COIN DROP
Building a streamlined local arcade experience from 0→1 on mobile.
I defined and led creation and development, driving the 0→1 design of the Coin Drop mobile app. We also established the UX strategy and design system foundation for the arcade’s digital-physical integration.
PRODUCT
Coin Drop Mobile App
Product Design
Stakeholder Management
Interactive Prototyping
User Research & Testing
Front-End Development
SKILLS
ROLE
Design Lead
YEAR
Currently Under Development
OVERVIEW
The traditional arcade experience has remained largely unchanged for decades, leaving a significant gap in how modern users expect to interact with physical entertainment spaces. Being a top priority for The Coin Drop’s flagship mobile launch, the project's goal was to introduce a digital companion that streamlined the play-to-pay pipeline through integrated tokens, group management, and mobile ordering.
It isn't every day that you get to design a digital interface meant to enhance, rather than distract from, a physical sensory experience. This was a complex and fast-paced project that involved designing new interaction models for distracted users and integrating complex backend systems into a simple, frictionless mobile UI.
QUICK FACTS
74% of arcade-goers visit in groups of three or more, yet 90% of arcades lack digital tools for group coordination.
40% of peak-hour revenue is lost due to long queues at physical food and drink counters.
Interactive floor plans increase user engagement by 25% by reducing the "search time" for specific high-traffic games.
BYPASSING THE GLITCHES
Integrating a digital companion into a high-energy physical arcade environment required navigating significant hardware limitations and real-time data constraints. Our team managed multiple workstreams to bridge the gap between legacy cabinet hardware and modern mobile interface standards while maintaining system performance during peak-hour traffic.
TECHNICAL CONSTRAINTS
ATMOSPHERIC UI
Designing for low-light environments required a high-contrast visual system that remained legible amidst flashing neon lights and physical distractions, ensuring the UI didn't "wash out" on standard mobile displays.
HARDWARE INTEROPERABILITY
Engineering a frictionless QR-based token system that worked across varying cabinet generations, from 1980s vintage machines to modern 4K gaming stations, without requiring expensive hardware retrofits.
REAL-TIME SYNCHRONICITY
Managing the "Lag" in group play by ensuring party-sync logic updated instantly across multiple devices, preventing overlapping orders or duplicate token redemptions during high-traffic hours.
POS & KITCHEN INTEGRATION
Bridging the gap between the mobile eCommerce interface and the existing kitchen POS system to ensure that in-app orders were fulfilled with the same priority as physical counter transactions.
SCANNING THE CABINET
The discovery phase focused on The Friction of Play to identify the specific environmental and logistical barriers that interrupted the gaming experience for Nashville arcade-goers. Through immersive field observations and user interviews, we pinpointed three critical pain points that directly informed our product and feature strategy.
COMMON PAINPOINTS
THE BOOKING GAP
User interviews revealed that 54% of participants found the manual party booking process "highly stressful," with groups losing an average of 15 minutes of "active play time" to logistics at the front desk.
THE HUNGER WALL
Observational studies showed that 1 in 3 potential customers abandoned their intent to purchase food because the physical distance from the game floor created a "fear of loss" regarding their machine or spot in the venue.
THE NAVIGATION MAZE
Data from floor walkthroughs indicated that guests spent nearly 12% of their visit wandering the venue searching for specific titles, with 60% of users reporting frustration when a cabinet wasn't located within the first 3 minutes.
TRUST THE PROCESS
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Understanding the needs of different user types
We took several ideal users and condensed them into 3 different personas, each with different goals and familiarity with the topic.
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Understanding the common journey
We map out each of our persona’s journeys, including actions, tasks, feeling, and areas of improvement.
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Establishing Early Hypothesis + IA to Test
We sketch out the IA on a high level to ensure it would integrate seamlessly with existing mechanisms in the product.
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Testing with lo-fi Prototypes
We then built multiple Lo-Fi prototypes to validate initial concepts.
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Testing with High Fidelity Prototypes
We then created a Figma prototype to test and put in front of more users for feedback.
SOLUTION
The app functions as a sophisticated digital companion that enhances the physical arcade visit through real-time social and transactional features. The final solution integrates several core modules designed to eliminate operational friction while maintaining the high-energy social atmosphere of the Nashville venue.
WHEN THE INTEGRATION IS ACTIVE
Users can add or remove friends from a digital party in real-time.
In-app eCommerce allows for food and drink ordering without leaving the game floor.
Integrated wallet management replaces physical cards or coins for a frictionless "Tap-to-Play" experience.
