HUMAN CENTERED DESIGNBetter Twitch broadcasting through rapid prototyping

LIVESTREAMING IS BECOMING MAINSTREAM.

• Players are now both the producers and the consumers of video content, creating new challenges and opportunities for publishers and brands.

• The eSports industry is turning gaming into a lucrative spectator sport; over 200 million viewers in 2014 with over 3.7 billion hours watched.

• The rise of Youtube Gaming, Periscope, and the $970m acquisition of Twitch show both the potential and popularity of streaming in the gaming community.

TWITCH HAS CHANGED THE GAME.100 million active users currently

11 million broadcasts per month

Twitch accounts for more than 43% of all live video-streaming traffic by volume.

Over 400 unique games broadcasted regularly

BECAUSE TWITCH IS ENABLING EVERYONE TO STREAM.

AND PEOPLE ARE TUNING IN.•Twitch reaches over 32 million users monthly.

•Over 16 billion minutes of content is consumed per month on Twitch’s website.

•58% of Twitch users spend more than 20 hours a week watching videos on its site.

BRANDS AND PUBLISHERS ARE STARTING TO SEE THE VALUE.

SOME BRANDS HAVE ALREADY LEVERAGED LIVE STREAMING.

• Red Bull Twitch ’n Ride - the Redbull Twitch channel has 65,000+ followers • Old Spice Nature Man - this Twitch campaign alone earned Old Spice over 32,000 followers • Coca-Cola - partnering with League of Legends • Snickers - partnering with Twitch for their “You’re not You” campaign

SO HOW DO WE DRIVE BUSINESS GROWTH?And increase customer lifetime value through broadcasting…

WE DID OUR HOMEWORK.

AND FOUND PAIN POINTS IN STREAMING.

• Streamers need to focus wholly on engaging their audience in order to become/remain relevant. • Entry-level streamers and brands are not familiar with how overlays and advertisements work

on their channel(s) – many are discouraged from participating due to the learning curve. • Xbox One controllers are being repurposed to control professional streams due to a lack of options.

WE ASKED A PRO GAMER.

Twitch user bifuteki, (17.5k+ followers)

“I’ve always said that if someone would make a product which is basically a capture-all, do-all thing that can make life easier for people, it would be so much easier for me or someone who doesn’t want to go out there and spend so much money buying a mixer and a capture card and all this stuff, it’ll be great.”

INSIGHT APPROACHING!Streaming hardware and software requirements require multiple third party components and a strong knowledge of the platforms – creating a barrier for entry level players and brands to livestream, both physically and mentally. Making streaming easier for entry level players and brands would increase engagement in the community and ultimately drive customer lifetime value.

WE IDENTIFIED THREE OPPORTUNITIES.

EDUCATION

SOFTWARE HARDWARE

AND PULLED THE TRIGGER ON ONE.Entry-level streamers and brands would benefit from a lightweight, dedicated broadcast controller that allows them to quickly toggle the stream on/off, start recording, and toggle between overlays while utilizing LEDs as feedback to the user on what the hardware is doing at any given time.

OUR APPROACH.We used our proficiencies as experience designers to design and develop around existing streamer and brand pain points through rapid prototyping.

DIGITAL SURGEONS & RAPID PROTOTYPING.Rapid prototyping is an initial or preliminary version from which other forms are developed. This provides you with insight into the functionality of your design and any changes needed in order to make your work a pleasure to use. In other words…

WE FAIL FAST, EARLY, AND INEXPENSIVELY IN ORDER TO ARRIVE AT HUMAN CENTERED SOLUTIONS.

“GREAT DESIGN ALLOWS PEOPLE TO ACCOMPLISH THE SAME GOALS IN THE LEAST AMOUNT OF MOVES.”

DAN SAFFER Author of Microinteractions: Designing with Details

DESIGNING AND PROTOTYPING OUR BROADCAST CONTROLLER.

WE EXPLORED FEATURES THROUGH SKETCHING.

• Dremel tool • Soldering iron/solder • 18 gauge wire • Wire cutters/strippers • .22” acrylic sheet • Utility knife • Blow torch • Momentary switches • LED lights • Micro-controller • Eye protection

WE GATHERED THE RIGHT TOOLS.

WE REPROGRAMMED MICRO-CONTROLLERS.Reprogramming our makeymakey micro-controller to control a PC.

WE SPARKED OUR BLOW TORCH.A .22” thick sheet of acrylic was heated linearly in order to soften it enough to bend a desired form.

WE GAVE IT A FORMThe acrylic sheet was bent in order to give the controller a ‘leg’ to stand on. Elevation was also important in order to contain the “brains.”

WE MADE A MESSHoles were carefully plotted and drilled out to make room for momentary switches and LEDs.

WE GAVE IT INPUTS.Momentary switches were mounted in order to control streaming software with the ‘push of a button.’

WE SOLDERED.The momentary switches were properly configured and soldered to the micro-controller.

WE MADE IT OURS.Branding elements were added to the prototype.

AND WE DELIVERED VERSION 1.0A fully-functional working prototype featuring two primary momentary switches (buttons) and four auxiliary switches. The prototype successfully controls Twitch broadcasts through the OBS software.

V1.0 BY THE NUMBERS

4 20 38 11Days Happy StreamersConcept Sketches Conversation

Topics

WHAT V2.0 COULD LOOK LIKE:

Research Topics: • A deep dive into the

content creation process • Console gamers

Features: • Integrated audio capture card • Integrated video capture card • Integrated wifi receiver • iOS companion application • 3D rendered/printed form • Custom momentary switches • Polished design/form

USER TESTING

bifutekifragabragthesteamco

WHAT ELSE ARE WE PROTOTYPING?• Innovative ways for food brands to deliver trial and experiential tasting • Crowd funded non-profit for NASA • Immersive product demonstration through virtual reality • ‘Snappable’ Xbox One companion application for use with connected wearables • Table-top Augmented Reality spectator mode for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

What can Digital Surgeons prototype for your next big innovation?

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