This project was completed in early 2015. The goal was to increase user engagement with the website.

Challenges

• Only one month for preparation.   It was necessary to advance through all the development steps from generating ideas to process design and from initial mockups to completion.  This proved to be a difficult task given that none of the member roles had any game design experience.  Plus, all the work needed to be finished in one month.
• Relationship/knowledge building.  It was clear that relationships and knowledge needed to be developed for both the game and the products as well as for user understanding of the products and the game.
• Balance.  This challenge was to determine how to maximize and balance the attractiveness of using the tool with the desire to provide an educational outcome.
• Problem resolution.  Several days before the project was to go online, last-minute checking revealed that the effect for the slide counsel in the second picture had not been achieved.   The resolution of this issue would require an investment of two more weeks.  Should I propose a “Plan B” or insist on the original design?

Solution

• We insisted on instant communications.  All team members worked very closely together.  Developers initiated research once the wireframes were completed so that they could communicate immediately any technical restrictions which could influence the design.  Additionally, I provided continuous input regarding the time requirements for each of the effects.
• Our goal was to build connections between Azure products and earning skill points in the game. The top eight most popular Azure products have their own corresponding game skill points.  These are inherent in the functionality of the products.  For this project, as an example, the CDN icon represents acceleration.  As users gain proficiency with Dragon Boat racing, the speed is increased over time.
• Barriers have also been set up in the game. They are represented  by “stones in the river.” The game is over once the boat collides with the stones. The objective of the game is, of course, straightforward. The further a user goes, the more amazing and successful he/she is.  The users are able to see themselves on the ranking list if they reach the top 10.
• Regarding the issue of the slide counsel effect, I discussed with a friend who had experience in this area.  The feedback from this friend was to agree that solving this issue alone would consume a lot of time.  However, he pointed out that a lot of sample code could be found online that could shorten the time to implement a solution.   We were, in fact, able to find and download similar code and develop a solution for our project in just two hours.

Result and reflection

• 4000+ players in 2 weeks
• The number of the visitors from 12th days. The minimal live days for future promotion event could last about 12 days.
• The social channel has the highest percentage since it attracted more casual visitors. Promotion on the mobile platform is more popular compared with PC.