Nintendo

Switch Kiosk

Position

Team Member

Overview

Nintendo came to my client asking the question; “If you were to launch a new platform today, how would you do it?”

Our team answered this question in a two phased approach with Nintendo slowly releasing confidential information about the new platform along the way. This case study is based on the second phase of the project, with some overlap of the first phase.

Design Process

Research

Research consisted of analyzing or defining:

the present-day landscape of online and brick and mortar retail
retail trends
technology

existing gaming kiosks and gaming systems
gamer personas
emotional brand connection

Inspiration

Word mapping was developed to create an emotional connection between Nintendo’s voice and the consumer. Inspiration evolved from the word map and was used to meld the consumer connection with technological elements into the following ideation.

Ideation

Form studies developed were based on system information Nintendo was able to release to our team at this point.

Connecting the word map journey, inspiration, and form studies a visual direction was established.

Color and Finishes

Material explorations generated were based on research, Nintendo branding, word mapping, and inspirational imagery.

Launch Phases

A three phase launch strategy established various marketing touchpoints at each phase. The three phases were: Launch, Game Play, and Future State.

Concept

The Switch kiosk’s form mimics the motion of a Joy-con engaging with the console. The modular deck accommodated hardware and messaging for each launch phase. To enforce branding the body of the kiosk was painted Nintendo red and is adorned with a large Nintendo racetrack logo. For cost savings the base can be converted for inline or freestanding positioning. Additional configurations of the kiosk were developed to adhere to individual retailer guidelines.

Switch kiosks were installed into GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Toys"R"us stores.