This is a rapid prototype for a game that is currently in development. I am the UI designer on this project, and I was tasked with brainstorming concepts for our main mechanic. The game revolves around the use of colour in puzzle solving, so we need a UI that is easy to read while being bright and positive to look at. The entire process – from the brainstorming phase to creating a prototype in Unity – took about 5 hours.

To begin, I brainstormed some ideas for possible UI interfaces. Three of these were based on the concept of “radial” menus, seen in games like Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, and many more. The player holds down the menu button and makes a selection by holding in the direction of that selection, rather than selecting it precisely. The second were all more traditional real-time menus, where the player cycles through options with 2 keys/buttons (such as the left and right bumper on controller)

In the end, I decided to go further with the half-radial menu. I made a quick storyboard to showcase how exactly the mechanic will work in a real in-game situation.

With a storyboard showcasing what I want the mechanic to look like in a bit more detail, I wanted to create a rapid prototype to see what it would look like in action. Below is the result:

Once again, the entire process of brainstorming, story-boarding, and creating a prototype in Unity took about 5 hours to complete.