HiDef Ent. Inc. | May 2023
In response to the immense popularity of Netflix's "Emily In Paris" series, we embarked on a UX-driven initiative to develop the first-ever branded mobile game. This project aimed to leverage the show's success to promote engagement, boost revenue, and offer fans an immersive experience while providing valuable data insights. I co-led the design efforts, encompassing game design, UX design, and UI design, to bring this unique Emily In Paris mobile game to Netflix.
My Role
Responsible for game design, feature design, user experience, ideation, interaction design, product pitch
Team
Michelle H, Art & Game Design
Chris C, Product
Franny, IP Expert
Chip L, Production
Given our goal to develop the 'Emily In Paris' mobile game, our UX challenge revolved around immersing players in the series' storyline and characters. We sought to achieve this while steering clear of predictability and encouraging replayability. Our focus was on highlighting the importance of relationships and the art of relationship-building, which are at the heart of the show's appeal.
To kickstart our project, I quickly familiarized myself with the 'Emily In Paris' series by watching condensed season recaps. With the show's high viewership, we leveraged online blogs, forums, and reviews for deeper insights.
I co-led the team thorough ideation, pinpointing core show themes, recurring characters, and relationships. Our goal was to gather essential information for crafting a specialized game on Netflix's mobile platform.
Characters use their wardrobe as creative expression and an extension of their personalities.
The show highlights amazing landmarks and local attraction in Paris as adventures
The importance of connection and building relationships
I played a co-leadership role in a dynamic team tasked with conceptualizing, visualizing, and presenting our vision for an Emily In Paris mobile game to Netflix stakeholders. Inspired by Emily's strong connection to her cellphone and her burgeoning social presence in season one of the series, we strategically designed the game's user interface (UI) to replicate the look, feel, and functionality of a smartphone.
You and your phone are transported into the world of Emily in Paris! Here, you'll play as Emily's newest intern where you'll develop relationships and go on adventures with familiar characters all through Paris. Engage in tasks via your Inbox, track your relationships on Social Media, and play engaging mini-games while earning rewards for customization.
Upon opening their inbox, players are greeted by a collection of emails and messages from a diverse cast of characters, including both familiar faces from different seasons and newcomers to their in-game journey.
Each message contains context, be it a situation, event, or request, presented as a mini-game linked within the communication. Players have the freedom to choose these adventures, assisting friends, colleagues, or even themselves in their quest to attain social media stardom.
Fashion is a recurring creative element in Emily In Paris, with entire episodes dedicated to it. I envisioned a game that lets players immerse themselves in the show's wardrobe, collaborating with fashion partners to faithfully replicate their designs in the game.
When players choose a new adventure from their inbox, they must select the ideal outfit for the occasion. Each task comes with specific clothing requirements that, when chosen correctly, enhance a player's performance and relationship level.
To maintain player autonomy, we categorized E-Closet clothing items by style, allowing players to retain control over their character's attire.
A recurring theme throughout the show's seasons is the enchanting city of Paris. The series meticulously showcases its sweeping vistas and popular spots, catering to both global and local audiences. To capture this essence, we crafted tasks and adventures that mirror Emily's exploration of Paris, with a focus on highlighting various locations and landmarks.
Once players are dressed and prepared for their Parisian adventure, they are transported to different parts of the city, where they encounter iconic landmarks. Upon arrival, they engage in interactive conversations with familiar Emily in Paris characters, personalizing their relationships with these virtual counterparts.
Following the narrative storyline, players delve into their task mini-game.
As players build stronger relationships with other characters, they gain the ability to seek their assistance during mini-games. Each character comes with unique mini-game boosters, emphasizing the significance of 'Who you know - matters.' The higher the relationship level with a character, the more influential their assistance becomes in the mini-games.
Every mini-game task incorporates a popular and replayable mechanic, allowing for easy customization to match the character and storyline of the game without compromising player engagement.
Depending on their mini-game performance or task accomplishment, players receive various types of rewards that directly or indirectly support their primary goal — emulating Emily's journey toward becoming an icon in Paris for fashion and French culture.
A player earns social post(s) after completing every Task. With each Social post, a player can earn new followers, level up their profile, and unlock new connections and opportunities.
By completing tasks, players unlock Home Decor Items, Clothing/Accessory Items and HUB elements to help them personalize their gameplay and immerse themselves in the world even more.
Once a player unlocks a new character, they can interact with them on their Socials, leverage their boosters during gameplay, and read exclusive backstories and content in the Contacts feature.
Via the Socials feature players can engage with other characters in a more direct manner. They can like, comment, and review posts from other characters and have direct messaging with their favorite characters.
Players can also utilize the Contacts feature to immerse themselves even more into the world of Emily in Paris. Here, they can view their relationship stats and access all unlocked character content, such as behind-the-scenes material, show clips, character backstories, shared photos, in addition to mini-game boosts and buffs.
Following our gameplay pitch to Netflix executives, it was evident that although our gameplay and overall concept garnered interest, our boutique game studio required a development partner with substantial industry expertise in the specific game genre. Consequently, the project was put on hold.
I really enjoyed the research and Ideation phases of this project. I didn’t particularly find the show in and of itself compelling me, as I found it hard to relate being that culturally it is very far removed from my own experiences. However, I really forced me to get out of my shell and consider several experiences. In the end, I did find several moments of the show engaging and entertaining. Those are the parts that really inspired me when leading and collaborating on various parts of the design.
While I led various aspects of this game, I also had the opportunity to refine my understanding of game design from a Game Designer's viewpoint. Delving deeply into player motivations and considering how they influence feature design well before shaping the player experience provided me with a comprehensive insight into designing games for specific audiences.
Pitching to an international streaming platform like Netflix provided distinct insights. I spent days meticulously preparing for the pitch, collaborating with our leadership team to devise a tailored strategy. Ironically, the meeting was unexpectedly shortened, and I had to condense the entire game pitch into just 10 minutes. I chose to frame the presentation as a seamless transition from opening the app to embarking on the adventure, which resonated well with Netflix. My enthusiasm and passion were palpable, earning commendation from our leadership team for my effectiveness in conveying the idea.
