Background
The Nintendo Switch mobile app was designed to complement the console experience by offering voice chat and online features. However, it has struggled to meet user expectations, particularly when compared to competitor apps like PlayStation and Xbox.
Despite a user base of over 50 million Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, the app faces significant challenges in fostering engagement and retention. Key issues include fragmented social experiences, where players often rely on external platforms like Discord for matchmaking and communication, a lack of meaningful incentives to encourage consistent app usage, and a cumbersome interface that makes multiplayer game setup and matchmaking frustrating.
These shortcomings have hindered the app’s growth and diminished its potential as a hub for social gaming within the Nintendo ecosystem. Surveys and user research emphasize the demand for features such as seamless matchmaking, integrated voice chat, and a robust reward system that recognizes user activity and loyalty. Addressing these issues is critical to reposition the app as a competitive and engaging platform for Nintendo gamers.
Previous Experience
The Nintendo Switch Mobile App in its current iteration is very lackluster in offering an experience that users desire to have. Only having features such as the voice chat for certain games, sending friend codes to others, and seeing who is online doesn’t help retain users for a long period of time. The current iteration of the Nintendo Switch Mobile App falls short of delivering the engaging experience users expect. Limited features like voice chat for select games, sharing friend codes, and checking friends' online status do little to encourage long-term user retention.
Solution
The goal of this case study is to drive growth in Nintendo Online memberships by introducing more interactive and rewarding features to the Nintendo Switch mobile app. The vision is to increase user engagement by improving existing functionalities, such as making voice chat more flexible and streamlining interactions with friends through a quick join feature for games. Additionally, users would have the ability to grant special power-ups to others, enhancing gameplay experiences. The plan also includes the development of new features, such as a matchmaking system, incentive-driven gaming events, and a rewards section where users can redeem their coins for various gifts. By implementing these enhancements, the app can foster greater user satisfaction, boost engagement and retention, and reduce churn, contributing to the overall virality of the platform.
To enhance virality and retention for overall growth, I conducted a survey targeting Nintendo users through Reddit and specific games that utilize voice chat in the current app iteration. By closely analyzing their feedback and pain points, I identified key insights and mapped them onto an opportunity solution tree. From there, I prioritized ideas based on their potential to boost app engagement and growth, working systematically from the tree's root toward actionable solutions. Ultimately, I selected four top ideas to develop into quick prototypes, which I tested with Nintendo users, gathering follow-up feedback to refine the concepts further.
The first prototype introduces a quick join feature, enabling users to seamlessly join a lobby session with others before even launching a game. This reduces the time and effort compared to traditional game invites, making it ideal for players with limited free time, such as those balancing a 9-to-5 schedule, to quickly dive into a gaming session without extra online setup.
The second prototype focuses on a gaming matchmaking feature that connects players based on the games in their library. By matching users with other active players in the same game, this feature fosters easier friend discovery and encourages deeper engagement, boosting retention and reducing churn for both the mobile app and individual games.
The third prototype introduces an incentive feature that allows users to send in-game power-ups to themselves or other players, enhancing rewards. This aims to spark greater interactivity within the Nintendo community, especially when new or classic games are introduced, driving both app virality and retention while attracting new users to participate.
The final prototype emphasizes a streamlined interface for connecting with other players locally or online, making social features more intuitive and accessible. This redesign simplifies interactions, encouraging more frequent use of the app’s social functionalities.
For the Outcome:
Quick Join Feature:
After testing the prototype, I asked, “After trying the quick join feature prototype, when would you expect to use it again if it were available on your Nintendo Switch?” Nearly half (47%) of respondents indicated they would use the feature the next time they play a multiplayer game, highlighting strong immediate interest among frequent players. Additionally, 37% expressed varying levels of potential usage, and only 11% showed disinterest, indicating minimal resistance to the concept.
To address the concerns of that 11%, I conducted further outreach and discovered their primary issue was with the flow transitions in the prototype, which they found confusing. In response, I refined and expanded the prototype to improve navigation clarity and reduce user friction. These changes are expected to drive higher engagement and faster adoption of this feature, potentially increasing the frequency of multiplayer interactions, a key driver for retaining Nintendo Switch Online memberships.
Gaming Matchmaking Feature:
To evaluate ease of use, I asked, “How would you rate the ease of selecting a game and initiating interaction with Player 2 using the Nintendo Switch mobile app?” This question received positive feedback, with 63% of users rating the process as easy or very easy, resulting in a mean score of 3.84. While most respondents found the experience intuitive, 11% rated it very difficult, citing issues with flow transitions.Addressing these concerns, I enhanced the prototype by improving the clarity of transitions and adding visual cues to guide users more intuitively. These enhancements aim to improve the app’s usability and position it as a seamless tool for multiplayer engagement, which aligns with Nintendo’s goal to strengthen its ecosystem of social gaming experiences.
Incentive Feature:
To understand user preferences and behaviors, I asked:“When was the last time you used the Nintendo Switch mobile app?” Nearly half (47%) last used the app over a month ago, reflecting infrequent engagement. 37% used it monthly or weekly. This finding highlights the opportunity to enhance the app with features that drive consistent use.“What kind of exclusive content would you prefer as a reward for app usage?” Discounts on new games (47%) and exclusive customization options (37%) were the top preferences, suggesting users are motivated by tangible and personalized incentives. In contrast, in-game items and skins were less appealing, indicating they should remain secondary rewards.“How likely would you be to use this reward feature if it were available?” With a mean score of 4.16, 85% of respondents indicated they were likely to use the reward feature. Minimal resistance (16% rated 1 or 2) demonstrates broad appeal, with room for minor refinements.“How often do you think you'd check the app if this feature was implemented?” Over 80% of respondents expected to check the app weekly or daily, showing significant potential for boosting engagement.Using these insights, I designed a tiered rewards system tied to app engagement. The system incentivizes frequent app visits, which not only increases the app's active user base but also drives incremental revenue through upselling opportunities (e.g., Gold Points and discounts on older games or DLC).
Nearby Feature:
To evaluate usability, I asked, “How easy is it to understand this functionality?” Responses ranged from "Very Difficult" (5%) to "Very Easy" (11%), with an average score of 3.42 out of 5. Participants identified confusion points such as insufficient information, overwhelming design, and unclear distance indicators. While some users found the concept straightforward and praised its potential for facilitating local meetups, others questioned its usefulness or raised privacy concerns.To address this feedback, I implemented the following improvements:Introduced opt-in functionality to alleviate privacy concerns.Added clearer distance metrics and enhanced differentiation in the user list.Simplified the design to reduce cognitive load.These refinements position the Nearby Feature as a practical tool for connecting with other players while mitigating concerns, supporting Nintendo’s broader goal of fostering community-building through its ecosystem.
Conclusion:
These findings informed several enhancements across prototypes, improving usability, engagement, and user satisfaction in subsequent iterations. By addressing user pain points and aligning solutions with Nintendo's goals of driving user engagement, retention, and revenue growth, these features collectively enhance the value of the Nintendo Switch ecosystem.
Enhancing Engagement
Based on insights gathered from the prototype research, I decided to incorporate and expand upon the feedback by introducing several key enhancements. To encourage user engagement, I added a Game Events section where users can earn coins by completing specific in-game tasks. Additionally, the rewards system was revamped to include an expanded selection of incentives, such as game discounts and exclusive Nintendo Switch themes, making the app more rewarding for users.
Enhanced Usability
To improve usability, I simplified the flow transitions in the matchmaking feature, ensuring a smoother and more intuitive user experience. Further details were added about power-ups to provide clarity on their functionality and benefits, while the integration of coins with membership tiers was outlined in greater detail to enhance transparency. Lastly, I redesigned the voice chat feature to ensure seamless operation throughout the app, addressing previous concerns about its usability. These enhancements collectively aim to elevate the app’s overall user experience and encourage long-term engagement.
The Impact
The prototype resonated strongly with the r/nintendoswitch2 community, generating 18,000 views and an 86% upvote rate within 48 hours. The positive sentiment was further echoed in the comments section. Users praised the redesign as a 'huge improvement' over the current Nintendo Switch Online app. For instance, user MPS64, a top 5% commenter, stated, 'This is really good! I think it's a huge improvement over the nso app we currently have... Awesome work man.' Another user, that_one_3DS_fan, jokingly asked, 'This looks so cool! Did you hack into Nintendo's servers or something???' highlighting the perceived high quality and official look of the prototype. User i_can_hear_the_world summed up the general sentiment by saying, 'Wow. This is absolutely amazing!... Pretty sad that we can do better than Nintendo themselves 😂.' These comments underscore the effectiveness of the redesign in addressing user pain points and exceeding expectations. The feedback not only validates the design choices but also demonstrates the potential for the redesigned app to significantly enhance user satisfaction and engagement with the Nintendo Switch Online service.
The Nintendo Switch mobile app faces stiff competition from the PlayStation and Xbox apps, both of which excel in utility and ecosystem integration. The PlayStation app offers robust features like direct game purchases, trophy tracking, and remote play, while the Xbox app streamlines user experience with game invites, achievement tracking, and Game Pass integration. However, neither app emphasizes gamified rewards or engagement-driven features. By introducing a tiered reward system, quick join functionality, and incentive-driven gaming events, the Nintendo Switch app has a unique opportunity to differentiate itself. These features not only address user dissatisfaction but also fill a gap in the competitive landscape, positioning Nintendo as a leader in fostering engagement and loyalty through its mobile platform. Implementing the quick join feature and enhancing the voice chat functionality to be seamless has the potential to reduce Nintendo users' reliance on external platforms like Discord, Reddit group posts, and text chats to coordinate gaming sessions. In my interviews with Nintendo users, many highlighted their frequent use of these third-party tools to initiate communication and organize multiplayer activities. By integrating these functionalities directly into the Nintendo Switch mobile app, users can enjoy a more cohesive and streamlined experience within the Nintendo ecosystem. This not only strengthens user retention by eliminating friction but also reduces churn by creating a centralized hub for social and gaming interactions. Such improvements position the app as an essential tool for Nintendo gamers, fostering loyalty and long-term engagement.
At this stage, I have a few directions to consider. One option is to continue exploring the remaining ideas from the opportunity solution tree, such as creating easier ways for users to link up for gaming events, simplifying communication about specific items, and enabling more seamless sharing of gaming activity. Another approach is to engage further with the nintendoswitch2 subreddit community and Nintendo users in specific game voice chats. By inviting them to participate in a survey, I can gather deeper insights into their pain points, desires, and needs to guide the next steps in development.
Prototype Link
If you are interested in interacting with the Nintendo Switch Mobile App here is a link to the
prototype You can interact with it in a desktop and mobile format (make sure you enter the link within the figma app to bring up the phone presentation format) Here’s a link to a Reddit page where others have shared their experiences with the prototype. Feel free to check it out if you’re curious about their feedback and insights!
(Click Here) 
