Product and game designers often neglect the physical spaces where users interact with their products. The same app feels different in a living room, at a desk, and on the subway. The venue dramatically shapes the user experience, dictating whether it should be intense, social, relaxing, or brief.
Book: The Art of Game Design
Game designers spend hours debating whether to focus on PC, console, or mobile, but they often overlook a fundamental question: where will people actually play this game?
Venue is the physical environment where gaming happens. The same game feels completely different in your living room versus your office desk versus the subway.
For example, private venues enable deep immersion. There are three major private venues:
- The hearth (living room with TV) works for social games like Wii Sports.
- The workbench (desk, workspace) supports intense, lengthy experiences that demand focused attention and connection with virtual communities rather than family.
- Reading corners (comfy chairs away from distractions) prefer relaxing experiences like simple iPad games.
In public venues, games struggle to gain traction due to distractions, but hybrid places, like gaming tables or playgrounds, create unique interactive dynamics.
Then there is the new "anywhere" venue, which is wherever you are with your smartphone. Life in this venue is defined by constant interruptions. A successful mobile game is playable in tiny bites. Its interface has to be simple enough to use while standing on a crowded train.
Each venue has distinct properties driving design decisions. Therefore, a game designed for subway commutes needs completely different mechanics than one meant for family living rooms.
This venue concept is from the book about game design, but it applies to all product design in general.
For instance, consider designing a product for information absorption. In environments where people are driving or walking, podcast products with lower information density are more desirable. Short posts and videos are ideal for bathroom breaks, while places where individuals eat alone are perfect for mid-length YouTube videos.
Therefore, we can ask these three questions next time when designing a new product experience:
- What venue best suits my intended experience?
- What special properties does my venue have?
- How can my product elements harmonize with the chosen space?