Arcforce

UX & UI Design

Mar 8

Position: Director of UX & UI
My Responsibilities:
- UX Design, Directing,
- Review and Feedback
- User research engagement
- UI Styleguide

App store: Arcforce
Duration: 2021 - 2022
Genre(s): 3V3 Hero Shooter
Platform(s): Mobile
Tool(s): Unreal Engine 4
Production stage: Cancelled on Aug.2022

Introduction:

A new team-based arena PVP shooter designed for fast action on mobile devices and featuring powerful heroes. Experience a vibrant, futuristic world teetering between utopia and dystopia, where unlikely teams of misfit warriors will arise to wage warfare and clash in furious 3v3 battles.

UX&UI Team:

Hassan Ijtaba; Aleksei Kovalev; Elizaveta Kushnir

Underdevelopment trailer from 2022

HOW WE GOT THERE

Research

Competitor Analiysis

We recognized the importance of conducting a thorough competitor analysis. This strategic step was essential from a UX design perspective for several reasons:

To position our game effectively in the highly competitive mobile gaming market, it was crucial to understand the existing offerings, their strengths, and weaknesses. This understanding would allow us to identify gaps in the market that our game could fill.
By analyzing competitors, we could learn from their successes and failures. This included understanding design elements that resonated with players and those that were less effective, thus guiding our UX design decisions.
Competitor analysis helped us set a high standard for quality and innovation. We aimed to match or surpass the best features of existing games while introducing unique elements to differentiate our game.

Target Audience Selection

The insights gained from our competitor analysis profoundly influenced our decisions regarding the target audience for our game:

We gained a clear understanding of the preferences of players in this genre, such as preferred game modes, pacing of the game, and the complexity of controls. Analysis of existing games helped us identify demographic trends, such as age groups, gender distribution, and geographical popularity, guiding us in tailoring our game to the most receptive audience.
Understanding our target audience enabled us to design a user experience that was specifically tailored to their preferences. This included aspects like control schemes, visual design, and the overall difficulty level of the game. We could position our game to appeal uniquely to these players, setting us apart from competitors.

Define Visual Language

Gen Z is known for embracing bold and expressive styles, who often favor vibrant and dynamic aesthetics. Using a positive and bright colors can create a cheerful and energetic atmosphere, which is effective in capturing and maintaining the attention of younger audiences, it aligns with their preferences and the visual trends they are accustomed to on social media and in digital content. This can make the game more engaging and inviting for them.

Understand the Core to draft Framework

To understand the game's core loop and progression system is crucial at the early stage, in order to Enhancing User Engagement: The UI needs to complement the core gameplay to keep players engaged and make the experience intuitive; Supporting Player Progression: Awareness of the progression system (short, mid, and long-term goals) is essential to design a UI that effectively guides and motivates players through their journey, showing achievements and upcoming challenges; Balancing Information Delivery: Different stages of the game require different levels of information and guidance. A good understanding of the game's progression allows for designing a UI that delivers the right information at the right time, enhancing the overall player experience.

Gameplay Sign & Feedback principles:

UI principles:

Animation principles:

Informative :Give player the info they need WHEN they need it
Consistent:Strive for Consistency in Actions and Colours
Quiet:Don't steal the thunder from gameplay, be quiet

Clarity: Clearly communicate game mechanics and feedback to players, enhancing understanding of the gameplay.
Responsiveness: Provide immediate and intuitive feedback in response to player actions, ensuring a seamless and interactive experience.
Engagement: Use animations to create visually appealing and emotionally resonant experiences, increasing player immersion and enjoyment.

VFX principles:

Visibility: Ensure VFX are distinct and visible enough to clearly indicate different abilities and effects, without overwhelming the scene.
Consistency: Maintain a consistent visual language across all VFX to help players quickly understand and react to various game elements.
Enhancement: Use VFX to enhance the gameplay experience, making actions and abilities feel more impactful and satisfying.

Optimize VFX’s Shape, Movement, Duration and Color coding.

We need to clearly separate the VFX colors for the enemy and the ally, so that the player can recognize at a glance on who is taking effect, in order to make decision.

Audio Principles:

Distinctiveness: Ensure each hero's audio cues are unique and recognizable, allowing players to quickly identify different characters and abilities by sound alone.
Clarity: Clear and precise, providing immediate and understandable feedback on actions and events within the game.
Immersion: Enhance the thematic elements of each hero, contributing to a more immersive and engaging gameplay experience.

Camera principles:

Clarity of Action: Camera positioning allows players to clearly see and understand the action, especially in relation to their hero's abilities and interactions with others.
Stability: Maintain a stable and smooth camera movement to avoid disorientation and ensure a consistent gameplay experience.
Responsive Adjustments: Dynamically adjust to different situations and abilities, providing the best view for each scenario without obstructing gameplay.