Introductions
The goal of this exercise was to find the way in which user experience design applies to an affects our chosen field, namely game design. To analyze this, we looked at job listings to determine the skills that were needed to succeed in the industry. We also read various articles that outlined the place of user experience design in the games industry. From our findings we will create a review of the role of user experience design in game design.
Job Search Activity
What our dream jobs were looking for:
Technical Skills
Personality/Character
|
The categories we found were technical skills, communication and personality traits. We grouped technical skills together because every job requires different experience and technical skills. We found communication was an important skill that each one of our jobs required. Finally there was a large group of personality traits like creativity, problem solving, flexibility, multitasking, and so on which are things that are not as easily taught but have to do with someone’s personality and attitude.
Technical skills can be quantifiable and represented by a resume, portfolio or degree. People with great technical skills will usually stand out because they will create impressive things. Communication can also be represented physically by design documentation and emails and messages. Great communication will only really be appreciated by the people who you work with because the physical artifacts you produce are usually kept within companies and organizations. Finally, personality can be hard to quantify. The best observers of your personality are generally other people. Because of this, the best way to show an employer your character is through recommendations from past employers. |
Secondary Research
Linderman:
Basically, UX and Tech art are intrinsically linked because the act of engineering a widely or universally enjoyable experience requires an aesthetically pleasing interface to make it enjoyable to use, which is where digital art comes into play. On a more specific level, Tech artistry frequently includes constructing or reorganizing important interfaces and/or implementing digital art assets into a pre-structured interface. This means that in order to be a Tech artist you must have some understanding of UX design and psychology in order to architect a sufficient, accessible, functional, and appealing system and vice versa. To be in UX you have to have basic sketching skills and understanding of visual design to learn to communicate visually. Essentially, art and UX are inextricably linked because art is necessary to construct a visually enjoyable experience, but Tech art without an intuitively designed product or easily navigable environment is wasted and cannot alone produce a good user experience.
Pizzo:
Dark mode is a feature that inverts the page, causing the page to go dark and words becoming whiten, hence the name. This has been a popular feature on a lot of cites, apps, and screen products. Why is this a recent trend, there are multiple reasons for this, one being eye comfort. Screens have become a part of our daily lives, from the moment we wake up in the morning to the last seconds of night, we are staring at a screen. Dark mode allows users to avoid the glare of the screen, preventing eye damage, and focusing on what you are trying to do on the screen. Another important feature to talk about is how this saves power, it doesn’t drain your computer when using this mode, giving people extra hours to do whatever with their item. I think that this is a fantastic feature to have on a device, for one it gives users the choice of style and provides some beneficial aspects of it.
Micro-Interactions have become a popular Ux trend in recent years. If those are out of the loop, Micro interactions are things that are minor but impact the users on the site, and additional feedback for the creators of that. A good example of this concept is the dinosaur game on google when your internet is out. These keep the user engaged within the site, getting them to be more invested in what they are doing on the site in the first place. Games are not the sole thing when it comes to micro-interactions, sometimes it is just the change in color for the site, a gif when hovering over an image, or its the like button on facebook. This became popular for both providing the owners of the site to see what interactions these people have when going onto their site and to collect data to see how they can improve in the future.
This week has taught me more on what UX truly is, that rather than a major or industry, it is a skill that can be applied to any industry in one shape or form. There is a lot of valuable information to have in this class, but the most of what I learned was the psychology of users. How would people enjoy something if it was out of their control? If they can’t customize or adjust to their liking, how will they enjoy the final product of a game? People like to be in control, they have preferences that prefer over the games defaults and it is our job as game designers to make sure that they have the ability to adjust their settings to their liking. If they don’t have control of this, then they will not truly enjoy the game.
Speaker:
UX in Game Design is especially important as the entire process is slowly creating an experience for the end player, who might play the game for hours on end. Small choices by all developers could have big ramifications on the end experience. The UX team ends up acting as a voice for the player in development. While programmers, level designers, and more make choices that make sense to them, the UX team can review these choices and evaluate how they impact the experience. This removes bias and allows for testing to happen earlier in the process. Speaking of testing, that is another crucial part of the process. Even the greatest UX team in the world couldn’t uncover everything that negatively impacts the end experience. So by having playtests, it’s possible to find the flaws in our designs. Two possible ways of doing this are Remote and Offline. Remote is a digital version, where the player is elsewhere and the UX team monitors them via video (both of the game, and a camera feed of the player themselves). This relaxes the player, but the UX team can’t observe as closely. Offline is completely in person. This allows the UX team to observe the player more closely, but this may cause certain types of players to be stressed.
Stanisz:
UX designers are valuable parts of a game development team. Good UX designers can imagine the game from the players perspective and design it to pivot towards a better experience for the users. It’s also important for UX designers in games to give clear information to players so they aren’t constantly scratching their head wondering what to do. In a game, you want the experience to be fair to the player. Crucial information should always be given to the player, whether it’s through signals, feedback, or just plainly stated to them. Through these, we give the player a much wider range of emotions to feel, such as satisfaction or immersion. Another good use of UX design is in tutorials. Teaching the player mechanics, story, and any other information critical to playing.
Tweedy:
UX design is almost synonymous with game design. Games are User Experiences. Players interact with games through different interfaces and controls. New technologies necessitate innovation and new ideas in UX design. For example, VR requires a completely different type of interface than a game designed for a computer monitor might. Additionally, different platforms and modes of control make it necessary for there to be different interfaces within the same game that conveys the same information. Interfaces and controls must also be kept as simple as possible as games become more complex, as to stay accessible and appealing. Interfaces must also be immersive and match the aesthetic of the game. Overall, UX design is a fundamental aspect of game design and must be one of the first considerations when making a game.
Basically, UX and Tech art are intrinsically linked because the act of engineering a widely or universally enjoyable experience requires an aesthetically pleasing interface to make it enjoyable to use, which is where digital art comes into play. On a more specific level, Tech artistry frequently includes constructing or reorganizing important interfaces and/or implementing digital art assets into a pre-structured interface. This means that in order to be a Tech artist you must have some understanding of UX design and psychology in order to architect a sufficient, accessible, functional, and appealing system and vice versa. To be in UX you have to have basic sketching skills and understanding of visual design to learn to communicate visually. Essentially, art and UX are inextricably linked because art is necessary to construct a visually enjoyable experience, but Tech art without an intuitively designed product or easily navigable environment is wasted and cannot alone produce a good user experience.
Pizzo:
Dark mode is a feature that inverts the page, causing the page to go dark and words becoming whiten, hence the name. This has been a popular feature on a lot of cites, apps, and screen products. Why is this a recent trend, there are multiple reasons for this, one being eye comfort. Screens have become a part of our daily lives, from the moment we wake up in the morning to the last seconds of night, we are staring at a screen. Dark mode allows users to avoid the glare of the screen, preventing eye damage, and focusing on what you are trying to do on the screen. Another important feature to talk about is how this saves power, it doesn’t drain your computer when using this mode, giving people extra hours to do whatever with their item. I think that this is a fantastic feature to have on a device, for one it gives users the choice of style and provides some beneficial aspects of it.
Micro-Interactions have become a popular Ux trend in recent years. If those are out of the loop, Micro interactions are things that are minor but impact the users on the site, and additional feedback for the creators of that. A good example of this concept is the dinosaur game on google when your internet is out. These keep the user engaged within the site, getting them to be more invested in what they are doing on the site in the first place. Games are not the sole thing when it comes to micro-interactions, sometimes it is just the change in color for the site, a gif when hovering over an image, or its the like button on facebook. This became popular for both providing the owners of the site to see what interactions these people have when going onto their site and to collect data to see how they can improve in the future.
This week has taught me more on what UX truly is, that rather than a major or industry, it is a skill that can be applied to any industry in one shape or form. There is a lot of valuable information to have in this class, but the most of what I learned was the psychology of users. How would people enjoy something if it was out of their control? If they can’t customize or adjust to their liking, how will they enjoy the final product of a game? People like to be in control, they have preferences that prefer over the games defaults and it is our job as game designers to make sure that they have the ability to adjust their settings to their liking. If they don’t have control of this, then they will not truly enjoy the game.
Speaker:
UX in Game Design is especially important as the entire process is slowly creating an experience for the end player, who might play the game for hours on end. Small choices by all developers could have big ramifications on the end experience. The UX team ends up acting as a voice for the player in development. While programmers, level designers, and more make choices that make sense to them, the UX team can review these choices and evaluate how they impact the experience. This removes bias and allows for testing to happen earlier in the process. Speaking of testing, that is another crucial part of the process. Even the greatest UX team in the world couldn’t uncover everything that negatively impacts the end experience. So by having playtests, it’s possible to find the flaws in our designs. Two possible ways of doing this are Remote and Offline. Remote is a digital version, where the player is elsewhere and the UX team monitors them via video (both of the game, and a camera feed of the player themselves). This relaxes the player, but the UX team can’t observe as closely. Offline is completely in person. This allows the UX team to observe the player more closely, but this may cause certain types of players to be stressed.
Stanisz:
UX designers are valuable parts of a game development team. Good UX designers can imagine the game from the players perspective and design it to pivot towards a better experience for the users. It’s also important for UX designers in games to give clear information to players so they aren’t constantly scratching their head wondering what to do. In a game, you want the experience to be fair to the player. Crucial information should always be given to the player, whether it’s through signals, feedback, or just plainly stated to them. Through these, we give the player a much wider range of emotions to feel, such as satisfaction or immersion. Another good use of UX design is in tutorials. Teaching the player mechanics, story, and any other information critical to playing.
Tweedy:
UX design is almost synonymous with game design. Games are User Experiences. Players interact with games through different interfaces and controls. New technologies necessitate innovation and new ideas in UX design. For example, VR requires a completely different type of interface than a game designed for a computer monitor might. Additionally, different platforms and modes of control make it necessary for there to be different interfaces within the same game that conveys the same information. Interfaces and controls must also be kept as simple as possible as games become more complex, as to stay accessible and appealing. Interfaces must also be immersive and match the aesthetic of the game. Overall, UX design is a fundamental aspect of game design and must be one of the first considerations when making a game.
Summary:
UX design is deeply rooted within many parts of game design. Through art, interfaces, controls, settings, and tutorials, everything is designed with the user in mind. Games cater towards the player for the most enjoyable and fun experience for them. If the players aren’t having fun, you’re failing. UX design can help players make different choices for settings that adapt to how they want to play, as well as helping players understand how to play the game and making it easier for them to navigate.
Take an inventory system for example. A game’s inventory system should be easy to navigate by whatever input devices the player might use, give all the information about items that a player needs yet be simple and easy to read, and should fit the aesthetic of the rest of the game. If one of these is not fulfilled, then players might lose interest in the game. Every aspect of a game must be taken into consideration and evaluated on what it contributes to the experience of the game. Without good UX design, games cannot be successful.
UX design is deeply rooted within many parts of game design. Through art, interfaces, controls, settings, and tutorials, everything is designed with the user in mind. Games cater towards the player for the most enjoyable and fun experience for them. If the players aren’t having fun, you’re failing. UX design can help players make different choices for settings that adapt to how they want to play, as well as helping players understand how to play the game and making it easier for them to navigate.
Take an inventory system for example. A game’s inventory system should be easy to navigate by whatever input devices the player might use, give all the information about items that a player needs yet be simple and easy to read, and should fit the aesthetic of the rest of the game. If one of these is not fulfilled, then players might lose interest in the game. Every aspect of a game must be taken into consideration and evaluated on what it contributes to the experience of the game. Without good UX design, games cannot be successful.
Conclusion References
Speaker:
During this exercise, I ended up learning quite a bit about how UX applies to Game Dev. I think overall the exercise went well and we managed to have some good discussion about everything we were assigned too. I think in the future I could probably speak up a bit more. I’m excited to work on some full projects next, as I think those will be more satisfying for me and I usually prefer longer projects
Stanisz:
This week was really great for learning how UX design applies to my field of study. It's interesting just how much UX design I see every day of my life. I usually game for a few hours a day, and yesterday I spent some time just looking over the UI and seeing how well developed they are, helping explain and give clear, helpful information for the player.
Tweedy:
Based on what I learned about what is required in the games industry, I feel like there are multiple things I need to improve upon. Firstly, I feel I definitely need to step up my technical skills. Part of that includes the ability to implement clear user interface elements and make games feel fun to play. I need to work hard not only in college but in internships and jobs to get experience that will help me succeed in my future career. Secondly, I think I need to get better at not only communicating in person, but through official emails and documents. Finally, I think I need to improve my problem-solving abilities since that is listed in various forms in most of our job postings. I feel confident in my creativity. I am excited to be able to express it through brainstorming and conceptualization sessions and eventually realize a final product from my work. I feel apprehensive about working in large teams all the time, but I realize that this is a very necessary part of the industry.
Pizzo:
I have learned a lot this week, not just with UX, but with my major as a whole. Knowing the industry that I am getting into and having the skills to dominate in that field is nice to have in my back pocket. What I can do better in the future is communicate a lot better with my group. I was able to speak to them, but the topics were off, and I did explain myself to the fullest.
During this exercise, I ended up learning quite a bit about how UX applies to Game Dev. I think overall the exercise went well and we managed to have some good discussion about everything we were assigned too. I think in the future I could probably speak up a bit more. I’m excited to work on some full projects next, as I think those will be more satisfying for me and I usually prefer longer projects
Stanisz:
This week was really great for learning how UX design applies to my field of study. It's interesting just how much UX design I see every day of my life. I usually game for a few hours a day, and yesterday I spent some time just looking over the UI and seeing how well developed they are, helping explain and give clear, helpful information for the player.
Tweedy:
Based on what I learned about what is required in the games industry, I feel like there are multiple things I need to improve upon. Firstly, I feel I definitely need to step up my technical skills. Part of that includes the ability to implement clear user interface elements and make games feel fun to play. I need to work hard not only in college but in internships and jobs to get experience that will help me succeed in my future career. Secondly, I think I need to get better at not only communicating in person, but through official emails and documents. Finally, I think I need to improve my problem-solving abilities since that is listed in various forms in most of our job postings. I feel confident in my creativity. I am excited to be able to express it through brainstorming and conceptualization sessions and eventually realize a final product from my work. I feel apprehensive about working in large teams all the time, but I realize that this is a very necessary part of the industry.
Pizzo:
I have learned a lot this week, not just with UX, but with my major as a whole. Knowing the industry that I am getting into and having the skills to dominate in that field is nice to have in my back pocket. What I can do better in the future is communicate a lot better with my group. I was able to speak to them, but the topics were off, and I did explain myself to the fullest.
References
- Linderman:
- https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/unreal-engine-technical-artist-at-unreal-staffing-inc-3789747033
- https://artdesignhq.com/digital-art-and-user-experience-ux-designing-for-the-digital-age/
- https://yellow.systems/blog/ui-ux-design-is-a-link-in-the-chain-between-art-and-tech
- https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=creative+director&l=&from=searchOnHP&vjk=fb52443c78f35053&advn=6208899484144563
- https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/adapting-to-dark-mode-customizing-your-ui-ux-design-with-user-preferences-bdc198edc863
- https://www.encora.com/insights/advanced-micro-interactions-in-ux
- https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/environment-artist-at-raven-software-3796738247
- https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/games/design/user-experience-ux-designer/
- https://uxdesign.cc/ux-and-video-game-design-5d8bcc50be67
- https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Nintendo/jobs?jk=0ed2f218ca30a695&start=0&clearPrefilter=1
- https://playerresearch.medium.com/what-is-games-user-experience-ux-and-how-does-it-help-ea35ceaa9f05
- https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/ux-research-in-game-development-an-essential-explainer