The UX Challenge: Hunt: Showdown 1896

  

When I assumed the role of UX/UI Director for Hunt: Showdown 1896, the game faced several significant challenges:

• Inconsistent UI Styles & Interactions: The game had developed a mix of UI elements that were not cohesive. Different screens used varying UI styles and interaction patterns, leading to usability issues and confusion among players.
• Fragmented UI Experience: UI elements were created in isolation, meaning that as the game evolved, the UI began to feel piecemeal, without a clear connection between the various elements or screens.
• Lack of a Unified Design System: Without a central design system, iteration and scalability were cumbersome. It was hard to maintain consistency across the game, and making updates or changes was a slow and inefficient process.
• Inconsistent Branding: The in-game UI didn't align with external marketing materials, creating a disconnect between the visual identity players saw in the game and what they encountered in promotional content.
• Need for a Stronger UX Team: To scale the game's design efforts for future expansions and support ongoing updates, I needed to build a high-performing UX team that could handle the growth of the game in a sustainable way.

  

The Solution: A Complete UX/UI Overhaul

To address these challenges, I led a comprehensive UX/UI overhaul with the aim of establishing consistency, improving usability, and enhancing the player experience. My approach focused on the following core areas:

1. Unified and Intuitive UI Across Platforms

• Console & PC Compatibility: Ensuring that the UI was designed to be intuitive and functional across both platforms was crucial. I made sure that key interactions and navigation were seamless, whether players were on a controller or a mouse and keyboard.
• Simplified Navigation: By streamlining the navigation and controls, I improved usability, allowing players to quickly find what they needed without getting lost in the menus or experiencing frustration.

2. Creative Direction & Authentic Aesthetic

• Gothic Horror Western Theme: The visual design was completely revamped to reinforce the Gothic Horror Western aesthetic that is central to the game’s identity. Every element, from the menu screens to the icons, was designed to immerse players deeper into the game's world.
• Consistency Across Screens: I worked closely with the art team and creative partners to ensure the game’s interface was visually cohesive, with no jarring inconsistencies between menus, HUD, and in-game visuals.

3. Collaborative Approach to Community Feedback

• Player-Centric Design: I partnered with community teams to understand player feedback and pain points. This ensured the UI design evolved in alignment with player needs, expectations, and the gameplay experience.
• Key Partner Collaboration: Working closely with the creative director and creative services, we ensured that the game’s UI aligned with the external marketing and promotional materials for a unified brand presence.

4. Building a Strong UX Team

• High-Performing Team Development: I focused on hiring world-class talent and mentoring the existing team to raise the quality of UX/UI design across the board. I implemented a capability matrix to identify skill gaps and established individual development plans to ensure that my team had the tools and resources needed for continued success.
• Scalable Design Systems: We introduced reusable design components, making it easier to create new content and UI elements quickly and with consistency. This also helped us to manage future content expansions without having to redesign from scratch every time.

5. Scalable and Future-Proof Framework

• Design System Foundation: I led the creation of a unified design system that would enable future updates and content expansions to be implemented efficiently. This system ensured that the game's interface remained consistent, scalable, and easy to maintain.

6. Clear Vision and Measurable Improvements

• Defining Design Principles: I worked to establish a clear set of design principles that everyone on the team could follow. These principles helped drive a shared vision for the game’s user experience and ensured all decisions aligned with the overall goals of consistency and player immersion.
• Objective-Based Metrics: I set clear objectives for the UX overhaul, focusing on measurable improvements in both usability and player satisfaction. This helped guide the team’s work and ensured we were always moving toward improving the player experience.

  

Key Initiatives & Impact

1. Built a World-Class UX Team:
   • Hired and mentored talented designers, creating a robust team capable of handling future growth and continuous updates for Hunt: Showdown.
2. Established a Unified Design System:
   • Introduced reusable UI components, creating consistency across screens and simplifying future iterations and expansions.
3. Led a Full UX Overhaul:
   • Redesigned every screen in the game to ensure a consistent, streamlined experience for players on both Console and PC.
4. Drove a Cohesive Visual Identity:
   • Partnered with the Creative Director to ensure alignment between in-game UI and external marketing materials, strengthening the game’s visual brand.
5. Redefined Creative Direction:
   • Overhauled the game’s UI to make it consistent, visually cohesive, and immersive, aligning with the Gothic Horror Western aesthetic and enhancing player immersion.

  

Outcome

• Improved Player Experience: The overhaul resulted in a significantly improved user interface that was intuitive, consistent, and visually cohesive. Players could navigate seamlessly between menus, and the interface now fully supported the immersive experience the game was known for.
• Scalable and Future-Proof UI: The introduction of a unified design system ensured that the UI could easily adapt to future updates, expansions, and new features without sacrificing quality or consistency.
• Increased Community Engagement: By aligning the UI with player feedback and expectations, the overhaul fostered deeper engagement and satisfaction among the community, ensuring that the game continued to grow.
• Stronger Team and Process: The focus on building a strong UX team and refining processes allowed for more efficient work, enabling faster iterations and improving the overall design quality.

In conclusion, the UX/UI overhaul of Hunt: Showdown not only improved the overall player experience but also established a scalable framework for future growth. The successful collaboration between internal teams, external partners, and the community ensured that the game would continue to thrive, offering a seamless, immersive experience for players long into the future.