Interface Labs
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Interface Labs

Quick, Press A!

UX / UI Design & Implementation

Who’s it for?

The first question to answer in designing the menus was to determine just who would likely be using this app. I came up with the following three rough user personas.

1. Hardcore Gamers:

The first type of users considered are hardcore gamers. This term defines people who play a lot of games, and pursue gaming as a primary hobby. These individuals are familiar with both general mobile UI design trends, as well as trends specific to game menus. They are aware of the feature set typical of games, and have a desire to make efficient use of the depth the game has to offer. Hardcore gamers often participate in games not only for experiential leisure but to master the game. These users likely want the following from a menu system:

2. Casual Gamers:

The next group likely to play Quick, Press A! would be casual gamers. These are individuals who play games occasionally for leisure, but do not pursue gaming as a primary hobby or interest. These users are likely familiar with general mobile UI trends, but may or may not have developed familiarity with game specific UI trends. These users want to be made aware of all the depth the game has to offer, but appreciate the freedom to participate as casually or as involved as they desire. These users likely want the following from a menu system:

3. Tech Novices

The last group considered are those who are unfamiliar with mobile smartphone interfaces in general. This group may be unfamiliar with the expected interactions of a smartphone, let alone mobile games. These users also may desire to not interact with the deeper features of the game due to disinterest or cognitive burden. The top priority for the menu with these users is to ensure they never feel lost or confused. This group would likely appreciate the following from the menus:

Designing the menu.

The next task was to design a menu structure that best satisfied all the conflicting and varying needs of these three groups of users.

All roads lead to a New Game!

Cheating Responsiveness

Next was the challenge of laying out each of the individual pages. I wanted to design a menu structure that would fit without modification on either a standard iPhone screen, as well as the elongated aspect ratio on iPhone 5(S) devices.

Game-over screen. (iPhone 5S)

Making Every Page Friendly

I also wanted to retain a retro aesthetic, while incorporating contemporary best practices in Interface Design.

Upgrades screen. (Replay button is omnipresent in the menus)

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Visual Thinking & Design by Evan Sullivan.

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