BUSINESS OBJECTIVE
Connect Fighting Game Players
Our goal was to connect players to one another. Players are divided by console manufacturers,
game choice, scheduling conflicts, and location. Mobile devices are with players, regardless of their
situation. We wanted to help connect Fighting Game players via their Mobile device.
Show Your Rank, Face-Off Against Anyone
Fighting gamers are all about competition -- it is part of the culture. Players would be able to display
their win / loss ratio, challenge other players to a scheduled Face-Off, and ultimately prove who is
the best -- in your neighborhood, or nationally.
Crowdsource on IndieGogo
A goal of the business was to have the Application funded by the community as a way to market and involve the Fighting Game Community. The community is known for its strong grassroots support for
Tournaments and Local sessions, the App would truly be a partnership between Stitch Digital and
the FGC.
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UNDERSTANDING USER NEEDS
User Interviews
We scheduled and interviewed 10 fighting game players. 8 of the players were professional,
sponsored, or tournament organizers, and the remaining were casual fighting game players.
The biggest pain point for users seemed to be cross-platform matchmaking. Players want to
compete with their friends regardless of platform.
Stakeholder Interviews
Stakeholder interviews were very eye-opening. We learned about the dynamic between Casual
players, Professional players, and Tournament Organizers on a Local and National scale. Their input
helped to inform which features were viable and which ones would be best served as a V2.
PREPARING THE PITCH
Just Enough Architecture
We wanted to make sure we understood some of the complexities involved in the app, before
making any promises to Fighting Game Community. I prepared a quick skeleton for the major
aspects and flows of the application.
Just Enough UI
In the same spirit as understanding the application architecture, the user interface designer put
together a few quick screens that would could tease for the campaign. The goal was to show users
work in progress for IndieGoGo, while recruiting and testing with real users on prototypes and
concepts -- before releasing V1.0 of Fightro.
Prototype for Early Feedback
I put together an early prototype to test with users.
Many details were intentionally left undecided at the time.
GOING LIVE ON INDIEGOGO
Preparing for Prime Time
Once we had a solid idea of our feature set and the problem we are solving, we began to prepare
the materials necessary for the IndieGoGo campaign. Our campaign video can still be seen below.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fightro#/
OBSERVING THE RESULTS
Support from Fans
We raised about $300.00 towards supporting Fightro from 6 supporters in the first day.
This was a success for our team, as this was our first time with any crowdfunding initiatives.
Our campaign ended early due to game-play licensing issues.
Understanding Social Media Marketing
Another first for me, running and maintaining a Social media campaign with multiple posts per week
on Facebook and Twitter, and funneling engagements towards IndieGoGo.
Understanding Entrepreneurship
As a newly-formed team, we learned how to work with each other from Idea Concept to V1.0, how to
identify and marketing to a niche customer base, as well as the importance of making connections
with key players in the space.
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MY ROLE
Marketing
Concepting
Branding
Graphic Design
Social Media Manager
Indiegogo Webpage Manager
User Experience Design
User Research
Information Architecture
Process Flow
Wireframing
Prototyping