Exploration (Water Sort Game Figma Prototype)
My UI art style stretches to many corners of the UI spectrum. A recent employment test asked if I would be able to make “juicy” happen given the other styles I seem at home in. The answer is pretty simple – give me a few rounds of feedback and some player testing data – and I can make it happen.
I decided I wanted to flesh-out the tested concept, and challenge myself to create the “juicy” style requested across the UI for a mobile game… and it seemed like a character was a big part of this type of game, so I created one. Turns out Figma’s animation tools aren’t too shabby!
5D Process
Based on a UX process called the double diamond, this is my own version called the 5D Process. It is something I use for UX/UI projects and really anything that requires research, testing, and iteration.
Discover
Gather project data about the issue or need: deadlines, familial elements, heat maps, player feedback and talk to engineers about hazards to avoid and constraints to keep in mind. Competitive analysis. SMITE (So My Initial Takeaway Equals...)
Develop
FEFO (Fail Early Fail Often.) Create quick wireframe-esque illustrations of solutions and test, gathering feedback and data. How does this issue (and solving it) impact adjacent features and issues? Look at the issue and adjacent issues from the standpoint of different player types.
Differentiate
Make ours better - it should solve more issues, be more accessible, and just be more clever in general. Refine.
Digest
Test and share. Show the survivors of the previous steps to others, to the stakeholder, and possibly to a focus or usability group. Gather data based on surveys. Refine. Make an intelligent decision.
Deploy
Get it out there. Track how well it is working. Refine if necessary.