I see video-games as works of software that *narrativize learning curves*. This kind of good UX is not just in plot-driven games, but also "simpler" games like Mario, Smash, or other arcade-like games. Game developers and designers think exhaustively about how to guide & motivate players. They layer-on concepts with sparkles & sequence-of-events to inspire delight or intrigue. Scott Jenson makes a compelling case for video games as a breeding ground for innovative UX design [on his blog](https://jenson.org/games/). Jenson talked about how he felt like there was a paradox in the comparison between the use of sparkles & tension in games versus the minimalism & utilitarianism in apps ([[Aesthetics and Design are getting more expressionist]]). Then the blog post picks apart common misunderstandings of video game design to highlight ways that video games actually demonstrate UX design excellence Games play with experimental UX techniques optimized for satisfying and intuitive feedback/response. They are constantly trying to evolve. > “Fun is just another word for learning” > — Raph Koster, *A Theory of Fun*. See also: *[Make It Fun: Chaos in Product Design](https://www.gabrielvaldivia.com/essays/make-it-fun-chaos-in-product-design)* **[[Mental models]] shape user intent**, affordances encourage action, and feedback gives a result. Apps that bridge the gap between fun and learning are better apps. > **Getting the fundamentals solid first, then doing as much with that core concept as time & ambition will allow.** > — Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo Games Director) This applies beyond games and apps. **APPS:** Each feature is in isolation, how it is done usually has little relation to other features (other that using a style guide) **GAMES**: Build a game through a single, mechanic that grows in expressive power by adding modifiers like time, special keys, or timing. (Movies do this to but with themes, concepts, mise-en-scene, etc!) * They regularly create novel new user interface paradigms, like *Horizon: Zero Dawn*’s augmented reality heads up displays * Games need to give people confidence that practicing how to use it is worthwhile. They’re not exactly like apps, but they have many qualities that can inspire great app design [[2022-05-20-Fri]]: [@davidhoang on Twitter](https://twitter.com/davidhoang/status/1526763925248757761?s=12&t=-NC7axierRALdyobRlRtTg): > The way you approach end user behaviors for visual development tools look more like the non-linear journeys of game design than it does linear software. **Games** do present a story, but players create the narrative, the experience between story elements. They will construct a narrative to help them understand what they are experiencing. **Apps** Just throw in a bunch of features into a pot. **GAMES** Understand everything is a journey. Work hard to make everything a closely connected arc of events that help the user create a narrative that matches the overall story.” Apps assume users are at a constant skill level, sticking to established patterns of doing things, while games encourage users to break from that mold—they use hints to move users to the next level. > As there aren’t any good examples in App UX, let me make one up: creating a guide in a drawing app. I’ll use Photoshop, but Sketch or Figma could just as easily use this. There is a “Beginner level” way to create a guide just by using a menu and dialog box. It’s simple and it works. But most power users know to just drag it out from the bar. How could we use hintiness to help users discover it? One way would be to add a quick, lightweight animation. When the user try the dialog box to add the guide, instead of simply appearing, add an animation ‘sparkle’ in the ruler area and then animate out the guide to the position they asked for. Fast, quick and subtle. The user might not even notice it but after they see it a few times, they might just wonder what was going on and try it themselves. That is what games try to do, get you pulled in and copy what they are showing you. * Apps offer a huge toolbox and let users figure out how to start, games have a clear understanding of the journey and say “start here first.” [When to Design for Emergence - by Kasey Klimes](https://rhizomerd.substack.com/p/when-to-design-for-emergence?s=r). An extensive look into a design approach that gives users the agency to create their own solutions. > In design for emergence, the designer assumes that the end-user holds relevant knowledge and gives them extensive control over the design. Rather than designing the end result, we design the user’s experience of designing their own end result. In this way we can think of design for emergence as a form of ‘meta-design.’ […] In other words, to address the long-tail problem, the tool must be flexible enough that it can be adapted to unexpected and idiosyncratic problem spaces—especially those unanticipated by the tool’s designer. > […] Design for emergence is composable. It provides a limited ‘alphabet’ and a generative grammar that’s easy to learn and employ, yet can be extended to create powerful, complex applications. As Seymour Papert once remarked, “English is a language for children,” but this fact, “does not preclude its being also a language for poets, scientists, and philosophers.” Overall, there’s a lot to learn from game UIs. ## See also - [[Novel UI ideas are public goods]] * [[Film and Design have many overlaps]] * [[August reading]] * [[Narratives are a meaning-making layer over stories and plots]] #bio #career #design #mediums