Project Overview

Illuvium consists of three interoperable games: Overworld, a creature capture and exploration game akin to Monster Hunter, and Arena, an autobattler strategy game. My work spanned across multiple beta phases to improve the gameplay experience and user interface for these titles.

My Work

• Research Leadership: During Private Beta phases 1, 2, and 3, I took the initiative to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research. I worked closely with game designers to identify key areas they wanted to explore and created research frameworks to gather valuable insights.

• Playtesting & Surveys: In Private Beta 1, which introduced Illuvium: Arena (Survival Mode), I ran one-on-one moderated playtests and crafted screening surveys to select appropriate candidates. Using structured interviews and surveys, I provided detailed insights into players’ experiences.

• Data Synthesis: Leveraging UX research tools like Dovetail, I synthesized data from surveys and playtests, presenting actionable insights to the game design team. These insights influenced key changes, such as improving legibility, round status indicators, and the size of the start button.

• Collaboration: For Private Betas 2 and 3, which featured Overworld and Illuvium Zero (a city builder), I designed quantitative surveys to assess player understanding of various features across these games. I also collaborated with Game UX/UI designers to enhance the interface, including reworking Illuvial information cards and streamlining the results screen in Arena.

  
  

Outcome

The research findings helped the team iterate on Arena's Survival Mode, making it more user-friendly. Improvements to the interface, such as enhancing legibility and refining the Illuvial cards, made the game more accessible. The collaboration also ensured ongoing improvements across Overworld and other titles.

Learnings

This project deepened my expertise in end-to-end UX research, from defining game experience goals with designers to executing playtests and synthesizing data into meaningful insights. I gained valuable experience in moderating playtests, working with over 10 participants, and improving game design based on player feedback.