User Interface Design | A Game from Start to Finish

A Game from Start to Finish

06:User Interface Design

Undemanding, undistressing, unobtrusive

The word “design” doesn’t always refer to drawing pictures and making art. Let’s say you have something you want to show people or have them be able to do. Figuring out the best way to go about making that something, that’s what design is.
So, if the user interface (shortened to “UI”) is how the gamer connects to the game, then user interface design (“UI design”) is how the player connects to the game to do what they want to do.
One thing that makes games so interesting is that the player is free to choose what they want to do. That’s why, even if we call it “design”, it’s not enough to just let people do what they want to do.

What happens when the UI design isn’t done properly?
Well, the player starts to worry about how they can do what they want to do. Sometimes, they won’t even know what it is they should be doing in the first place.
There’s nothing fun at all about that kind of game. For games, which are all about making people have fun, this is a serious question we must consider.
That’s why UI design is all about guiding players to what they want to do without giving them a headache, helping them without getting in the way, and showing them the way naturally without them even being aware you’re showing them.

What’s needed for user interface design

There are tons of things all around you that encompass good design.
Let’s look at shampoo and conditioner bottles, for example. If they don’t have a pump, most shampoo bottles have an opening on the top, and most conditioner bottles have an opening on the bottom.

It’s very important to look at things like this and ask yourself “Why?”.
Why are conditioner bottles “upside-down”? And if they’re upside-down, why not make shampoo bottles upside-down, too? Next time you’re in a shop, stop in the aisle with all the shampoos and conditioners, and you’ll see what I mean. It isn’t just something random, either – they’re like that for a reason.

The color and shape of every single object around was thought up by someone for a specific reason.
Pay attention to these things, ask yourself questions about them, try to figure out why they are the way they are, and if you really can’t think of a reason, look it up or ask someone.
This will really come in handy for developing the skills needed for design.

How to build up user interface design skills

Work hard at free study

Have you ever gotten homework for a long weekend or over the holidays where you choose your own topic, study it, and then write all about it on one piece of paper?
Taking everything you want to say and putting it on one piece of paper is actually just the kind of work you need design power for. Try this trick next time.
Before you write, think about who will read it and how you want to make them read it so that you’ll be able to tell them what you want to say. Use that as your first step to make a plan for what you’ll write or design.
Just by making a plan before you start writing, you’ll be surprised at how well everything comes together, and you’ll be practicing design skills, too.