What is UX, and how can you incorporate its principles with online casino games? Online gaming sites like Casino Verde did not happen to look like that. There is an element that the designers take into account, and that element is called user experience. This design element should not be interchanged with the user interface (UI), as the interface has more to do with merely the look and feel of the site.
What Is UX Design?
It is a process that involves a cornucopia of things that make up the entire gaming experience of a user. Here are some examples:
- The branding of the game involves colors.
- The process where a customer acquires and installs the game or how a customer accesses it.
- The design of the game.
- The things that a player would click.
- The sounds used.
- The function of each button.
As you can see, the UX encompasses everything that a customer experiences. It is the very thing that gives the customer either satisfaction or disappointment on a product or game. So, how do you use these design principles in online casino gaming?
UX Principles for Online Casino Games
In this section, let us discuss some of the most important UX design principles that you can apply when designing online casino games.
Signals and Cues
Signals and cues or feedback refer to the things that a player sees. Appropriate feedback can give players ideas on how to move forward so they do not feel lost when playing. In addition, signals also include sounds and textual messages.
As a developer, you must ensure that you do not overwhelm the player. You need to provide just an adequate number of signals for a player to learn how to play it and what the goal is.
Usability and Function
This one refers to the usefulness of the variables in the game. As a developer, you must ensure that the player can easily find the controls that they are looking for.
Focus on the fact that players need to see the controls easily. It does not make sense to hide these controls, especially when they are needed to control the actual game. If anything, you should only hide controls for the settings.
Ultimately, your goal is to create an intuitive navigation system. The player must be able to figure out what the controls are for. In addition, the game must automatically block or disable buttons if they are not supposed to work while it is commencing.
Player Onboarding
Lastly, you must consider player onboarding when doing the UX design. In casino gaming, it is not uncommon to take the gambler right away to the game, and then explain the goal of it during this demonstration.
One thing to avoid is asking the gambler to read so many things. They do not like this experience. At best, you must immerse the player in the game immediately and find a balance between instructing and allowing players to explore it.
Tips for Better UX Design
To help you further, here are some important tips you can use for UX design. These tips will help you further understand what is at stake and plan your game better.
- Research and Planning – before designing, you have to conduct research and find your target audience. This activity will help you understand what your target users require.
- Brainstorming – by now, you would have a better understanding of what your users need to experience. After your research, you should also have a clear idea of where your competitors have failed. Once you know all these, you can start brainstorming for as many ideas as you can and then finalize what items to retain and which ones to discard.
- Production – now, you can begin the production phase, which includes creating storylines, designing and drawing the elements, the sprites, and many other things. The production phase is the longest in UX design.
Once you have a prototype, you can begin testing your game. It is in this phase that you will have to check for the functionality of your game program. You need to ensure that it does not break your own. Also, it is a phase when you check the sounds and graphics to ensure that they work according to your specifications.
Then, you can make edits and do the final polishing of the gaming product. After this, you are finally ready to launch your online casino title.
Overall, UX or user experience has something to do with how a gamer would feel when playing a game. It is the principle behind the whole experience, and it includes aspects of branding and function. As such, game developers should approach user experience as a whole and not just from the aspect of design.
