{"id":392,"date":"2020-10-27T19:41:33","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T00:41:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wowfall2020.londietmartin.com\/?p=392"},"modified":"2020-11-01T18:29:13","modified_gmt":"2020-11-02T00:29:13","slug":"what-we-can-learn-from-video-game-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wowfall2020.londietmartin.com\/?p=392","title":{"rendered":"What We Can Learn from Video Game Design"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is UI\/UX<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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A 2019 study by the Entertainment Software Association showed around 65% percent of American adults play video games<\/a>. Part of this uptick in popularity is due to smartphones, which have literally placed games into the palms of our hands \u2013 anywhere, anytime. And undoubtedly, aspects of plot, characters, graphics, and game mechanics all contribute to a game\u2019s success, too, but the unsung hero of gaming (and, really, software in generally) is User Interface (UI). In the simplest of terms, UI in gaming includes, basically, every way you as a player interact with that game. Weapons loadout screens, health bars, menus, dashboards, et cetera all are a part of UI.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

image from theesa.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of this plays into User Experience (UX), which defines how good (or bad) the user perceives their interactions with the software. One of the quickest ways to lose your player\u2019s interest is to have clunky, difficult-to-navigate tools and menus within your game. Gamers want intuitive controls, and it could be said that other users want the same experience out of the software or website they are using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applying UI\/UX Outside of Gaming<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Understanding how UI\/UX applies to the larger technical world is a valuable asset for a designer to possess. It comes down to knowing and understanding your audience \u2013 their wants and needs from your product \u2013 and designing with them in mind. This general rule of thumb can apply to a variety of different types of software and websites. Users are looking to achieve their goal with the least amount of effort and clicks. Creating content that is easy to navigate and providing the user with the experience\/information they are looking for is the quickest way to provide positive UX to your consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a May 2020 article<\/a>, one game and UI designer, Alex Harbuzinski, offered three questions he poses when considering design choices. While he refers to game design, these same ideas can easily be extrapolated into other design fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n