AllCity
An investigation into video compression and AR for the future of mobile gaming. A design sprint concept for ChatGame.
Client
ChatGame | Design Sprint
Role
Senior Designer
Deliverables
Video demo reel, features, wireframes, prototypes & interaction designs
Project Overview
This project was developed in partnership with ChatGame, a Chinese video chat company specializing in advanced video compression technology. The objective was to explore how video chat and gaming could be combined into a single cohesive application — and to identify opportunities for expansion into the U.S. market.
Chapter 1
Framing
The central framing question,"With the emergence of video chat, what visual aspects of human playfulness will enhance human connections?"
The process was guided by the Strategic Innovation Methodology: Framing → Context Research → Futures Studies → Customer Research → Ideation → Select & Develop → Present.
Chapter 2
Research & Analysis
Competitive App Audits
To address the challenge of building business-driven features into AllCity, the research phase began with audits of leading gaming applications — including Ingress and Pokémon GO. The goal was to identify strategies and best practices for user-centered design in social and location-based gaming.
Chapter 2
Positioning
Chapter 2
Research Themes
Social Adventures
Trends
  • Gamification
  • Social platforms
  • Personal ritual curation
Future
  • Virtual joyful playgrounds
  • Immersive social media
Value to users
  • Opportunities for escapism
  • Hanging out with friends via virtual environments
Digital Nutrition
Trends
  • Media consumption
  • Internet addiction
  • Ubiquitous technology
Future
  • Diminished social skills
  • Desire never to be alone
Value to users
  • Deep level communications
  • Self-reliance
  • Long-term fulfillment
Local Community
Trends
  • Passive interaction
  • User generated content
  • Ubiquitous content
Future
  • Internet used for social good
  • Finding like-minded people
Value to users
  • Opportunities to build for local and global communities
Game Mode Themes
MMO Quest
Deep, immersive team play built around story, character, and long-term progression. Players invest emotionally and return for the depth of experience.
Snack Food
Casual, pick-up-and-play gaming designed for short sessions and social sharing. Simple mechanics with a continuous loop that keeps players coming back.
Chat Gaming
A mode where social connection is the core mechanic — but today's solutions force a choice between playing and chatting. The opportunity is to make them one.
Chapter 3
Qualitative Research
User interviews and contextual observations surfaced three distinct player archetypes, each with unique motivations, habits, and pain points that informed the design direction.
Synthesis & Problem Space
The Core Tension
Research revealed three domains — Gaming, Social Gaming, and Chat — that each have their own friction points when combined:
  • Physical proximity discourages online play
  • Video chat disrupts game timing and focus
  • Anonymous chat creates toxic environments
  • Game and chat feel disconnected, not integrated
Chapter 4
Problems & Goals
Business Goals
  • Increase user engagement and retention
  • Increase overall transaction volumes
  • Improve ChatGame's U.S. reputation
Design Goals
  • Grow an AR gaming community
  • Integrate GPS mapping and gaming
  • Connect players across different genres
Chapter 5
Personas & Target Audience
Personas were developed from qualitative interviews to capture the range of players AllCity must serve — from hardcore gamers and creative makers to casual social players. Each archetype informed feature prioritization and interaction design.
Journey Map
A full user journey map was constructed to chart the emotional arc of a player moving through AllCity — from discovery and onboarding through active gameplay and social engagement — identifying moments of friction and delight at each stage.
Chapter 6
Co-Creation, Competitive Landscape & Brainstorming
Co-creation workshops with stakeholders and potential users surfaced hidden needs and informed feature concepts. A full competitive landscape audit identified whitespace — no existing product meaningfully fused live video with in-game play.
Chapter 7
Experience Story Mapping & Film Reel Storyboards
Experience story mapping translated user journeys into narrative sequences — the foundation for a film reel demo that brought the AllCity concept to life before a single line of code was written.
Chapter 8
Casting & Filming
To produce the video demo reel, a real cast was selected and a multi-day filming process was organized. The result was a live-action prototype that demonstrated AllCity's core interaction model to stakeholders.
Chapter 9
Mockups & Feature Design
Hero Shot & Mockup V2
Chapter 10
Reflection
Keep the User at the Center
Prioritizing user needs is essential — but it requires ongoing vigilance. At critical moments, stepping back to re-evaluate and conduct further research prevented the design from drifting toward stakeholder preferences over user pain points.
Structure Enables Flexibility
Creating a flexible schedule and establishing clear project milestones were vital to delivering within the given timespan. A growth mindset enabled the ability to adapt when plans shifted — a critical characteristic in building a cohesive product.
Collaborative Decision-Making
Balancing stakeholder input with