Ross Meredith

Increase entertainment and engagement amongst beginner, casual and experienced players interacting with the Call of Duty Companion app by integrating video tutorials into the app. Prior to this design sprint we had been working in teams of two. We interviewed our stakeholder, consulted domain experts, conducted primary and secondary research, and performed exhaustive analysis of the competition before presenting our findings to Activision. The Activision team felt that our two teams could benefit from synthesizing our previous data and moving forward together since there was a common theme that linked the research of our two groups. Our teams both were leaning toward video as a means to reach players.

Before testing, we had assumed that users would want in-app video content to be, if not created by, at least filtered and vetted by Activision. We thought that players would only trust videos created by big names in the world of Call of Duty, like Dr. Disrespect and members of local Call of Duty League Teams. However, we discovered that the majority of testers wanted to use this feature as a way to find unknown video creators. We realize that this may lead to legal concerns on Activision’s part, but the only kind of “vetting” users wish to see from the app is to simply ensure all search results are Call of Duty related. Otherwise, they want the same breadth and variety that YouTube offers.

Videos Made for Me: How can one feature cater to beginners, casuals, and hardcore players? "Because I'm an experienced Call of Duty player, I don't think 'Video Tutorials' are made for players at my level. I do watch gameplay videos online, but it's hard to stay ahead of the curve on patch notes through videos alone. I wish I could search for extremely niche videos to fine-tune my gameplay.”

As for other feedback, users wanted a way to filter their search. They wanted closed captioning on videos, and the ability to search videos through closed captioning, in case they remembered a line from a video but not the video’s title. They want a “Video of the Day” featured on the homepage. They want to replay a video after watching, cancel autoplay, and adjust stream settings. They wish to rate content, even with a simple mechanism like an upvote or downvote and read reviews. Unfortunately, openly written comments are a quick path to outright toxicity, so we decided to override that particular request. About half of our testers struggled to find “Subscribed Channels” when requested and didn’t feel that it belonged in the same place as “Saved”. We listened to our users and implemented several changes based on their feedback, which Ami will show now.

Our prototype's big idea is that it will simplify the amount of time needed to meet with a counselor. Students with disabilities can receive their accommodations more efficiently at the beginning of each semester, improving communications between DSPS and the professors—holding everyone accountable. We’ve designed a community board where students can connect with fellow students. Here, they can also find, ask, and reply to commonly asked questions. We have implemented a verification system into our community board where DSPS can respond with an official answer or verify another student's answer. AccommodateNow sets up a process where students can submit their queries. With the built-in upvoting system, a question can gain attention by DSPS as it is deemed relevant by popular demand. This process will improve the students’ independence and make new friends based on shared goals. At the end of each semester, the student needs to submit another form. AccommodateNow can store the students' information, such as their previously approved accommodations—saving the student time each semester when signing up.

Maya is part of DSPS, The Disabled Students Program & Services program at SMC. At the beginning of each semester, they have to go to the DSPS office to book a meeting with a counselor and in that meeting, Maya selects the accommodations they would like to use for each class that semester. The problem with this is that there are 11 counselors for the 1800+ students that are part of DSPS. Receiving an appointment could take up to two weeks. This creates an issue with many students trying to get an appointment just to receive accommodations.

Our solution for Beyond12 seeks to solve communication issues between DSPS counselors and students. In an effort to mobilize students, we are streamlining the process for receiving accommodations.

We will know that AccommodateNow is successful when students get their accommodations in one week instead of taking up to 2-3 weeks. Since using this app, DSPS is delegating their services, they have time for the students who need assistance, such as picking a class schedule or transfer schedule. Given our research, we would recommend Beyond12 creates a feature that accommodates students with disabilities. Although we know that Beyond12 invests in their students, they may be overlooking students with disabilities. To move forward with our idea, we recommend Beyond12 to collaborate with SMC’s DSPS program, to allow more time for the students that need other counseling. By implementing our service, we’re not only creating an easy-to-use, organized, and informational database for DSPS students, we’re making a home where students with disabilities can visit to connect with counselors, professors, and, most notably, other students.

This was my first time working with Snapchat & Lens Studio. After completing the tutorials, I created a lens and submitted to the challenge.

Even if you haven’t seen Urban Light, we want you to design a Lens that incorporates the artwork in a fun and unique way. Ultimately, we want to understand your individual interpretation of what this iconic piece of art says about LA or what it means to you. Our goal in this challenge is to understand how you would transport us to experience Urban Light in a fun, engaging, and interactive way given that we’ve been unable to experience this public art in person for a while.

I was excited to read the design brief for this assignment. I used to ride my bike around Urban Lights all the time when I lived in Miracle Mile. Researching Urban Lights and looking at pics made me all nostalgic and homesick. Since January of this year, I’ve lived in Chicago with plans to move back later this year. At first, I didn’t have much interest in creating lenses for Snapchat. After completing the tutorials and spending time with Lens Studio and Snap Camera, I take that all back! I have a lot to learn, and I will continue to experiment. I realize that my lens may not take full advantage of all that Lens Studio offers, but this assignment opened my eyes to a whole new medium that I enjoy. Not only that, but with Snap Camera, I can change my zoom backgrounds finally!

I created a Snapchat lens that pixelates the moving background of Urban Lights. When the viewer takes a selfie, their image is pixelated, too. If you are interested in trying my lens, open your Snapchat filters and search for my name. You can try out UrbanLightsPixelated or any of my other filters. Thanks!