What are Patch Notes?
Patch.gg is a mobile app designed for League of Legends players
to access the character update database on their fingertips!
to access the character update database on their fingertips!
Every patch will contain one or more of the following materials:
- New game content: new or remade champions, items, and skins.
- Balance changes: changes made to even out the power balance between champions.
- Bug fixes: changes made to correct unintended behaviour in the game.
- Client/Backend/development changes: technology or configuration changes that go on behind the scenes.
- Patch Notes: Riot Games Inc.'s official documentation of the changes made.
Why Patch.gg
In addressing user needs for accessing timely and relevant information on balance changes to their favorite champions in League of Legends, Patch.gg aims to streamline the user experience.
By eliminating the need to...
- Navigate to the league’s patch page to access patch notes.
- The steps needed to view previous or archived notes or relevant information.
Designing and Implementing features such as...
- Search queries and filtering options
- Showing relevant information regarding new updates
- Promotion for newer skinlines and themes etc.
The Interviews + Research
During the user research phase, I conducted interviews with several players who engage with the game at least three times a week. I aimed to understand their approach to accessing patch notes online and their preferred sources for this information.
Participants described their methods, highlighting preferred sources based on reliability,
comprehensiveness, and ease of access.
Difficulty navigating websites or locating specific details within patch notes.
The importance of champion changes, item updates, and game balance adjustments due to their direct impact on gameplay strategies.
Expressed desires for improvements to enhance their experience, including streamlined access to relevant information and clearer organization of patch notes.
New players emphasized the need for comprehensive guidance on champion mastery, including detailed information on champion abilities, item builds, and strategic gameplay tips, to facilitate their entry into the game effectively.
Takeaway #1
Users only focus on things that affect the way they play the game, especially on items or pathing changes.
“I look at things that affect me the most or things that affect the way I play the game.
For instance, what and how those changes would affect my solo queue games.”
– Totally not Challenger Rengar player
05
Prototyping
Draft & Feedback #1
After designing the first draft, I asked regular players to test my app with the figma prototype.
- Walk me through how you navigated throughout the app.
- What was a feature/detail you liked?
- What was a feature you wish was different?
- What was annoying to you when you used this app?
- If you were a new player, would you find this app useful and why?
Product Testing
Through feedback and interviewing, 90% of the interviewees concluded
that reducing the amount of filtering would optimize the searching process.
*Optimized search by limiting the filter to role based (top, middle, jungle and bot)
Takeaway #2
“Organizing each subcategory catering to each champion’s role would be helpful.”
– Totally not Diamond Singed Player
Draft & Feedback #2
*Focused on the consistency of how the abilities were being displayed, and what type of information was important for new or experienced players.
The biggest difference between draft 1 and draft 2 is the consistency of descriptions under character abilities.
My interviewees indicated that it was not helpful when only one ability had a description, and if they were a new player, they would not know how those abilities would enhance or diminish the quality of gameplay.
Takeaway #3
“I am a new player, I got overwhelmed by the information and don’t know what to look out for first.”
– Certified Iron Master Yi Player
Summary of Changes from Feedback
We optimized gallery viewing by simplifying the filtering options,
and only hone into information that is crucial to what the player is directly looking for.
Design Challenges + Setbacks
The development process commenced with coding the index page, serving as the app's entry point, followed by key frames such as the home, champion, and filtering pages, constituting the core structure of the app. Each page underwent iterative refinement (on Figma and code) to ensure optimal user experience and functionality, prioritizing access to champion-specific information like patch notes and general details.
Despite the challenges posed by time constraints and remote collaboration, the collaborative effort resulted in the successful delivery of Patch.gg, which is designed to provide comprehensive champion insights for players around the world.