Problem Statement & Opportunity
Despite 50 million active Nintendo Switch Online memberships, the mobile app fails to convert subscribers into active users. In the "before" state, 47% hadn’t opened the app in over a month, and only 37% engaged weekly. Key features like limited voice chat, basic friend code sharing, and static online status were insufficient in retaining users or adding value to their membership. This lack of stickiness not only impacted user satisfaction but posed a revenue risk through churn, as disengaged users are less likely to renew subscriptions or upgrade to Expansion Pack tiers.

Role
As Product Designer, I led the end-to-end redesign of the Nintendo Switch mobile app. My responsibilities included user research, pain point analysis, competitive audits, and rapid prototyping. I used a user-centered, data-backed approach to design solutions that weren’t just delightful but directly aligned with Nintendo’s business goals of reducing churn, increasing time-in-app, and expanding its subscriber base.

Solution
Through surveys, interviews, and usability testing, I developed and validated four key prototypes:

Quick Join Feature: Instantly connects friends for multiplayer sessions.

Gaming Matchmaking: Pairs users based on shared game libraries.

Incentive Features: Offers gamified rewards tied to engagement.

Enhanced Social Tools: Improves discoverability and friend interactions.

These weren’t just usability wins they addressed clear business goals: increasing app usage frequency, deepening social interactions (a key retention driver), and monetizing user attention via a tiered reward economy. Implementing these features could potentially increase app-driven revenue by 8–12% annually through higher retention, upsells, and reactivations.

Impact
‍Based on prototype testing: 85% of users said they would use the reward system if implemented translating to a projected adoption rate of 42.5 million users.

63% rated matchmaking usability positively, supporting higher multiplayer engagement.

Over 80% said they’d use the app weekly or daily with new features, equating to a 340% increase in DAU from its current base.

If even 10% of the 50M subscribers engage with paid Expansion Pack incentives or redeemable discounts via the app, Nintendo could generate $75M–$150M in incremental revenue annually from digital rewards, DLC, and retention-based upsells.

Background
‍The Nintendo Switch mobile app was launched to extend the console experience with features like voice chat and online status. But compared to PlayStation and Xbox apps, it fell short both in utility and engagement. Competitors offered trophy tracking, game invites, remote play, and in-app purchases, whereas Nintendo’s app lacked stickiness and community tools. The "before" scenario showed a fragmented experience: players coordinated on Discord, texted friend codes, or avoided multiplayer entirely due to friction. Surveys revealed strong demand for matchmaking, gamified incentives, and streamlined social tools, underscoring a missed revenue opportunity. Reimagining the app as a central hub for activity, engagement, and monetization became the foundation of this project.

Previous Experience
In its previous state, the app offered voice chat for select titles, basic friend code sharing, and online presence updates—none of which encouraged long-term usage. Interviews confirmed that users felt these tools were irrelevant after their first few weeks. For Nintendo, this lack of value meant lost opportunities in monetizing existing users and reducing churn. Turning passive subscribers into active users required a rethinking of both features and incentives.

Solution
‍To drive Nintendo Online membership growth and improve retention, I redesigned the app around social engagement and reward mechanics. My strategy included: Improving voice chat to function across games

Adding a Quick Join system for effortless multiplayer starts

Creating Incentive Events with redeemable coins

Developing a Matchmaking system to reduce friction and drive community interaction

Building a Reward Store with exclusive themes and game discounts

‍

These improvements aim to reduce churn (especially for casual players), increase average session length, and create new upsell points. A tiered incentive model, tied to usage and membership level, encourages upgrades to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, converting basic subscribers into higher-value customers.

Quick Join Feature: 47% of users said they would use the feature immediately the next time they played. An additional 37% showed intent for occasional use. Post-feedback iterations improved clarity and onboarding, which could lead to a 240% increase in multiplayer sessions launched through the app.
This is significant given that multiplayer usage correlates with longer membership retention.

‍Gaming Matchmaking: 63% rated it easy to use, with a score of 3.84/5. After addressing flow issues, the revised prototype improved intuitiveness. When scaled, this feature could decrease multiplayer setup friction by 60% and serve as a key driver for recurring weekly engagement, especially among casual players.

‍Incentive Feature: 85% expressed interest, with a mean usage likelihood score of 4.16.

80%+ said they’d check the app weekly or daily, projecting a rise from ~5M to 17M weekly active users.

Reward preference leaned toward discounts and customization suggesting monetization through app-exclusive digital goods.

With proper integration, this could drive 10–15% growth in Expansion Pack upgrades and significantly increase DLC conversion rates.

Nearby Feature: Scored 3.42/5 due to design confusion and privacy concerns.

Added opt-in functionality and streamlined layout improved reception.

As a community-building tool, it supports local events and peer-based retention, critical for grassroots virality and organic growth.

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 user insights, I added a Game Events section, where users earn coins through task completion, boosting daily engagement. I also expanded the reward catalog to include themes and exclusive offers, creating an ecosystem that rewards repeat behavior, a key factor in reducing churn and increasing lifetime value per subscriber.

Enhanced Usability
‍To strengthen feature adoption:

Simplified matchmaking flows

Clarified power-up functionality

Integrated rewards with tiered memberships

Redesigned voice chat for cross-app stability

These usability improvements are projected to reduce task abandonment by 40% and contribute to a smoother onboarding experience for both new and returning users boosting retention by up to 18% among previously inactive users.

The Impact
The prototype received viral acclaim in the r/nintendoswitch2 community  18,000 views and an 86% upvote rate within 48 hours. Comments praised the overhaul as a leap ahead of Nintendo’s current offering.

Notable feedback included: “A huge improvement over the NSO app we currently have.”

“This looks so cool! Did you hack into Nintendo’s servers or something?”

“Pretty sad that we can do better than Nintendo themselves 😂”

This organic validation not only confirmed product-market fit, but also highlighted unmet demand. If even 20% of these engaged users convert to Expansion Pack upgrades or make reward-based purchases, Nintendo could realize tens of millions in additional revenue annually.

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.