A New Problem
3 years after launch, monthly active user numbers were declining. The game design team enlisted my help to bring the fan-favorite nemesis Team Rocket to Pokémon GO. Team Rocket would invade PokeStops worldwide and bring their corrupted Shadow Pokémon to battle, which players could then catch and “purify.” My high-level challenge was to re-engage players familiar to the Pokémon brand, and push new player traffic to existing locations in search of Team Rocket. My role of product designer was supported by 3 engineers, a technical artist and a product manager. My timeline was 2 months.
With my “Head’s Up” design philosophy firmly in place, I choose 2 words that embodied my product goals: Enrich and recycle. If the new characters felt alive and important, lapsed players would potentially return for the new challenge and rewards. The feature could enrich the entire game by building on existing frameworks, like battle and Pokéstop exploration, all of which I had designed previously.
Target User Groups
I outlined 2 user groups to focus on:
The Explorer
“I want to explore new locations, I just need an excuse.”
The Nostalgic
“I grew up battling Team Rocket, this better be fun…”
Team Rocket Prototype
Here is the prototype I created for battling Team Rocket from the game map. It takes users through the experience of encountering a Team Rocket character on the game map, battling them, and catching/purifying their Shadow Pokémon. Note the placeholder screens in the battle section are clarified in the implementation video further down the page.
Reusing Code
I deigned the Team Rocket Feature to use 99% of my existing designs and thereby existing code. This allowed for a drastic reduction in development time. The entire team was able to put more time and effort into animations and polish.
Existing interface I previously designed for the Training and Battle feature
Interface reused for Team Rocket feature
Adding Fiction
Spearheaded by myself and an engineering coworker, my designs included new dialogue that changed depending on gameplay outcomes. We felt it added story depth to the new characters and gave players a fuller experience.
2 Entry Points
The initial game design included entry points from Pokéstops, however I felt we needed more access and visibility for the feature. In fact, according to a recent survey, lack of rural gameplay was the #1 complaint from players since launch. I needed a way for rural players to enjoy Team Rocket without compromising the game rules. Earlier in the year a team member had made a balloon prototype to demo future advertising ideas. I asked them to repurpose the prototype and polish it for my design. Players would now be able to access the feature from Pokéstops on the map or from a hot-air balloon which appeared once per game session.
Team Rocket Implementation
Feedback & Reflection
Overall I’d say the feature was a success: players returned to face Team Rocket and visited more real world locations because of it. A recent survey of Pokémon GO players found these results:
65% said playing Pokémon GO encouraged them to exercise more
62% said one of the main reasons they play is because it encourages them to get outside
57% said it helped them improve their physical fitness
If I could revisit the design I would add more contextual narrative, perhaps depending on the season or time of day, to further cater the content to the player’s environment.