Ui Design Theory

UI Design Theory Foundations

• Course Module Coverage

• Basic workflows for functional UI

• Design philosophies

  • Focus: Giving players needed information
  • Balance between too much/little information

• Modular workflows and programming paradigms

• Resources & References

• gameuidatabase.com

  • 1000+ game UI examples
  • Searchable by categories
    • Inventory, health bars, settings, loading screens
  • Great for inspiration/prototyping reference

• Design Approaches

• Minimalist Design Philosophy

  • Keep UI simple, clean, small
  • “Focus on world immersion over UI elements”
  • Complementary information that takes backseat
  • Core purpose: Display clear, concise information

• Modular Design Strategy

  • Templates for easy updates/changes
  • Create reusable UI assets
  • Benefits:
    • Quick updates across all UI
    • Faster development with drag-drop components
    • Easier iteration during feedback

• Programming Guidelines

• Core Rule: “Never store game data within UI”

  • Data belongs in character components/blueprints
  • UI only retrieves and displays information
  • Example: Stats menu gets data from stat actor component
  • Similar to web browsers retrieving/displaying data

Course provides essential UI design principles focusing on player experience, modularity, and proper data handling. Emphasizes balance between information clarity and game immersion.