App Design
Ideation, Research, Design, Development
How can the game Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Spearhead be so complicated? But more importantly, how can it be made less complicated for people who want to play?
Helpmar is an app that provides a step-by-step guide for players, saving them time and frustration while referencing rules for 25 unique armies.
Helpmar in action.
Helpmar prototype video, with tutorial.
Helpmar was born from my own (frustrating) experience playing the game Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Spearhead; there were too many rules shoved into a single rule book to keep track of.
Development started by interviewing local players, identifying the problems encountered while playing the game and key interactions to solve those problems.
Feedback suggested players wanted a simple, straightforward design with step-by-step walk-throughs/guides.
Style guide color profile
Style guide typefaces
Helpmar logo, representing a spearhead
The style guide and logo was created with the target audience in mind, connecting the preexisting colors and iconography of the game with the content of the app.
The design is recognizably Age of Sigmar while still retaining its own unique identity. The muted colors are less distracting for a player trying to play the game, but they still remain reminiscent of the game's original brand.
Helpmar "moodboard"
Mapping and identifying user needs
Identifying core users
Digital wireframe
Helpmar is designed to follow the flow of a live game of AoS Spearhead.
As they play, players can easily swipe through each phase of their turn, check off actions they've performed, and be reminded of the active effects they've selected earlier in their turn: much easier than looking to an entire rule book.
If a player is new or needs to refer to the rules, an easily accessible help button exists in the top right of the screen. An explanation of the rules and the information displayed on the app is displayed.
You can find the working app here:
https://www.figma.com/proto/WDnU2gony6yjnTClf9efd7/Helpmar-App?node-id=32-652&starting-point-node-id=50%3A229&t=wd15NvfJ6MvXvkBc-1
Helpmar in action, again. (I won this game!)