Research: Other projects

My role was as the Senior UX designer working to research other games to gain a better understanding of what trends appear in experiences and identify pain points. These are two examples of my work in this area.

The Goal

Research existing games and experiences to provide insights that can be used to inform design decisions on UX projects.

Cross-platform research

This was the largest research project that I have done.

It consisted of three main topics of focus:

  • Sign In + Account Linking

  • Social Features

  • What’s shared across platforms

I looked across several cross-platform games:

  • Minecraft

  • Fortnite

  • Diablo IV

  • Borderlands 3

  • Destiny 2

  • Genshin Impact

SIGN IN + ACCOUNT LINKING

Here is a small snippet from the sign in and account linking portion of my research. This is a section comparing the userflow of Minecraft’s experience across platforms.

What’s shared across platforms

Here are some examples from the what’s shared across platforms research.

DESTINY 2

DIABLO IV

FORTNITE

MINECRAFT

CROSS-PLATFORM DECk

Here are some slides from the deck I presented to the team about my findings from the cross-platform research. (PDF here)

ACCESSIBILITY RESEARCH

Games that have "good" accessibility experiences

These examples come from my research on shooter games featured in articles about strong accessibility experiences, including those from "Can I Play That?" (Can I Play That? - For Disabled Gamers, By Disabled Gamers) 

This is a brief excerpt from my research on Far Cry 6’s accessibility presets. I focused on capturing key details and providing visual examples for easy team reference.

Accessibility Presets

Within the Accessibility menu in Far Cry 6, players have access to a collection of options separated by categories. They are able to turn each one on or off as a set or adjust the options within each category individually. 

From "Can I Play That?" article: Far Cry 6 accessibility review - Can I Play That?

"Far Cry 6 is the most accessible title in the franchise yet. It not only makes a strong case for Ubisoft’s most accessible game to date, but also the strongest argument I’ve ever seen for the most accessible FPS I’ve ever played. "

Vision Preset

Players are able to toggle the Vision Preset on or off as a whole category, or they are able to make selections on individual options. Players are also able to preview the changes within the accessibility menu before they are applied. 

  • Vision Preset

    • Off (Default)

    • On (turns on the rest of the options within the Vision category)

    • Custom (appears when the player adjusts individual settings, can not be selected)

  • Menu Narration

    • Off

    • Speaker 1 (Female voice) (Default when Vision Preset is On)

    • Speaker 2 (Male voice)

  • Menu Narration Speed

    • Slow

    • Normal (Default when Vision Preset is On)

    • Fast

  • Menu Narration Volume (sliding scale)

    • 80 (Default when Vision Preset is On)

  • UI and Fonts Scaling

    • Normal

    • Increased (Default when Vision Preset is On)

  • Enemy Outline

    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)

    • Off

  • Enemy Outline Color

    • Opens Color Selector (Orange by default)

  • Pickup Outline

    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)

    • Off

  • Pickup Outline Color

    • Opens Color Selector (White by default)

  • Subtitles

    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)

    • Off

  • Subtitles Size

    • Small

    • Medium

    • Large (Default when Vision Preset is On)

  • Names in Subtitles

    • Multiple Colors (Default when Vision Preset is On)

    • Off

    • One Color 

  • Subtitles Background Visibility

    • Off

    • Semitransparent

    • Black (Default when Vision Preset is On)

  • Reticle Thickness

    • Normal

    • Bold (Default when Vision Preset is On)

  • Reticle Sway 

    • On

    • Off (Default when Vision Preset is On)

  • Aiming Assists 

    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)

    • Off

  • Lock-on Aim

    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)

  • Lock on Duration (sliding scale)

    • 10 (Default when Vision Preset is On)

  • Camera Shakes

    • Minimal (Default when Vision Preset is On)

    • Full

  • Poisoned and Drunk Effects

    • Off (Default when Vision Preset is On)

    • On

Hearing Preset

Players are able to toggle the Hearing Preset on or off as a whole category, or they are able to make selections on individual options. 

  • Hearing Preset

    • Off (Default)

    • On

    • Custom (appears when the player adjusts individual settings, can not be selected)

  • Master Volume (sliding scale)

    • 100 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

  • Radio Music Volume (sliding scale) 

    • 60 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

  • Dialog Volume (sliding scale)

    • 100 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

  • Score Music Volume (sliding scale)

    • 60 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

  • Sound Effects Volume (sliding scale)

    • 60 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

  • Subtitles 

    • On (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

    • Off

  • Subtitles Size 

    • Small

    • Medium (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

    • Large

  • Names in Subtitles 

    • Off

    • One Color

    • Multiple Colors (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

  • Subtitles Background Visibility 

    • Off

    • Semitransparent (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

    • Black

  • Sound Subtitles 

    • On (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

    • Off

  • Speech-To-Text

    • On (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

    • Off

  • Chat Wheel

    • On (Default when Hearing Preset is On)

    • Off

Accessibility deck

These are a few slides from the deck I put together to present findings to the team.