Destiny Ghost Alexa Skill

destiny
ghost
alexa skill

Destiny is a popular first-person action shooter game that takes place in the vast expanse of the solar system. In this game, players are tasked with protecting the remaining fragments of humanity while traversing various planets and moons. One of the unique features of the game is a virtual assistant named 'Ghost' who provides players with information about their surroundings, objectives, and companions. We had an innovative idea to bring this assistant to life by integrating it into the connected home, creating a more immersive gaming experience. The Ghost Skill allows gamers to seamlessly control their game using voice commands on Alexa, making it the most innovative and immersive gaming experience to date. This integration showcases the power of integrating intelligent voice controls into video games in a useful and thoughtful way.

My Role

Senior UX Designer

Customer Insights & Ideation

Experience Strategy & Vision

Oversight & Coordination

Type

Agency AKQA

Duration

3 months

Challenge

Create the Ghost and Alexa skill with user commands, sound file constraints, and voice user interface within a three-month timeframe before Black Friday.

The development of the Ghost and Alexa skill faced challenges like ensuring seamless logistics and continuous user-testing due to the diversity of command phrasing. Limitations on the number of simultaneous sound files required careful scripting for recording. Utterances were simplified for backend clarity, and designing UX without a tangible interface posed a unique hurdle. This occurred in a fast-paced environment with a three-month deadline for the Black Friday pre-sale.

MY role

CUSTOMER INSIGHTS & IDEATION

We learned that certain third-party applications existed which provided comparable functionalities. However, they were excessively intricate, and some even necessitated users to manipulate a laptop alongside the application. Therefore, we opted to integrate a voice user interface that would streamline the process of switching load-outs, previewing upcoming content, communicating with clan members, and more.

EXPERIENCE STRATEGY & VISION

Our ultimate goal was to create a product that caters to all kinds of players, regardless of their skill level. We wanted to make Ghost accessible to both newbies who are just starting and to the masters who are already familiar with the game. With the help of the in-game AI, we have made it possible to bring Ghost to life in your home. Whether you are playing alone or with friends, Ghost will always be there to provide you with the best gaming experience.

OVERSIGHT & COORDINATION

Throughout the development process of the Alexa Skill and Ghost Device, I had the privilege of working closely with a talented copywriter and skilled developers. Additionally, I partnered with the exceptional developers at Pullstring to ensure that the final product was of the highest quality. Together, we collaborated and brought our expertise to the table, resulting in a successful project exceeding expectations.

Personas

THE NEWBIE

Destiny is an open-world map that leaves a lot to the user. It's been known that Destiny has a huge learning curve— easy to pick up and hard to master. The newbie needs guidance because they don't necessarily know what the next task is supposed to be. However, they enjoy exploring the game and are hungry to learn more.

THE LONE WOLF

The Lone Wolf is a seasoned veteran; this isn't their first rodeo. They know the game well but tend to plateau in Destiny because they do missions alone. They explore the Destiny Universe, but sometimes it's best to do so in a group. They are ideal gamers but need that extra push to influence them to join a group.

THE MENTOR & STORYTELLER

The Mentor/Storyteller is similar to the Lone Wolf. What separates them from the others is that they try to reach out to help both the newbie and the lone wolf. They know the "ins and outs" of the game and tend to be interested in the lore of the game. They play the game often but also want more background stories of the characters and locations.

“alexa,
ask ghost to…”

Destiny 2 players can take advantage of Alexa's integration by asking lore-related questions such as "Who are the Red Legion?" or asking for recommendations on in-game activities, for example, "What should I do next?". Alexa can save up to four load-outs for your character based on specific activities, and you can easily equip them while in orbit or social space by asking Alexa. Ghost, the AI companion, can help you coordinate with your clan members to raid or play with, and you can use it to see who's online or learn about your clan level and rewards. Additionally, you can send messages to your clan mates through Ghost, which will be sent to them directly through the Destiny 2 Companion App and Bungie.net.

HOW WE got there

We had to understand limitations of the Amazon Echo's back-end in order to make sense of the front-end. We also looked at the types of players that would use this and made it applicable for all. We created decision maps/spec sheets, which helped aid development and copy to build the proper responses. Below are some of the processes it took to see the "completed" product come to life.

Voice user interface ux flows

As the creator of the voice user interface UX flows for a product, my responsibility was to ensure that there was a prompt response in the event of an error occurring on either the user or backend side. It was imperative that we provide users with comprehensive troubleshooting solutions that addressed issues ranging from difficulty understanding their speech to items being in queue/loadouts for it to work, or saving errors.

OOBE

EQUIP MY "RAID" LOADOUT

SAVE THIS AS MY "RAID" LOADOUT

WHAT IS MY "CRUICIBLE" WEAPON LOADOUT

out of box experience (oobe)

I was in charge of the development of the core out-of-the-box experience in collaboration with PMs and visual designers. This involved crafting intuitive flows, wireframes, and providing guidance for the visual design.