Skills: Usability Testing, Playtesting, Recruiting, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Survey Design, Data Analysis, Insight Synthesis, Heuristic Evaluation, RITE Method, Target Groups, Cross-functional Collaboration, Stakeholder Management, Clear Reporting & Communication, Workshop / Meeting Facilitation, Accessibility Workshop Design, UX Design, Human-Centered Design, Visual Design, Figma, Accessibility Principles, Wireframes, Prototyping, Style guides, UX Writing.
After joining Constellation Creative as a Lead UX Designer & Researcher in January 2026, I immediately developed a research plan tailored to the needs of the team and the stakeholders. We decided to employ the RITE method, requiring me to conduct 3 playtests a week on average. The platytests were accompanied by a custom survey providing insights into the most pressing issues and evaluating the most important mechanics. I provided a weekly report outlining the steps the team can take to address the most pressing issues. As for the recruitment process, target groups were defined to ensure the players closer to our target audience could be reserved for milestone testing. I regularly met with colleagues from different departments to discuss our team's commitment to accessibility and usability and come up with actionable steps to solve any issues that may arise.
As I am also the Lead UX & UI Designer, I was recently tasked with coming up with a prototype addressing the issues found during testing. Below, you can see the comparison between the initial UI layouts of the two menus, the UI prototypes designed by me, and lastly, the final in-game implementation. For the Topic Choice Menu, the main problem revealed during the playtests was the player's inability to tell if it is their turn and, therefore, attempting to act during the opponent's turn. The suggestions to combat it included adding a turn marker and changing the phrasing from "pick a topic" to "topic choice" as the title of the menu encouraged players to take action even outside of their turn. Once my suggested changes were implemented, no players experienced any issues that involved not being able to tell whose turn it is, which greatly improved the player experience.
Another issue that heavily affected the use of the Card Choice Menu. The "end turn" button was placed next to the HP bar, which resulted in all players struggling to locate it. This significantly delayed the desired action, resulting in player frustration. In the prototype, the button was moved to the middle of the screen with a text label added, making it easier to notice and understand. This feature in the final game looks almost identical to the prototype outside of minor cosmetic changes. The implementation of the feature resulted in all subsequent players easily ending their turns. This and many other usability issues identified throughout the playtests were addressed in the prototype and then later formally implemented in the game.
Topic Choice Menu
1. Topic Choice Menu Original UI
2. Topic Choice Menu UI Prototype
3. Topic Choice Menu Final Implementation
Card Choice Menu
1. Card Choice Menu Original UI
2. Card Choice Menu UI Prototype
3. Card Choice Menu Final Implementation