Fortnite UI Challenge
Fortnite is one of the top-earning games to hit the industry ever. With this project, I asked a very important question: How can I develop the main menu further while still keeping core values of emoting in the lobby, specific stats shown, and interacting with friends overall.
What's the problem / pain points of Fortnite Currently?
Researching ideas and how similar games handle
the same problems
My main goal was to see how to develop the main menu further while still keeping core values of emoting in the lobby, specific stats shown, and interacting with friends overall.
Primarily Used Resources
-
Valorant has sharp edges and an eye-catching UI, which is the direction Fortnite is taking as the later seasons show.
-
CS:GO is one game that doesn’t have a “lobby” until you’re in a match, however, the layout of the tabs, stores, and game modes was very interesting to see. Valorant and CS:GO both have some kind of concept to have the friends list on the side of the main menu, which made me curious about that in the Fortnite Style.
-
Apex Legends inspired me to the ‘box’ formatting for the players instead of the circles they currently stand on. Noticeably, if a player emotes, the limbs/props will exit the box temporarily until the emote is over.
Not Used, but still acknowledged
Tower Unite inspired me to create a lobby where players can explore selecting game modes physically; however, this is way out of scope.
Persona 5 was the last game for me to explore as I was curious how they handled having multiple sub-menus within menus. They have super dynamic transitions but I definitely couldn’t do this within the time given for this assignment.
Prototype 1, feeling out shapes and layouts
Prototype 2, more on brand colors and shape language
Final version
The Final version has hide-able menus, notifications, and the level of the player was moved for clarity sake between versions.
These changes were made with newer players in mind. A less cluttered base menu allows submenus to flourish by the option of player choice. If you don't need to change anything, then there's no reason to have it constantly on display. Otherwise, the player know exactly where to go based on what the player needs.
​
By clustering all of the settings options together, this adds the visual separation of the current standard of putting the friend list and settings options under one major submenu.
Benefits of the implemented changes
UX Designer for Fortnite (Celia Hodent) Explains their goals were based off the two main UX pillars in their game: “usability” and what she calls “engage-ability”.
By implementing changes based on the player feedback, this will bring back these two core pillars to Fortnite’s Menu/Lobby concepts.
As well as giving Fortnite back it’s “originality” (strong third design pillar) as it was the stepping stone for the Battle Royale genre to blossom!
Playtester Feedback
The "Good"
-
Fortnite crown for the leader is better than just the glow currently in the game.
-
Being able to emote while in boxes is very unique ("Like Apex Champion Cards but more user focused").
-
The friends list on the side is nicer than a sub-menu/closable menu.
-
The second version is so much less stressful.
-
The triangle “Ready up” shape is very unique and eye-catching.
-
Consolidates everything in a way that makes sense to players to easily understand what each section does.
-
Shape language is unique and eye-catching overall.
-
The custom game menu concept is nice instead of being stuck in the lobby.
-
Epic games custom games vs players are weird to have in the same menu so the idea of a ‘separate’ lobby for this is great.
The "Bad"
-
Crown feels wrong since it's used as an 'I won a match' not who's the leader.
-
Feels very flat when the players aren't standing in a dynamic background.
-
Having the collab info gone completely is "odd", what if a player has been gone for too long and doesn’t know the latest collab?
-
Battle Royale then squad size is a clunky "feeling" to select.
-
The ranked mode is a little awkwardly positioned but could easily be fixed.