Viva Danza
Year
2023
Category
UXUI · Case Study
Viva Danza, a virtual reality (VR) Latin Dance Game, is designed to cater to users of all skill levels. Focused on popular Latin dances such as samba, cha-cha, and rumba, the game delivers a highly interactive and enjoyable experience.
Project
Solo · 8 Weeks Design Challenge (23.10.23 - 23.12.18)
Role
User Research · User Testing · Branding Strategy · UI Design
Why is there a need for this VR game?
Sedentary Lifestyle and Health Issue
Many people in their twenties have sedentary lifestyles due to excessive screen time, long periods of desk work, and limited physical activity.
Limited Social Interaction
Modern life leads to more social isolation, especially among young people, because of increased screen time and fewer face-to-face interactions after COVID-19.
Limited Access to Dance Instruction
Many young adults in their twenties struggle to access dance classes or professional guidance due to location, finances, and busy schedules.
Solution
Viva Danza
Viva Danza is a VR Latin Dance Game for all skill levels, offering popular dances like samba, cha-cha, and rumba. With its interactive experience and user-friendly interface, users can learn and practice Latin dance steps while enjoying the vibrant rhythm of Latin music. The title translates to 'Long Live Dance' in English, emphasizing its focus on dance education and entertainment.
Viva Danza
01
Adaptive Levels for All
We cater to individuals at all skill levels, ensuring an enjoyable experience. For a beginner, our game is designed to adapt to your proficiency, providing a personalized and immersive dance journey.
02
Learn and Progress
Users engage with in-game poses and gamification features like rewards, challenges, and progress tracking, motivating them to enhance their dance skills within the vibrant Latin music.
How can a VR game be utilized as a solution to alleviate these challenges?
Step 1
Understanding Users
Step 2
Competitive Analysis
Step 3
User Journey Map
Step 4
IA
Step 5
User Testing
Step 6
Branding Strategy
Step 7
Design
Understanding Users
Identify and understand our users
Understanding the users helped me grasp who required this platform, what they desired from it, and why it was essential for their needs in detail.
People in 20s need a convenient, accessible, and fun way to learn latin dance because they have limited access to traditional dance instruction, due to limitations based on location, financial restrictions, and time conflicts.
WHO
People in 20s need
WHAT
A convenient and accessible way to learn dance
WHY
Limited access to traditional dance instruction due to location, finances, and time constraints
Competitive Analysis
Understand the current market and trends
After analyzing competitors, I've identified the functions available on each platform, recognized users's needs, identified areas for improvement, and learned current trends in the industry.
Direct competitors
Do the same job in the same way
Secondary competitors
Do the same job in a different way
Indirect competitors
Do a different job with a conflicting outcome
User Journey Map
Understand users' experiences, emotions, and pain points through empathy
By empathizing with users' experiences, emotions, and pain points, I connected with their feelings and frustrations, gaining a deeper understanding of their motivations. This allowed me to comprehend their journey and experiences through storytelling.
Linda seeks a solution that offers her a comfortable, accessible, and enjoyable method to learn her favorite latin dance.
Go-getter, Linda
Consider
“I wonder if the VR latin dance game can provide a variety of latin dance styles that cater to different skill levels.”
1 Week
Explore
“They offer diverse game options available according to individual level and preferences.”
1 Month
Compare
“I am confused about what to do when I first begin playing this VR dance game because of so many options.”
2 Weeks
Test
“I take an exclusive personalized coaching class from my favorite dancer in 1:1 sessions.”
1 Month
Negotiate
“I am so happy to develop my dance skills and encompass a diverse range of latin styles.”
IA
Create Information Architecture
I created Information Architecture (IA) ensuring users can access the features they're looking for.
User Testing
Understand the potential the ideas
Through user interviews, I generated ideas for a potential VR Latin dance game and gained insights into their motivations. Additionally, I extracted valuable takeaways from the interviews to create a journey, system map, personas, opportunities, and a framework for the product's development.
User Interview
What I did
Concept testing
Introduce my value proposition & idea / problem & solution
Feature testing
Walk users through my key feature & wireframes
Feature ranking
Rank feature cards and explain why love, like, neutral, and improved
Co-create and Ideation
Gather responses, organize, and refine
5 Users
Professional latin dancer and teachers
2 Dancers
A Dancer as a hobby
Instagram user posting diverse dance videos
2 Non-Dancers
Loves dancing but has never tried learning
After User interview
What I learned
Synthesize learnings
From the user interviews, it became evident that all participants grasped the basic idea, general flow, and concept of the product. However, 20% of the participants encountered confusion regarding specific information about the product.
Iterate Idea, features, and wireframes
User feedback highlighted that the process of learning Latin dance and recording private videos felt burdensome. Additionally, despite the game providing free music, users didn't find a compelling reason to make purchases. I revised features and wireframes based on this feedback to address these concerns.
What I refined
Latin Genre
Beginners may not know much about Latin dances. Therefore, it seems they need more information and videos to watch and to explore Latin regarding the latin dance styles of each genre.
Lecturer Profile
The most crucial aspect is the option for people to watch free video of exclusive lectures before committing to a subscription. But this layout doesn't seem to emphasize it.
Branding Strategy
Create branding
strategy and visuals
I designed different stylescapes and logos to express various moods, and I settled on the name 'Viva Danza' for the logo. In English, it means 'Long Live Dance,' where 'Viva' translates to 'live' or 'long live,' and 'Danza' means 'dance' in Spanish. This name captures the essence of dance and reflects its vibrant and enthusiastic spirit. The stylescape features a deep violet background with fluorescent colors, creating a lively and festive visual. Together, these elements bring to life the captivating nature of the dance world in the ‘Viva Danza’ brand.
Vibrant, Lively, and Festive
Passionate, Intense, and Enchanting
Glamorous, Sensual, and Cool
Passionate, Joyful, and Warm
Descriptive Name
Evocative Name
Lexical Name
Design system
Mission
Viva Danza is on a mission to transcend the boundaries of a traditional virtual reality game. We aspire to be a dynamic platform that not only entertains but educates and ignites a fervor for Latin dance in our users. Embracing the mantra of 'Long Live Dance,' our mission is rooted in fostering a profound and enduring impact on users' love for dance.
Tailored 1:1 Lessons
Users indulge in personalized 1:1 dance sessions, enhancing their skills with immediate feedback and embarking on a customized learning journey.
Virtual Events, Together
Users join virtual gatherings to dance Latin with others, combating social isolation, fostering community, and reducing loneliness through shared experiences.
Reflection
Through this case study, I realized that there isn't a VR dance game that focuses on Latin dance. Despite the perception that Latin dance is difficult to learn, many people actually want to learn it easily and have fun. Additionally, I learned that it's important for VR games to have a realistic 3D environment so users can experience and learn dance as if they're really there.
Next Steps
Utilize the 360 Space View. I would like to strategically place UI elements around the user to ensure easy access and visibility without overwhelming their field of view. It distributes elements evenly to maintain a balanced interface layout.
Enhance User Interaction. In VR, I know that it is important to explore intuitive methods for users to interact with the VR interface. So, I would like to incorporate natural gestures such as hand motions for interacting with the game environment.