Nintendo Switch Redesign
Overview
This was a redesign of the Nintendo Switch's mechanics as a whole. From the home menu to its quick menu. This was to make the Switch feel more personalized and convenient for the user by adding features that enhance the experience outside of gameplay.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Mar 2021 - Jun 2021
Introduction
Before showing my redesign, I would like to express that I am well aware of the updates to the Nintendo Switch's software and how it has incorporated some of the features I've mentioned here. This was merely a design based on the features that were possible on the Switch at the time of starting the project. Any future updates that apply the features I've mentioned here were unknown to me at the time. However, I will be looking forward to seeing how similar or different they design these features in comparison to my own.
I would also like to express that this is done with no ill will towards the product in question. I enjoy the Nintendo Switch and its series of games. This was mainly done out of interest of how the system could be changed to be more convenient for the player. I only wish to show my thought process into how I decided on and designed these changes.
Problem Space
The Nintendo Switch provides a simple system functionality that does what a player sets out to do: play video games. It does its job well, but that simplicity makes it seem no more interesting than a simple plug & play console. It's an incredible console that bridges the gap between mobile and home console play, so it should be allowed to at least stand out as one.
As seen from the picture, the Switch goes for a more minimalistic view. There's no fancy backgrounds or UI elements formatted in different ways. Just a row of games and a single task bar to use the features outside of gaming. So the problem space I wanted to design for was:
"What can be done to improve the system features of the Nintendo Switch?"
Market Research
The first thing I thought look into was what their competitors at Sony and Microsoft were doing with their consoles. While it isn't fair to compare a console with more power to a handheld/home console hybrid, I looked strictly at their system features only and not features that related to gameplay. If there are any system features that are only available because they're more powerful consoles, then I'll consider them features that can be incorporated in the next iteration of the Nintendo consoles. The goal is only to find out what they can do regardless of technological limitations.
I started with Sony's main gaming console, the PlayStation 4. It also shares the timeline display of games like the Switch does, but it also has a lot more elements shown on its home screen. After going through the system, I found these features which the Switch lacks:
PlayStation
Themed backgrounds and UI
Folders to organize games
Music playing over gameplay
Chat parties with friends
The themes that PlayStation uses can also change the music and sound effects when you interact with the UI. This makes the PlayStation feel more stylized towards the user's tastes. It also feels more convenient with the addition of folders, music, and chat parties. However, it also had a few negative qualities such as:
Sorts game/folders by last played
Puts ads in between games
Takes up all space on screen
Library is located at very end
The Nintendo Switch suffers from the same sorting system as well, but they at least don't put ads in their home screen and they don't fill space with too much information. However, there's no denying that the PlayStation home screen does look visually appealing in some aspects. While it may advertise more than it should, it still provides a customized environment for their user.
Xbox
I moved on to Microsoft's Xbox One next and found that they had some similar features to the PlayStation with only slight differences in how it was approached. It could play music during gameplay and host chat parties with friends just as the PlayStation could do, but there were differences in the format of their home screens. Some of these differences include:
Tab customizations
Groups to put games in and pin them
Easy access to library
Use of custom images for backgrounds
Overall, the Xbox dashboard seems to be more customizable than the PlayStation's home was. You're able to decide what tabs can show up on the dashboard and what order they go in so navigation is easier. Groups are this system's version of folders and being able to pin them as well helps find them faster. It seems like Xbox has more freedom with its dashboard customization, but there are still downsides with it such as:
Only sorts by last used on main tab
No themes that affect UI
Ads can't be removed
Hard to see background
It seems all the consoles have the last played sorting as their default, but it seems to be less of an issue for Xbox since they have tabs that are easily accessible. The space that the ads are used for could've been used for something else or entirely removed in favor of displaying more of the background. The use of custom backgrounds was good, but it could have been nice if they also had themes that changed background music and UI to be more like their flagship games.
User Research
My next step was to gather information from users that would help me analyze what users were missing from the Switch or what features they'd like to see. I couldn't ask anyone I didn't know because of the quarantine, so I interviewed 5 of my acquaintances who I knew owned a Switch. I kept the interview questions short to not overwhelm them and let them give me more detailed answers. Some of the questions I asked were:
Outside of the games, is there anything that you like about the Nintendo Switch? What do you like about it?
Is there anything about the Nintendo Switch you feel is frustrating or needs improvement?
Have you played on any other consoles and if so, are there features you like on those consoles that aren't in the Nintendo Switch?
Do you think the Switch would be easier or more convenient to use if it implemented these features?
To my surprise, most of the interview participants liked the simple design of the Switch's UI. They felt it had good legibility in and out of handheld mode along with a very straightforward process for selecting games. One of them mentioned that they believe it makes it easier for children to use. Since realizing that simplicity made it more accessible to the younger audience, I made it one of my main design principles as I continued my designs.
However, there were still issues the participants had with the Switch that they wish had been addressed. Some of the features mentioned were ones discussed earlier from the market research which helped confirm that users did want the features that other consoles used. These features were:
Sorting
Themes
Bluetooth Support
Folders
Music
Voice Chat
Out of these features, the Switch has only implemented two of them which are themes and voice chat. The issue with their themes is that it has only implemented a dark and light mode. No themes based on their games have been made yet. The issue with their voice chat is that users have to download an app to use it and it's only available for certain games. This makes it inconvenient for people who don't have a mobile device readily available or at all.
The rest of the features have not been added to the Switch yet, but many of the participants are hoping it will be added later. I then noticed that these features could be broken into two types of functions. There are the features that affect style and format of the home dashboard and there are features that add to the experience of gameplay. The main similarity they all have, however, is that they're all convenient, so that quickly became my next design principle.
User Personas
After realizing the two types of features that users were looking for, I made two user personas that would facilitate what options users wanted out of the Nintendo Switch. The first one was "The Customizer" who enjoys keeping their systems organized and stylized to their personal preference so that they know where things are and how they want it to look. The second is "The Gamer" who enjoys playing on multiple game consoles and wants to play the Switch the same way he would for other consoles.
Concept Sketches & Wireframes
I began creating sketches for some of the features mentioned earlier to get a feeling for how I want this revamped Switch to look. I started with these features first because they were ones that I had an immediate vision for. I tried to find ways to keep the familiarity of the original Switch design while also changing it so that it lends itself more to the design choices I was going to make for the new features.
Before moving on with the creation of higher-fidelity screens, I tested the prototype with a few users to see if it made sense to them. I first allowed them to look at the wireframes by themselves to see if they could understand the process without help. Then, I explained what each process was after they had finished or if they asked. Like with the user research, I then asked them a series of questions about how they felt about the prototype.
After analyzing the replies to each question, it was clear that the use of these features was made very simple to the users. There were a few suggestions for how to make the process easier overall or give the user more options. After confirming with the users if the process was intuitive, I began designing the higher-fidelity screens.
I then made wireframes from these sketches to see how well they would translate over to a low-fidelity prototype. Using the UI components that already exist on the Switch, I tried formatting the wireframes as close to the original design as possible to make it seem more like a real Switch feature.
User Validation
Final Prototype
After weeks of designing the screens for each feature, I was able to create the new revamped design of the Nintendo Switch. It stays similar to the original design, but has been reworked to support these new features. Each one has been designed with the intent of giving the user options while keeping it intuitive.
Home Menu
.png)
The game cards are minimized and put on the bottom while the secondary items are all put in the top right corner. Profiles will now have to be switched from the profile settings, but will still have the option to switch when opening a game. Hovering over games now presents a graphic in the middle to add more visual appeal. The games will be displayed by the first 10 cards in the library unless there is a game cartridge inserted. The game in the cartridge will always be displayed first along with the other 10 games. These games are sorted by last played on default, but the player will be able to customize the order in their library.
Themes
Themes can still be found in the settings. Once selected, the Switch will restart and change the system UI to fit the theme. This will also add system interactions related to the theme they select. For example, the Mario theme plays Super Mario Odyssey music in the background, gives selection cursor a golden highlight, and gives a Mario sprite that jumps when selecting a game.
Folders & Sorting
Pressing X while hovering on a game that's not open will create a new folder that will appear based on the sorting method used in the library. If player is using custom sorting, it will appear next to the card that the player was hovering before. Players can move cards into the folder by using options or hovering over it and pressing Y to move it. This is also how you change the order of the games displayed in the home menu and the library. When the player hovers over the folder, they can place it into it and the folder will display a graphic in the middle with all the games inside of it. The first game will be shown as the biggest while the rest will trail to the right of it. You also navigate and sort the folder the same way you do the library. When moving a game, the sorting filter will automatically turn to "Custom" after the player is done moving.
Bluetooth Support
In the secondary items, there is a new button with a headphone icon. Players will go to there to pair and connect their bluetooth headphones. When a device is in pairing mode the player can open the headphone settings and wait for the Switch to detect it or press plus to search again. Once detected and connected, the Switch remembers it so that it's easy to connect next time. Headphones with USB dongles are able to connect immediately to the Switch. After connection, players can confirm that their headset is connected by looking at the headphone icon in the top-right of the screen.
Music
Playing music on the Switch is similar to how it's done on other consoles. First the user opens the music app of their choice (most likely Spotify), and then they start playing any track and return to the home menu. This will let the music play in the background while they're playing other games. If they hold the home button, they can access the quick menu where they would be able to play tracks, skip them, adjust audio, mute, etc. The other options of the quick menu are still there, but you just have to scroll down to it. It also gives a notification when the next track is being played.
Voice Chat
Instead of a mobile phone app, this is a more integrated version of the voice chat that can be done across any game. The user can find the option in their profile settings when they scroll down to chat rooms. They can either create a room or join one that they've been invited to. When creating a room, they can add a max of 5 people. Once the room has been created, they can set the audio of their microphones, chat volume, and game audio to their comfort level. The same can be done on the quick menu like how it's done with the music player.
Reflection
This was a really fun challenge to design for. It was interesting to innovate on top of something that's already been established because I didn't want to stray too far from the original design language. At the same time, changes needed to be made in order to provide a more satisfying user experience. Going through this design process helped me figure out how to do both and taught me how to approach product design.
Here's some of the things I learned while designing this prototype:
Identify the traits of the original design language and see if it applies to your design
Do deep analyses of your competitors to find out why something works for them and determine if it will work the same way for your design
Ask open-ended questions and follow-up questions to help clarify answers
Use existing UI components to design features that behave similarly
Prioritize usability when audience is broad
Because of these lessons, I feel like I'm more aware of how my design decisions affect the end product and how I can improve my work more. This creative process is why being a designer is so fun to me. You always have room to explore diverse solutions and improve yourself. I intend to keep up this mentality so that I'll always provide my best.
Other Projects
.png)