Play25 Online


role: sole ux/ui designer | client: play25online - padraig g | tools: adobe xd

the vision

we want to build the ultimate home for 25 - an online version of the game that is great for beginners and veterans alike. a haven where beginners can learn, safe in the knowledge that they will not have obscenities screamed at them for playing the wrong card at the wrong time. and then the others - those who are experts and those that think they are experts! we will be offering members an online place to learn and play on any internet connected phone, tablet or pc.



what did i do?

i was the sole ux designer/researcher on this project, conducting everything from research to usability tests and creating prototypes from low fidelity paper prototypes to digital, interactive hi-fi designs. i was responsible for determining the overall design direction of the project, while communicating with my lecturer and peers to gain feedback on my work.

desk research

as part of our desk research, we had to teach others how to play the game, this is to show how you'd create a tutorial when designing the game. so, it's accessible to beginners and advanced player alike.


stakeholder interview findings

it was evident from the stakeholder interview that there was great scope for creativity. the stakeholder said that the skies the limit, we also weren't designing for just one audience but multiple. we had to cater for a wide range of abilities and ages, with the aim of making the application engaging for all.

user stories
  • i am a 40-year-old native of sligo - currently working in sidney. who would love to reengage with friends by our weekly game of 25, using my mobile phone.
  • i am a high-school student from boston - who's granny is from and lives in donegal. Would love to bond with her by learning her favourite game 25, so she can play it with her when she sees her this christmas.
  • we are a group of students (from all over the world) with a mutual love of ireland and the irish culture. we would like to meet new friends and play 25 in a safe and comfortable manor online using our mobile phones.

empathy map

the empathy-mapping process helps distil and categorise your knowledge of the user into one place. It can be used to capture who a user is. it makes sense of qualitative research (research notes, user-interviews).

user pain points
  • can't follow the rules (no essay - play a game / go through a tutorial)
  • too many steps to get into a game
  • must create an account to play
user goals
  • make learning the rules of the game - easy, fun and interactive
  • limit the amount of steps
  • have a guest option - so users can play straight away

ideal customer journey map

user goals and pain points, determined through the research, were translated into an easy read and graphically structured document to assist future product design.

helps show the user's route through the site - navigating through the particular task.


key insights from usability test

  • user is completely lost - “and i don't know what's going on here”
  • user's not focused on where they should be looking
  • user is completely disconnected when using the origional site
  • feeling deflated
  • user expecting a tutorial - “i feel like a toddler just slapping on a toy”


lo-fi prototype

sketched screens and states were photographed and inserted into Marvel app for usability testing purposes. Research participant feedback was noted.

iterations of lo-fi prototype based on feedback
  • increase text size - as it was noted during the testing process that the text was too small, and users couldn't read the writing
mid-fi prototype

as it came time for mid-fi prototyping, i started expanding the app beyond the scope of the tutorial and actual game. developing a theme and creating features so that you could host a game with friends, join a game with friends, etc.

iterations of mid-fi prototype based on feedback
  • making the text larger and easier to read
  • adding back buttons/arrows to make the game more accessible
  • keep consistency with buttons colours
  • keep the theme more consistent (go all in with the theme)


hi-fi prototype

for hi-fi, I colourised the prototype - making the contents livelier. adding colour to the mascot, and gradients to the background giving setting to the prototype and adding to the general atmosphere. the aim of creating a fun, welcoming game at heart.

when you want to save the game of 25, you must appeal to the audience and to appeal to the young generations - who will ultimately save the game and pass it down when they're older. hence the fun-loving cartoon like atmosphere.

test out the prototype and view submittion video!