Live online course

UX/UI for Gaming

From Ivy Sang, UX/UI Lead from Blizzard and ex-Electronic Arts,

previously led projects for FIFA, NHL, UFC, Battlefield and Dragon Age

Shape user experience by creating player profiles, user stories, paper prototypes, flow charts, wireframes, and UI mockups
Design various interface components specifically for games
Plan and conduct usability tests
Explore UX skills needed to build games on a 360-degree canvas
Strategize and customize career growth as a Game UX/UI Designer
Develop a portfolio project for a game

Dates:

26 October – 14 December

Duration:

(8 weeks)

488 students (6 cohorts)

150 students

Designers

Is designing games your dream job? Increase your chances of entering the industry by preparing a UX/UI portfolio showcasing an engaging and intuitive game interface. Learn how to create wireframes, mockups, and vital UI elements.

72 students

Game professionals

Dive into player behaviors and thinking processes to improve the interaction between players and the game. Learn to conduct usability tests, ensure designs are accessible and approachable, gain valuable insights, and create attractive interfaces that put the player first.

266 students

Career switchers

Don’t have enough illustration or coding experience? Not to worry! Ivy will open the door for you by teaching the practical skills gaming companies actually look for when hiring UX/UI designers. And if that’s not enough, instantly get ahead of other applicants with the help of crucial career advice from a true industry expert.

Portfolio

Showcase UX/UI pieces to potential employers

In 7 weeks, you’ll develop a comprehensive digital portfolio with player profiles, paper prototyping, a flow chart, wireframes, and UI mockups. Learn how to plan and conduct usability tests and increase game desirability for various types of players.
Tools

Master the tools used by those in the industry

Learn the pros & cons of current UX tools to ensure you find what works for you. Build flowcharts and wireframes in Figma, the primary UX design tool, and practice designing UI elements in Adobe Photoshop.
Career

Land a job in your dream game studio

Benefit from pro tips on how to prepare an application package, perform great during a job interview, and strategically shape your own career journey in UX/UI game design.

Thu, 10/265 PM PST/8 PM EST

Intro to UX/UI in Gaming
Discover the role that UX/UI designers play in game development and identify the skills needed to build a career in the field.
- Roles of UX/UI designers in game production
- Differences between UX/UI design and game design
- Skills needed to be a great UX/UI designer in gaming
Mon, 10/305 PM PST/8 PM EST

The Cognitive Science Behind Games
Learn to apply cognitive science principles together with creativity and imagination to communicate with players in games. Craft and develop player journeys to model players’ in-game experiences.
- Communicating through game languages
- Cognitive knowledge in games: attention, perception, and memory
- The learning loop
- Demo: Player journeys
Assignment #1: Watch a playthrough of a game and complete a player journey.
Thu, 11/25 PM PST/8 PM EST

Paper Prototyping
This class looks at the key stages of the UX/UI process in gaming. Practice using game languages by translating your experience design into a fun paper prototype.
- The UX/UI pipeline in gaming
- Behavior-driven flowcharts
- Workshop: Creating a ‘paper’ prototype
Mon, 11/65 PM PST/8 PM EST

Flowcharts in Figma
Evaluate the pros & cons of available UX tools and software to find what works for you. Dive into Figma, one of the most popular UX tools, to learn how to develop your player experience in digital form.
- UX software overview
- Tips and tricks for building flowcharts in Figma
- Demo: Figma introduction
- Workshop: Transfering flowchart sketches to Figma
Assignment #2:

Part 1.
Complete the paper prototype.

Part 2.
Complete your iterated flowchart design in Figma.
Thu, 11/95 PM PST/8 PM EST

Building Wireframes
Learn how to build wireframes that capture the skeleton of the experience you want your players to have on every screen. Continue to advance your Figma skills with more complex graphic creations.
- Interactive vs. non-interactive information
- Organization systems: Gestalt Principles of Design
- Information and navigation design
- Demo: Creating wireframes in Figma

Mon, 11/135 PM PST/8 PM EST

Usability Test
Research how players would feel about the experience you crafted for them. Learn how to prepare and plan a usability test in a scientific and objective way to gain insights to inform the next UX/UI design phase.
- Intro to user research in gaming
- Usability tests
- Preparing a usability test plan and scripts
- Asking the right questions
Assignment #3:

Part 1.
Complete the first iteration of your home screen and gameplay screen wireframes in Figma.
Go Deeper: Create a wireframe for the inventory screen.

Part 2.
Submit a finalized usability test plan and script. Conduct the usability test and collect feedback from coursemates or other volunteers. Apply the feedback to your wireframes in Figma and describe how you applied the feedback.
Thu, 11/16 5 PM PST/8 PM EST

Game Usability and Desirability
Today, you’ll focus on creating a fun and appealing game experience for different types of players. Learn how to build player profiles and start your UI design journey by developing a game art ‘bible’.
- Understanding player motivations and constraints
- Crafting player profiles
- Communicating players’ perspectives to the rest of the team
- Workshop: Creating player profiles and a game art bible
Mon, 11/205 PM PST/8 PM EST

UI Design: Part 1
Understand the skills you need for a career in UI design. Add to your toolkit by learning to use Adobe Photoshop to add key UI elements to your wireframes.
- Game UI skills
- The different elements of UI design
- UI software options: pros & cons
Mon, 11/275 PM PST/8 PM EST

UI Design: Part 2
In this class, you’ll learn how to convert wireframes into UI mockups. You’ll also learn how to set up a holistic UI style guide to present your experience ideas in an engaging and appealing way.
- Portfolio for UI Skills
- The importance of UI style guides
- Demo: Adding graphic design elements in Adobe Photoshop
- Demo: Creating a style guide and UI screen mockups
Assignment #4: Using Adobe Photoshop (or alternative software), create UI mockups for each of your different wireframes. With a help of a color blind simulator, evaluate the accessibility of your UI mockup. Make adjustments as necessary.
Go Deeper: Develop your own UI style guide.
Thu, 11/305 PM PST/8 PM EST

Accessible and Approachable Gaming Experiences
Discover what makes a game experience accessible and approachable – and why it’s important – to create game experiences that are fun for everyone.
- Accessibility vs. approachability
- Having empathy for players
- Implementing accessibility guidelines
Mon, 12/45 PM PST/8 PM EST

User Onboarding
Consider what goes through a player’s mind when they start a new game – what drives them to continue playing or to drop out? In this class, you’ll learn how to create an engaging onboarding experience for all types of players.
- The first-time user experience (FTUE) framework
- Walkthrough vs. hands-on approaches
- The forgetting curve and learning loop in action
- FTUE tools: cinematics, storytelling, UI, gameplay, meta game
- Case study
Thu, 12/75 PM PST/8 PM EST

UX/UI in XR Games: Fireside Chat with Craig Herndon, XR Сonsultant and Co-Founder at Digital Precept LLC
What does it take to make UX/UI for XR games (VR, AR, MR, and beyond)? Learn how XR differs from the traditional gaming UX/UI for both players and game developers.
- Game industry XR trends
- Working with a 360-degree canvas
- Workshop: XR Gameplay Player Journey
Mon, 12/115 PM PST/8 PM EST

Kick-start your UX/UI Career
Explore the general gaming interview process for UX/UI designers. Benefit from pro tips on how to prepare an application package, perform great during job hunting, and plan your own career growth as a UX/UI designer in game development.
- Different career paths
- The general interview process
- The importance of resumes & portfolios
- Creating a winning portfolio
Assignment #5: Turn your game UX/UI course project into a portfolio using the provided portfolio template.
Thu, 12/145 PM PST/8 PM EST

Bonus Workshop: Mock Interview

In this bonus session, you’ll have the opportunity to practice interviewing for a UX/UI designer position in your dream company. You will receive feedback and improvement suggestions to help you feel more confident about handling an interview.