Creating a Game interface

UI DESIGN APPROACH

Complex game interfaces benefit from structured visualisation before detailed visual design. Effective UI documentation ensures alignment across stakeholders, development teams, and designers. Two primary methods are User Flows and Wireframes.

USER FLOW

Maps potential player journeys through the game, providing a high-level view of screens, interactions, and decision points. It ensures that interface design supports seamless gameplay and aligns with player goals.

WIRREFRAME

Functions as a blueprint for each screen, establishing structure, layout, and hierarchy. Wireframes minimise visual embellishments to maintain focus on usability, functionality, and stakeholder alignment.

USER FLOW (BASIC)

Early in interface design, I focus on developing a user flow in close collaboration with Game Designers. This involves identifying key screens, core loops, and all critical interactions to visualise the game’s potential structure.

A well-defined user flow offers a strategic overview of the project, clarifies UI requirements, and ensures alignment between design, gameplay, and development teams, ultimately supporting a seamless player experience.

USER FLOW + WIREFRAMES (ADVANCED)

As screen requirements become clear, I develop wireframes to define structure, highlight recurring interface patterns, and maintain consistency across the game.

Wireframes are integrated with the user flow to verify interaction paths and ensure the overall interface supports a seamless player experience. The process is iterative, focusing on one or two screens at a time to accommodate evolving game features.

This phase also allows assessment of cognitive load and optimisation of information architecture, establishing a strong foundation for subsequent visual design and development.

USER FLOW + ART (LONGTERM)

During later production stages, skinned screens are integrated into the user flow to visualise the full interface in its final visual context.

This process offers a comprehensive view of the game’s structure and interaction, enabling cross-functional teams to assess cohesion, identify potential issues, and optimise both UI and player experience before release.

PROTOTYPE

Prototypes provide a tangible, testable representation of the interface, enabling rapid iteration based on player feedback. They align design, development, and UX writing by clarifying functionality, usability, and content early in the process.

WRAPPING UP

Visualising user flows and wireframes early in development helps cross-functional teams align on the overall experience. Displaying these artefacts in shared spaces can make discussions more tangible and collaborative.

Treat these deliverables as evolving documents: prototypes and design iterations often uncover areas that require refinement, and game features may shift, necessitating updates.

Personally, designing these artefacts directly provides intimate knowledge of the interface, enabling strategic influence over both structure and eventual visual design. This approach ensures coherence between UX, UI, and gameplay while maintaining team alignment and efficiency.