Madden NFL 15 Playcall Design
Project Contribution: Art Direction | UX Design | Playtesting | Technical Artist | Programming | Interaction Design | Motion Design
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Madden NFL 15 featured an entirely new play call screen layout as well as new situational and concept play call recommendations.
Playcall is the most used screen in the game (and it could be argued one of the most used screens in any game), so it was important to get it right. As a result, we went through several rounds of iteration transitioning to higher-fidelity photoshop wireframes.
The design process began with a design document and a Balsamiq mock-up created by the product designer. From there I iterated through the wireframes, moving or removing information as necessary to ensure everything fit onto the screen with appropriate visibility.
Once we were happy with the wireframes I performed paper-prototypes with various folks throughout the studio.
After the wireframes were created and vetted they were passed to the UI artist for high-fidelity mocks. I had previously established the new in-game broadcast style guide for Madden 15. Using my style guide as a base, I worked with the UI artist to ensure my vision was implemented consistently.
After the mocks were completed I performed all of the technical art requirements for the screen - creating the components, scripting animations, interfacing with engineers, and debugging.
The final feature was well received by Madden fans and reviewers alike.
“This is the most user-friendly and fun-to-play Madden to date, and that’s thanks to new inclusions that help players make more informed choices, both before and during a play, in a sport distinguished by strategy.”