What Super Mario Odyssey taught me about UX Design
This is first article in a two-part series. Here I will unpack how user onboarding is designed in the critically acclaimed 2017 Nintendo Switch game — Super Mario Odyssey, and how we can implement similar practices in UX design.
I grew up playing Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins on the Game Boy Advance and have been an avid fan of the game series ever since. Most recently, I played Super Mario Odyssey on the Switch and was left with a strong impression. This game embodies the iconic elements and spirit of its predecessors such as Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 while introducing concepts entirely new and original.
As a young UX product designer I found myself looking at the game through the lens of user experience design. I grew interested in learning how Super Mario games are designed to ensure the players gaming experience is as seamless, intuitive, and enjoyable as possible. Designers within the User Experience (UX) discipline do so by focusing design around the users behaviours, thinking processes, and capabilities. We position ourselves as the user-centric voice — or player-centric in the case of games. It turns out there are plenty of takeaways from games that we can towards creating engaging and desirable digital products.
Let’s begin! The primary discussion in this article revolves around user onboarding.
What is User Onboarding?
Effective User Onboarding actively guides users to find new value throughout the entire product experience.
User onboarding ensures long term ongoing engagement with the app, if implemented successfully you have a greater chance at converting your audience from users into fans.
The user launches your digital product for the first time…skip lengthy upfront tutorials that unloads an abundance of instructions and information on the user. For instance, if they are in the process of signing up for an account, don’t ask them to sign up for a weekly newsletter just yet. To avoid this risk of overwhelming the user, we utilize contextual onboarding — showing the right message at the right time to the right user — they will appreciate being eased into using the product.
The onboarding experience can also be enhanced through providing elements of repeated and active interaction with the product. This is an effective method of getting information on the products features and functions kept in long-term memory. Interestingly, the same principle is applied to games — mechanics and techniques are all learnt through experiential learning. More on that soon.
Parallels between onboarding in Digital Products and Games
In both digital products and games alike, a successful onboarding experience is contextual, interactive, and well-integrated into the users journey.
Onboarding within Digital Products
Duolingo is a great example of contextual onboarding that provides an interactive and well-integrated experience. The moment we open the app we can start using the product right away —we are first prompted to select the language we want to learn, select our motivation for learning the language, and set a learning goal all under a minute.
The time to value is zero here, in a well-intergrated onboarding experience the user will immediately feel progression and a sense of ownership of their experience.
Duolingo user onboarding is also non-generic, each onboarding experience is personalized to the user. For instance, based on the users language proficiency they can either start their learning journey from scratch or take a short placement test to jump ahead. From there, the app continues to adapt based on the users’ in-app behaviour.
Onboarding within Games
Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto designed the classic Super Mario Bros. (1985) game canvas with the intent that everyone would be able to start playing with confidence no matter how much experience they had. Super Mario Bros World 1–1 went onto become one of the most notable game levels in history and widely served as a pioneer in effective user onboarding in games.
32 years later, the same onboarding principles and blueprint are still used in the latest Mario standalone game — Super Mario Odyssey (2017).
Onboarding players in Super Mario Odyssey
In Odyssey, there is no lengthy walkthrough, the player is immediately immersed when they arrive the first world — Cap Kingdom. This compact world primarily serves as the early onboarding phase of the game where the player is efficiently taught the basic key game mechanics and goals in an immersive and interactive environment. Right away, designers have clearly highlighted the progression path players need to take.
In Cap Kingdom, players are introduced to:
- Cappy: This chirpy hat serves as Mario’s main ally throughout the game.
2. Capture System: Serves as the primary mechanic of the game. Cappy’s special technique is a type of action that surpasses the idea of traditional Mario-style power-ups. By throwing Cappy at an enemy or object, Mario is able to defeat or take over its abilities for himself.
Onboarding is an ongoing and continuous process
When users continuously find new value within the product, you know your onboarding experience was a success. An example could be gradually unraveling and promoting new features to the existing user as this offers them the encouragement and possibility of achieving more within the product.
This reiterates the importance of contextual onboarding — showing users the right features at the right time. As with Duolingo’s initial user onboarding experience, only the absolute simplest function is introduced. After the user has become familiar with the basic concepts, they are then presented with more advanced features such as Duolingo Leaderboard, Streak and Shop at a later point of their product journey. This app is exemplary in providing users with the appropriate time and space to internalize and prioritize its features, allowing them to gain the most value.
Onboarding is multi-layered and must be unpacked, paced, and most importantly, taught to the user
The same principle applies to games as well!
This is how games are made at Nintendo according to Shigeru Miyamoto:
“We get the fundamentals solid first, then do as much with that core concept as our time and ambition will allow.”
At the beginning of Odyssey in Cap Kingdom, we are only introduced to the essential mechanics such as regular jumps, capture, and ground pounds. Game designers know that you must think in layers in order to learn and progress. That’s why at this stage of the game, introducing the Cap Spin, Throw, Long Jump, Side Somersault etc. is not essential, the player would not gain any additional value. Instead, this only invites the risk of overwhelming them with too much information. Players will be appreciative if they are introduced to new mechanics in small increments at relevant and meaningful points of the gameplay. Remember, contextual onboarding is key!
The whole gameplay is essentially an onboarding experience. Not just the beginning.
Progressively learn in context in Super Mario Odyssey
In order to progress the game, players are required to find a minimum number of Power Moons to power up the Odyssey and defeat Bosses to gain access to the next kingdom. There’s a kingdom thats underwater, in the clouds, desert, woods and even a kingdom on the moon! Each ridden with unique conditions and obstacles, Mario has to adapt.
Well-integrated throughout contextually relevant points of the gameplay, the player is introduced to new techniques and mechanics. Through guided experimentation, the players learn in an immersive environment and before the players know it, they’ve mastered their new-found skill.
Let’s look at a few in detail…
(#1) Sherm in Wooded Kingdom — Steam Gardens
In this ancient garden tended by futuristic machines, several Power Moons are hidden inside rock walls. A player would be driven to learn how to conquer this giant wall. There so happens to be Sherms (the name references the American M4 Sherman tank used in WWII) populating this area. It would occur to the player that performing the capture mechanic on this foe, that happens to fire cannonballs, could definitely do the trick.
(#2) Pokio in Bowser’s Kingdom
Composed of high reaching towers, this kingdom is primarily a vertically progressive stage. Here players are introduced to a Pokio whom they can capture to possess its spear-like beak to stab into soft walls and flick themselves upwards.
Setting you up for success
As the player explores each kingdom for Power Moons, they are being equipped with the knowledge of newfound mechanics needed to conquer the kingdoms resident Boss. In Bower’s Kingdom, the player takes on the RoboBrood, a giant mechanical foe piloted collectively by Bowser’s evil wedding planners — the Broodals. Players notice the RoboBroods’ vertically high mechanical build is reflective of the courses vertical layout they just explored. It was thanks to the immersive, interactive and contextual onboarding experience, that the player won’t be fazed by the RoboBroods’ intimidating exterior and can confidently go into the boss battle knowing exactly what needs to be done.
Epilogue
The greatest takeaway is how Super Mario Odyssey does a masterful job of teaching us in a way that feels fulfilling, piques our curiosity and motivates us to succeed.
As UX product designers, we can really appreciate and learn from how Odyssey ensures that the users experience using our product is both valuable and fulling. We too, can make for a great product experience by designing a strong onboarding experience that is contextual, holistic, interactive, and most importantly enjoyable.
More to come!
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to share your thoughts and improvements to this article. I’m always looking to learn more.
Currently, part 2 is being written and additional Power Moons are being found.
