EPIC GAMES
An approach to profile privacy that puts young players and their parents at the wheel.
EPIC GAMES
An approach to profile privacy that place young players and their parents at the wheel.
Profiles are where a player’s stats, achievements, and friends list live.
Profiles are where a player’s stats, achievements, and friends list live.
PROBLEM
When the player is a child, who should decide how visible that profile is — the player, or their parents?
We said “both” (and felt pretty strongly about it). Here’s why.
We know parents are wary of protecting their child’s safety online. Still, they may not have full visibility into the social dynamics at play in their child’s community, nor into their child’s degree of comfort with online visibility. So in our eyes, the most ethical approach was to give both the player and their parents agency over profile privacy.
CHALLENGE
Epic’s player base includes children. So who should be the decision-maker re: profile visibility, young players or their parents?
The result — a hybrid approach to profile privacy.
THE RESULT
A HYBRID APPROACH TO PROFILE PRIVACY
ROLE
Design strategist
UX researcher
Interaction designer
SKILLS
Competitive analysis, User flows, Wireframing, Interaction Design, Interactive Prototyping, Usability Testing, Research Analysis, Client Presentation
ROLE
Design strategist
UX researcher
Interaction designer
SKILLS
Competitive analysis, User flows, Wireframing, Interaction Design, Interactive Prototyping, Usability Testing, Research Analysis, Client Presentation
How we got there?
Our process looked
like this.
How we got there?
Our process looked
like this.
COMPETITIVE AUDIT
We kicked our process off with extensive of competitive research. Our goal was simple: understand the competitive landscape Epic’s privacy setting were going to exist within, to inform our product strategy. From Netflix and Google, to Roblox and Fortnite, I created sets of under 18 and “parent” accounts to get a 360 view of how profile privacy was being handled for younger users. I packaged those insights into one deck to share with the team, and another to present in our weekly client share with Epic.
COMPETITIVE AUDIT
We kicked our process off with extensive of competitive research. Our goal was simple: understand the competitive landscape Epic’s privacy setting were going to exist within, to inform our product strategy. From Netflix and Google, to Roblox and Fortnite, I created sets of under 18 and “parent” accounts to get a 360 view of how profile privacy was being handled for younger users. I packaged those insights into one deck to share with the team, and another to present in our weekly client share with Epic.
DESIGN + TESTING
Once we had a high-level flow, I started refining the interactions that would support it. After completing that initial flow of wires, I designed and carried out a usability test with parents of gamers to stress-test and validate it. Three rounds of testing and “back to the drawing board” later, we solidified the experience that helped parents set permissions most effectively and intuitively. Given the size and breadth of our stakeholder group, documentation was key. I created reports to capture the insights from each test, translated those insights into action items to guide visual design and copy updates, and packaged key learnings and recommendations into slide decks for our weekly client shares.
DESIGN + TESTING
Once we had a high-level flow, I started refining the interactions that would support it. After completing that initial flow of wires, I designed and carried out a usability test with parents of gamers to stress-test and validate it. Three rounds of testing and “back to the drawing board” later, we solidified the experience that helped parents set permissions most effectively and intuitively. Given the size and breadth of our stakeholder group, documentation was key. I created reports to capture the insights from each test, translated those insights into action items to guide visual design and copy updates, and packaged key learnings and recommendations into slide decks for our weekly client shares.
XFN DOCUMENTATION
Through this project, I’ve owned documentation for our Design and Development teams. We knew that Figma files helped Design reuse artifacts seamlessly, whereas a more in-depth, written format supported our devs best. Across both, I outlined the flow triggered by each use case, the different components used, their states, and how they interacted with each other, as well as any additional considerations to keep in mind through Design and Development. I also worked closely with my senior teammate to shape our work into a client-ready narrative on a weekly basis, and owned the presentation of each iteration both internally and to the client. As I worked through different document types, I was able to templetize them for later reuse – from research guides to client share decks.
XFN DOCUMENTATION
Through this project, I’ve owned documentation for our Design and Development teams. We knew that Figma files helped Design reuse artifacts seamlessly, whereas a more in-depth, written format supported our devs best. Across both, I outlined the flow triggered by each use case, the different components used, their states, and how they interacted with each other, as well as any additional considerations to keep in mind through Design and Development. I also worked closely with my senior teammate to shape our work into a client-ready narrative on a weekly basis, and owned the presentation of each iteration both internally and to the client. As I worked through different document types, I was able to templetize them for later reuse – from research guides to client share decks.
