Game Design 2 (2013): Lecture 5 - Game UI Prototyping

Game Design 2Lecture 5: Game Interface (paper) Prototyping

http://gcugd2.com david.farrell@gcu.ac.uk

Partially adapted from:Joel Laumans - Introduction to Wireframes - http://bit.ly/48uVt7

2013

Why?

• Games are expensive

• Large teams, extended development time

• Game designers, programmers, artists will all spend a lot of time implementing the interface

• prototypes are a design aid

• prototypes are a communication aid

Tools

• Flow Charts (see lecture on menus)

• user scenarios flow

• final menu flow

• Wireframes

• Paper Prototype

Wireframes are:

A visual representation of an interface; used to communicate the structure, content,

information hierarchy, functionality, and behaviour of an interface.

Wireframes are:

A visual representation of an interface; used to communicate the structure, content,

information hierarchy, functionality, and behaviour of an interface.

Blueprints of design

• Formalise ideas

• communicate ideas

• test usability

Uses for Wireframes

• Structure

• Content

• Information Hierarchy

• Functionality

• Behaviour

Structure• How is the interface put together?

Content• What is displayed in the interface?

Information Hierarchy• How is the data organised?

Functionality• How does the interface work?

Player clicks on ‘city’ button

Behaviour• How do the player and interface interact?

Types of Wireframes

• Sketches are good for experimentation

• Sketch out differentways of representingdata

• Useful for ‘workshopping’ areasof interface

Low Fidelity

• Block Diagrams

• Don’t representfunction

• Do represent content

• Good for testingflow of interface

Hi-Fidelity

• Detailed wireframes

• Include comments

• Describe behaviour

• Intuitive

• Blueprint for final design

Notes (dots)

Notes (arrows)

Tips

• Use potentially ‘real’ text, not fake ‘Lorem Ipsum’ style text

• Start with the largest part of interface first (main canvas) and work from largest to smallest.

• Remember audience is mixed (artist, designer, programmer, producer, user)

Wireframes

• Visual design

• NOT graphical elements

• NOT branding, mood etc.

• Avoid unnecessary elements

• Focus on content and interaction

Wireframe Reading

• What, Where and Why of Wireframeshttp://bit.ly/w_w_w_wireframe

Wireframe Tools

• Similar to flowcharting, any vector graphics program is suitable

• Visio on Windows

• OmniGraffle on OS X

• Inkscape on Windows, Mac, Linux

Paper Prototyping

• Even with a wireframe, it is possible to miss important interface elements

• A digital prototype will allow for expert and user testing

• Even this is quite expensive

• Paper prototyping allows a relatively cheap method of evaluating

Creation

• Draw UI components

• Model different states

• Ideal for work-shopping each part of interface

• More visual than wireframing

• may feature platform UI components

• Sketch an outcome for every possible action on your interface

• This might seem like a lot of work but it’s far far lest work than a digital mock-up or a real interface

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• Can also help identify physical interface problems

Where does it fit?

• Where a wireframe shows flow, a paper prototype shows UI elements and can be handed off to a developer.

• Can be used along side wireframes to pitch to team / publisher

• Can be used to test with audience

Usability Testing

• layer widgets and replace screens as required.

• If user confused to an action, give them paper and ask them to sketch what they would expect.

• video sessions and label user sketches to help identify required changes

Usability Testing

• Present user with first ‘screen’

• have library of ‘screens’ and widgets available

• ask them to perform an action and state steps

• every step should be a verb like ‘click on this’ or ‘press this button’

Useful Tools• A List Apart article on paper prototyping

http://www.alistapart.com/articles/paperprototyping/

• An article about wireframes & toolshttp://bit.ly/wireframetools

• Yahoo UI Stencilshttp://developer.yahoo.com/ypatterns/about/stencils/

• iPad stencilshttp://speckyboy.com/2010/04/30/iphone-and-ipad-development-gui-kits-stencils-and-icons/ (hint hint)

• Wireframe grid paperhttp://konigi.com/tools/graph-paper