Prototype Class Case Study

For this class, we were tasked with creating three different prototypes over the course of a semester, with all of them taking around the same amount of time.

For each prototype, our team had to create questions that we had to answer through the game.

Each prototype the class made will be an option for a larger capstone team to expand the prototype into a fully released game.

Raterial Replace

My Role

UI/UX Designer

Project length

Three Weeks

Team Size

Ten people (Two UX Designers)

Raterial Replace is a game where the player, Ricky Rat, is tasked to escape each level. The player has a material swapping weapon that will swap an objects material with another objects material when shot.

Pillars and Questions

The core pillars

  • Curiosity
    • Figuring out what the different materials do
  • Excitement
    • Solving puzzles
  • Amusement
    • Seeing the setting and shenanigans of the game

The questions

  • Is the material swapping mechanic satisfying and intuitive?
  • How many distinct materials do we need to create a fun assortment of puzzles?
  • How mechanically engaging are puzzles based around this system?
  • How much of the puzzles should be movement based/dependent?

Inspiration, Moodboard, First designs

Early inspirations for the UI came from holographic UI elements in games and in real life, along with a futuristic theme.

We looked at the UI of games like Portal, Lethal Company, Outer Wilds, and more. 

The Process designs

With two designers on the team, on this prototype, we worked on all aspects of the UI together. We combined our designs during our meetings and found a middle ground between our designs. 

We decided we wanted the UI to resemble what the player character (Ricky Rat) would be seeing through a headset they’re wearing. 

So the UI includes the task the player needs to complete, the level they are on, and most importantly the emotion the Ricky Rat is feeling.

Final Designs

Bloody Hell

My Role

UI/UX Designer

Project Length

Four Weeks

Team Size

Nine People (Two UX Designers)

Bloody Hell is a movement shooter where the player’s goal is to get through the levels as fast as possible. The player is equipped with three syringes that give the player different abilities. While defeating enemies, the player’s syringes refill.

Pillars and Questions

The core pillars

  • Action
  • Speed
  • Abilities
  • Color

The questions

  • Can a comprehensible movement focused FPS be made with 2D assets in a 3D environment?
  • Can a power-up-based movement system in an FPS work?
  • Can a fast paced FPS be fun with a medium range melee weapon?
  • Can the game have visual coherency in a grayscale environment that is actively being colored?

Inspirations and Early designs

I was inspired by two main games for this prototype, World of Dogs and Ultrakill. I wanted to go with a brutalist and tech style for the UI. 

Design iterations

The parts of this prototype I made were the syringes, the health bloodbag, and the stat tracker on the left side of the screen. The UI also includes a vein that shows the player the duration of their injection powerup. 

Final Designs

Fly-Boy in Pizza Panic

My Role

UI/UX Designer

Project Length

Four Weeks

Team Size

Ten People (Two UX Designers)

Fly-Boy in Pizza Panic is a time-based delivery. The player (Fly-Boy) must deliver pizzas as fast as he can to pay his rent while stopping crime events by his nemesis, The Swatter. The goal is to earn enough money to pay Fly-Boy’s rent while stopping crime at the same time.

Pillars and Questions

The Core pillars

  • Chaos
  • Speed
  • Silly
  • Decision making

The questions

  • Can we find a fun balance between crime fighting and delivery?
  • Is micro-managing the chaos an engaging gameplay loop?
  • Can we make a satisfying (but challenging) 3D flying system?
  • Can we make the challenge of navigating a city fast fun?

Inspirations and Moodboard

This game takes huge inspiration from comic books and comic design style. The game itself takes inspiration from games like Crazy Taxi and the pizza delivery missions in the Spider-Man 2 video game. 

We wanted a vibrant and fun feeling to all of the UI. We wanted to capture the feeling of a comic book in the UI. 

Design Iteration

The style of UI was solidified but it still went through multiple iterations. The in-game UI is the highlight of this project for me, and it went through many iterations. 

The biggest hurdle for the UI is that we had so much to communicate to the player, and game mechanics were consistently changing through development. 

Final Designs