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http://fenix.agency/blog/
What can video games teach
you about UX and UI?
by Marko Pačar
http://fenix.agency/blog/
http://fenix.agency/blog/
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. Humans are lazy
3. Know your place
4. The power of the click
5. Fitting the theme
6. Bonus content
7. About Fenix
http://fenix.agency/blog/
Note
This presentation is a collection of main takeaways from a blogpost
I wrote on the topic.
If you want to learn more, make sure to read the full post or visit our
blog if you're interested in more articles.
http://fenix.agency/blog/
Introduction
Modern video games are characterized by immersive, dynamic
worlds, and it has a lot to with the advance of User Experience and
User Interfaces
Similarly to video games, having both a usably and visually
attractive website or app is a must
Many, function-wise, great apps have failed, simply due to bad UI
and/or UX
Web development has influenced the gaming industry and vice
versa
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Humans are lazy
Humans are lazy and design should take advantage of it
Our brains are hardwired to do the least amount of work possible to
get a certain task done
Interation design technique, known as progressive disclosure, is
centered around maintainint focus by removing clutter for the sake of
experience
This is similar to the inverted pyramid model used in journalism
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http://fenix.agency/blog/
Web experience should be tailored to give the most information with
least amount of effort required
We're also very visual which makes games so appealing
One of the strongest point of games is the preference towards
symbolism
The ability to transform meaning into symbols was a huge step
towards visual decluttering
Health bar is a good example as it takes less space and uses symbols
to represent meaning
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Image source
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What can we learn from that?
Using symbols is often superior to text
They are easy to understand, simple to produce and take less space
The trend towards minimalism and symbolism is well documented
and continues
Tinder, for example, is a great example of an app that uses symbol
and elegant mechanics
In the future, UX will become even more context-based
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An interesting example of a game that experimented with minimalism
was Trespasser
This is how you were supposed to check your remaining health
It was a failure, but it did influence later games when it comes to UI
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Know your place
The Binding of Isaac is a game that gets (mostly) everything right
It requires you to learn and repeat in order to master giving you vague
and basic information
Although it might seem counterintuitive, it knows its audience and the
genre
It's not afraid of trying, knowing that its players are not afraid of trying
over and over again
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http://fenix.agency/blog/
What can we learn from that?
The Binding of Isaac is extremely user-centric
It goes against the grain of modern UI because its players like to go
against the mainstream gameplay
It recognizes the needs of the target audience
It's UI and UX are tailored to meet the needs of its target niche and
target audience
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The power of the click
Morrowind, at the time of its release, had a great UI
Extremely simple to use, with everything being just a click away, the
UI was as simple as it gets
With an item count and world as large as Morrowind's, lowering the
amount of clicks and interactions was a necessity
Morrowind implemented the one click mechanics to the fullest
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http://fenix.agency/blog/
What can we learn from that?
Conceptually, the three click rule makes a lot of sense although you
shouldn't blindly follow it
Potential customers will leave your site if they can't find what they're
looking for in a short amount of time
Modern webs and apps should be as intuitive as possible and pay a
lot of attention to quality of information architecture
That's especially prevalent in e-commerce where lowering the
bounce rate is of great importance
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Fitting the theme
A couple of decades ago, video games relied heavily of completely
on text-driven experience
The lack of graphics required designers to think outside the box and
be very creative
Video game designers became masters of storytelling
Fallout 2 is a great example of a game that’s known for its attention
to detail
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What sets Fallout 2 apart is the love for contextual details
Almost everything is designed to fit the theme of the post-apocalyptic
world
Even the boring elements, such as the text-HUD, are designed in the
similar fashion
The game doesn’t let technical limitations get in the way of its UI and
UX
It does everything to create compelling experience
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http://fenix.agency/blog/
What can we learn from that?
Great User Experience comes from the holistic approach
Just like in Fallout 2, all elements should create a compelling
experience
Best UI is the one that not only provides utility, but also tells a story
Elements should be well thought out and serve as a building block of
a larger system
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Bonus content
How can Solitaire help you explain how UI works
Sonic the hedgehog and the Green hill zone
How gamification works
To view bonus content and learn more,
make sure to read the full article here
http://fenix.agency/blog/
About Fenix
Fenix is a custom development agency focusing on mobile and
web development. We provide custom-made solutions to a large
variety of clients. Our clients thus far include Disney, Microsoft,
Discovery Channel, TLC, Kinder Sport etc.
To learn more about us, contact us at [email protected] or take a
look at our company profile.
