-VIVE video for VR newbs and a Monthly Tournament promo. (There currently isn't an MT for Krypton. There also isn't multiplayer capability even though their site currently lists games solo vs. multiplayer. An MT is an excellent way to allow multiplayer gaming and promote the company. After all, competition is a major motivational and fun factor all types of recreational activities.)
3. Added testimonial bar.
4. Added membership promo. (Given the company is willing, this could be a punch card type deal to encourage increased customer return rate.)
5. Added photo carousel with an Instagram link.
6. Edited Footer by refining visual presentation, moving the social links, adding a legal row, and adding FAQ and Contact links.

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Booking Page

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1. Deleted unnecessary copy.
2. Added booking bar with time slot editing option.
3. Deleted seemingly obsolete waiver link. (My partner and I were never asked to sign a waiver when we visited the lounge undercover. And the link doesn't even work.)
4. Staggered booth info with some playful copy.

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Games Page

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1. Added How-To-Use-VIVE video
2. Added filter list for the listing of games
3. Reorganized games by play or experience level since VR is still a novel experience for most people, and most customers the client sees are newbs. Also, there isn't currently multiplayer capability, because it's one player per booth, and the client has not yet experimented with multi-booth VR system connection. (This is why I suggested the Tournament option. Not only would it be cheaper for a large group of people to do multiplayer, but it would add the exciting in-person competitive aspect of play.)

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MOCKUP

Here's a mockup of what I see for their new website.

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Conclusion

With these suggestions, Krypton VR Lounge could refine their brand; maximize customer satisfaction, retention, and return rate; and secure their future growth.