Ultimate-athletics | Nikunj Rallabhandi

Game Overview

Ultimate Athletics is a dynamic sports simulation game focusing on track and field events like the 100m dash, 400m relay, javelin throwing, archery, and swimming. Designed for teens aged 13-18, the game merges a realistic yet stylized aesthetic to capture the energy, skill, and intensity of athletics.

Tools used:

Goals

The primary objective is to enhance the user experience by:

Refining navigation and interface usability.
Improving clarity and responsiveness of in-game interactions.
Optimizing visual design to align with the game’s high-energy theme.
Enhancing the tutorial and progression systems to balance accessibility with challenge.
Fostering engagement through motivational and competitive elements.

Research and Insights

1. Target Audience Understanding

Demographics: Players aged 13-18, familiar with fast-paced, competitive games.
Behavior: Motivated by progress, competition, and visually appealing designs.
Pain Points: Overwhelming interfaces, unclear tutorials, and a lack of engaging progression systems.

2. Competitive Analysis

Strengths of competitors: Smooth transitions, clear tutorials, and rewarding progression systems.
Weaknesses to avoid: Overly complicated interfaces and a lack of engaging visual cues.

3. Usability Testing

Test sessions highlighted areas for improvement:
- Navigation: Users found the menu transitions slightly unintuitive.
- Interaction Feedback: Some animations lacked responsiveness.
- Tutorial: New players felt the tutorial was too generic and not personalized to individual events.

Design Enhancements

1. Vibrant Color Scheme

Use bold blues and oranges to energize the interface, ensuring important elements like action buttons and progress bars stand out.
Apply gradients in backgrounds to add depth, resembling stadium lighting.

2. Clear Layout

Implement structured sections for:
- Achievements and Stats: Easily accessible on the home screen.
- Actions: Centralized buttons for quick access to events and customization.
Include collapsible menus for less-used features to maintain simplicity.

3. Athletic Theme Integration

Incorporate stadium-like backdrops and sporty fonts for headers and buttons.
Introduce action poses for characters during idle moments to maintain immersion.

4. Progress Indicators

Add visual trackers (e.g., medal counts, event completion bars).
Introduce motivational stats like "Top 10% in archery globally" to push engagement.

5. Character-Centric Design

Make the character a focal point of customization and progression.
Use expressions and body language to indicate progress (e.g., cheering after completing a level).

6. Engaging Typography

Employ high-contrast fonts with bold headers for event highlights and progress screens.
Ensure secondary information is legible but less prominent.

7. Motivational Elements

Introduce leaderboards segmented by age group and region to encourage competition.
Highlight milestones visually with animations (e.g., glowing medals).

Prototype and Testing

1. Wireframes

Redesigned navigation flow and interface elements.
Focused on simplifying menu access and enhancing event selection.

2. High-Fidelity Prototypes

Included the new color scheme, progress indicators, and stadium aesthetics.
Tested responsiveness of animations and visual feedback.

3. User Testing Results

Navigation: 85% of testers completed tasks faster with the new layout.
Tutorial Engagement: Personalized tutorials for each event increased user retention by 30%.
Visual Design: 90% of users appreciated the vibrant colors and character-centric elements.

Colour and Typography

Final Design Features

Streamlined Navigation: Quick access to events, progress, and achievements.
Enhanced Tutorials: Event-specific guides with interactive prompts.
Dynamic Visuals: Stadium-inspired backdrops, vibrant colors, and responsive animations.
Progress and Motivation: Milestone-based rewards and personalized stats.