Dice Breakers
Conversation Dice to Connect
Timeline
Role
Team
Skills
3 people
UX Research, Figma
Overview
I conducted user research, physically prototyped conversation die, and organized a 5-hour testing session with 28 total participants
User Research
Conducted 1 hour-long observation and 6 interviews, forming 4 general personas
Researched 10+ existing design solutions
Ideated through 30+ solutions
Designed ergonomic die to fit in the palm of hand
3D-modeled and printed die
Organized a casual testing session with 28 participants
Gathered feedback through Google Forms and in-person interviews
Problem
There is a lack of meaningful connections at Stanford’s Coupa Cafe
I observed that Coupa Cafe functions as a “shared solitude” space, where people are together but mainly focused on their own tasks. The environment feels designed to encourage focus/familiarity, which is what makes a lot of people feel comfortable at Coupa. However, there isn't a low friction activity to bring people together.
How might we create low-pressure opportunities within Coupa Cafe that leverage its casual and central location to encourage thoughtful conversations among Stanford students?
User Research
I conducted 6 30-minute-long empathy interviews, forming 4 general personas
By interviewing a range of people from Coupa frequents to Coupa infrequents, I learned about the various perspectives people had surrounding Coupa
Persona #1 - Maya
Energetic first-year who sees Coupa as one of campus's social hubs, but feels frustrated that the space works against connection
Needs:
Ways to signal openness in conversation
Activities to engage with others
Better table layouts
Persona #2 - Sarah
Quiet first-year who people-watches at Coupa but rarely initiates a new conversation
Needs:
Clear signals of who is open to talking
Concrete conversation starters
Persona #3 - Jordan
First-year who is open to meeting people but only with a good reason
Needs:
Visible conversation hooks
Optional ways to engage in socializing
Ways to see same people multiple times
Persona #4 - Alex
Junior who only gets coffee and sees Coupa as a purely functional Cafe
Needs:
Space to stay low-pressure
No forced social instances/elements
Ideation
I brainstormed 30+ solutions and sorted them by feasibility and uniqueness
I developed 3 ideas further, weighing the pros and cons of each
Too impersonal and anonymous — only fosters connection while people are writing on the cards
Too high friction — walks are too time-consuming and hard to initiate
After considering the feasibility and viability we decided on our final product…
dice breakers
Product
The user flow should feel natural
I lowered the barrier to entry by prioritizing a frictionless start, allowing users to engage with the product and their conversation partner immediately.
We chose to use The New York Times' 36 Questions to Fall in Love
Why? -> It is well-researched and proven to be effective.
We altered many of the questions and ended up choosing 12 to prototype onto the dice. Each dice contains a different set of questions, so there is no repetition.
We 3D modeled the dice to be more rounded and ergonomic
By originating the shape of the dice from a sphere, we made the dice able to comfortably fit in the palm of one's hand.
Images of the 3D modeling process of the conversation dice
The final product is a pair of 50cm x 50cm 3D-printed die with a different conversation questions on all 6 sides
Testing
A 5-hour casual drop-in testing session was run with 28 total participants
At first, we encouraged pairs to test out the product. Then, we laid out the dice and observed from a distance as people were curious and began to play. We also incentivized participation by providing a raffle opportunity for a Coupa Cafe gift card.
Collage of images from the testing session where people are trying out Dice Breakers
Feedback
I implemented both verbal 1-on-1 casual interviews and a feedback form, gaining 28 responses
Through a short Google Form accessed by a QR code (easy and optional), we gained both quantitative and qualitative anonymous data, removing any pressure from providing feedback.
What needs to be improved?
“I think that {this question} would be too awkward to ask if it were landed on during the first roll.” — Participant #26
Next Steps?
To communicate with Stanford's Coupa Cafe staff to implement this experience permanently at the cafe
Requires the staff to low-effortly put out/return the die when opening up or cleaning up
Next Up:
