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Daency is a startup that provides a live social and dancing platform for global dance lovers. This project started in Sep. 2021 and initially launched in Dec. Our web app media play already provides exciting group co-play, co-watch, and teaching features that enhance the learning experience. But we don't stop there. We're continuously exploring new ways to improve our stream services, bringing even more joy to our users while encouraging them to stay engaged with our site.
There was an obvious opportunity here and we decided to take it one step further. We focused on K-POP random play dance lovers and decided to bridge life-like connections and immersive entertainment at home.
The Daency community requires a new approach to attract more users and improve user engagement.
Designed and tested an improved website for Daency to create a high-quality live kpop dancing game with multiple gameplay options.
Solo designer, 1 product manager, 3 developers, 1 marketing.
I had heavy involvement in shaping our product strategy, roadmaps, and research. In addition to in-house design work, I collaborated with marketing people and our developers to run several campaigns.
The video demonstrates what the users see in the party game.
KPR is a popular choice for group activities due to its wide range of choreography and suitability for big groups. It's particularly appealing to younger people who are eager to try new things. The game encourages strong engagement and interaction among players as they work together to complete the dance routines.
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In the initial version of the party, users only needed to register and then click "join" to enter the room. They would then wait for others to join, and the host could start the party. The process was simple, but users encountered many issues, and the survey results were very disappointing.
To gain a clear understanding of the Daency party and its issues, our team utilized a combination of research insights from user interviews and competitive analysis data from other streaming apps and popular dance games.
Through our research, we have found that both user satisfaction and retention rates are very low. They mentioned that one of the reasons is the lack of interaction during the dancing process. Another issue is that the existing features are too simplified, making it easy for users to get lost.
"It is kind of boring to watch people just dance."
--(F, 23, NYC)
"I was getting Lost when I joined the party, it took me time to figure out what was going on"
--(M, 20, CA)
I spent a lot of time to set up my mic and camera.
--(F, 22, CA)
business impact
The effect of this on the business is that it becomes challenging to find dancers to host and join the games when there is a lack of interaction and clear instructions. This results in fewer games being hosted and fewer dancers being willing to join, leading to lesser engagement from the community.
Out of the 12 users during games over the last two seasons, only 3 expressed interest in joining again.
Based on the interview results, users, especially dancers, have high expectations for interaction. They hope to enhance their sense of involvement and satisfaction through interaction, as well as expand their influence, make more friends, and gain more fans. Moreover, similar products on the market, such as DDR, Just Dance, Tiaotiao, and Steezy etc, tend to focus more on individual entertainment and self-improvement, lacking a multiplayer interactive and communicative approach.
The existing flow is too simplistic and confusing, resulting in a mismatch between user experience and design intent. The lack of certain functionalities and instructions requires users to spend more time learning, leading to confusion and uncertainty about how to use the product.
The absence of a lobby room results in users spending a lot of time setting up and organizing their status. The undifferentiated guest and host interfaces also lead to users spending more time figuring out how to use the platform.
1. The gameplay currently lacks interactivity.
The existing interactive gameplay is limited, users are unable to have a more diverse and differentiated experience.
2. Hosting and attending a party is overwhelming.
The customized rules are not easy to follow, and the way of hosting and attending an online party is not simple enough it also requires a level of skill and effort.
3. Streaming layouts and technologies need upgrade.
The current stream room setup doesn't meet the party game's requirements.
Current Journey
After gathering insights from the interviews and competitive analysis data, I conducted sketching and storyboarding workshops to deconstruct and map out the dancer's experience. Through this process, I identified several missing experiences that could help improve the overall user experience and address the pain points they have mentioned above.
Register and Join the party
Users need to register for the event in order to directly enter the room. At the same time, they can invite friends to join.
Dance in the party
Once in the party room, users can interact through live chat and audio, as well as choose to quietly observe others dancing or entertain themselves.
party finished
Say goodbye to each other, and left the room.
to go journey
Based on the requirements and constraints we are facing to, I generated potential solutions for the challenges encountered at each point of the journey. The journey points were,
Pre-game experience
Streamline the process for users to join the party and easily share it with their friends. Provide a clear overview of the party rules and ensure that all necessary arrangements are made.
Interacting with users (during the party)
In addition to live chat, explore and implement additional ways for users to interact with each other. Simplify and differentiate the interfaces between hosts and guests, removing unnecessary functions from the guest sites.
After party
Group built, be friends with each other. Hosts can message players in the live chat to keep them engaged and drive gameplay.
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constrains
Business Goal
Attract more new users
Gamification and optimized user experience attract more new users.
Increase retention rate
by making the experience fun, less friction,
more motivation to return.
After conducting UX research, Daency decided to build a gamified party room for K-pop Random Play fans as a beginning to build the community and bring more joy to dance lovers.
Before: camera & audio permission
Based on the feedback we observed and received, it seems that users are easily missing the default authorization on the website and are unable to find the option to reopen it.
Hypotheses
Solution
To quickly implement a solution, I designed a placeholder that directs users to the grand permission area, using an arrow pointer to ensure they don't overlook it. This effectively resolved the issue of users not being familiar with the location and it not being noticeable. However, the problem remains that the setting option is still hidden. If a user accidentally closes the panel, they will still need to figure out how to reopen it.
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After: Party rules + permission Grant
First-time users have consistently mentioned that they are not familiar with the rules when joining, and it takes time to catch up, particularly for those who join late. Also, the significance of the setting option for grand permission has escalated, leading to confusion among users.
Therefore, to address this issue, we have made the decision to utilize the lobby room fully.
1. In the lobby room, users will have the opportunity to preview the party room and learn the rules before actually entering the party. This will provide a better understanding of the rules and ensure that users are better prepared when joining the party.
2. I have now inserted the permission prompt into the viewport, ensuring that users cannot miss it. Users will need to give permission in order to proceed. More importantly, I have placed the setting option next to the mic and camera buttons, making it easy for users to locate and access.
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1.2 the invite friends button expose
Once the live game starts, the specific party link will be generated. Users will then have the ability to invite friends both internally and externally, without the need for party registration, only the host can invite all members at the same time. This streamlined process simplified the invitation process and make it easier for users to invite others to join and participate in the live party game.
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2.1 host and guest interfaces
After entering the room, hosts and guests will see different interfaces. Hosts will have more control buttons, allowing them to manipulate video playback and manage game progress.
Previously, control buttons were placed within the viewport, which looked cluttered due to limited space. Now, the control buttons are placed on the right side, making the interface more concise. The optimization of the entire area ensures clearer partitioning. A fixed-size viewport (340px, no matter how big the screen) ensures more stable bandwidth.
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2.2 spotlight and applause
The spotlight feature serves as a hero feature in the random party, controlled by the host. With the assistance of AI, the host can select and highlight a person who is dancing or performing, allowing everyone to see their performance. The addition of applause enables watchers to express their love and support. This feature creates more opportunities to foster meaningful connections between users, potential friends, and fans. It enhances the overall experience by facilitating moments that can be cherished and remembered during the party.
2.3 team Competition
We have developed a simple yet unique visual language to enhance our game experience and create a visually distinctive identity for the random party. As a party game, incorporating competition is an effective way to generate excitement and provide user satisfaction. KRP naturally lends itself to competition, which inspired us to design a new feature that randomly divides users into two teams for a battle. The objective is to earn the most applause, determining the winner.
However, we have encountered bandwidth limitations that prevent us from increasing the screen size.
3.1 group chat
We have implemented a Group Chat feature that connects all users during the registration and joining process. It promotes a sense of community and enables users to build connections with one another, fostering a more interactive and social experience throughout the play.
3.2 Friend adding Automatically
Users who join the same party or groups will be added to each other's friend lists automatically. We aim to foster a sense of community and encourage users to build connections more effortlessly during the early stages.
what is coming next
The profile page is still under development, but our plan is to allow users to personalize their profiles, showcasing their personalities and interests. Users will have the option to post their own content, which can attract more fans and followers.
We successfully held several big parties during Thanksgiving and Christmas. People who joined had an 83% satisfaction rate with the party, 1k+Members Growing during a month; “Organic social”, and “Referral” drove most of the growth, and we Achieved a high NPS of 48.
Daency has now turned its attention to virtual reality AI dancing games. With the help of AI technology, Daency aims to create an exciting and captivating Daency party game, ensuring a highly enjoyable and engaging experience. Daency's mission is to continue flourishing and explore innovative ways for individuals to have fun and exercise together, right from the comfort of their own homes.