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UI Design
Whether it is interactive interfaces like game menus or in-game Heads up Displays, I always strive to balance the design between 3 primary pillars: Functionality, Readability, and Thematic Resonance. I like to lay out my goals for each UI element and then run it through these pillars to push it to the greatest rendition I can.
My UI Process
Functionality
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Clearly state the purpose of this UI group or individual UI Element
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List out all the information and interactions the player needs to be able to access.
When designing UI, I strive to balance the design around 3 main pillars. These pillars are what I have found to be essential in creating engaging UI and they have really helped me improve my works as a UI Designer. I start with defining the functional needs of the overall UI as well as the more granular individual UI elements. I then think about when and how the UI elements can be presented to the player in a readable and engaging fashion. Finally, I always try to incorporate the themes, setting, and feel of the game into the UI to reinforce how we want the player to feel.
Readability
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Define what UI Elements are needed to communicate the information and intractability to the player
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Arrange the UI Elements to maximize readability and efficiency.
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See where art principles (Rule of Thirds, Golden Ratio, etc.) can be implemented to improve readability.
Thematic Resonance
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Determine how the UI Elements can best be presented to feel like they belong in the game
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Determine what the UI can tell the player about the game, without words
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Determine how the UI can best support the setting, themes, and feel of the game
Of course, everything needs to be tested and iterated over and over in order to achieve this balance. So the 4th secret pillar of this process is iteration. I have found that Readability and Thematic Resonance can enter a tug-of-war where maximizing one means minimizing the other, but I have found that testing and iteration allows me to identify these problems. This is key to achieving that balance between the pillars, as well as identifying and resolving additional problems as they crop up.
Iteration
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Test the UI to identify problems with readability and functionality.
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Test UI separately from the game and use survey construction to test for thematic resonance
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Test the balance between readability and thematic resonance.
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Repeat the process with player feedback from testing.
UI Projects
Here are some of the UI works that I am the most proud of. Feel free to check out the projects and follow along for a more in-depth look at my process for designing UI.
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