Problem: My Droplets (MD) was completely overhauling their 3D environment and wanted a new set of UI to complement the new world design. It was lacking iconography and design elements that would make the game cute, bright, and fun on the 2D side. The team was also reworking the UX of several mechanics and needed to update those interfaces as well.
Solution: Redesigned the entire UI, implemented iconography, and revisited UX for most screens. Imported all UI into Roblox studio.
Tools Used: Roblox Studio, Photoshop, Illustrator
Background: My Droplets (MD) is the first title published by FullFlower Studio and it currently boasts 50+ million player visits. The game was featured in CNBC, NYT, and more! This was my first major project that involved multiple interaction system's UIUX design.
Creating a Personal Experience
Since the game is about adopting, growing with, and taking care of your own droplet, I wanted to make the adoption process feel like you're establishing a real relationship. I created the new interface with elements from the real world so it feels like a real pet adoption process instead of just another screen and button to click on.
A Real Goodbye
Similarly, I wanted to finish the process by following the same design ideas to make it feel bittersweet but also hopeful. The retirement interface is a small last goodbye to your droplet.
Closer to Your Little One
The previous UI was simply 4 buttons around the droplet's anchor point (similar to The Sim's 4's Sims interaction UI). I wanted create a more intimate experience, so I designed a new pet interaction system that utilized zoom and focus to emphasize droplet interaction.
It offered a good balance between building a connection through interactions while still displaying the necessary statistics and information.
A New Building Experience
One major drawback with the previous furniture editor was that it took up too much space and had a lot of inconsistent visual elements. I compacted all of the categories into icon buttons and placed most of the UI outside of direct view so players can place furniture without obstruction.
Conclusion
Although this project is very old, My Droplets is one project that I always look back at.
It was my first major project and I learned a lot about designing systems that enhanced the system-to-player experience. Having more freedom with the design process helped me make better design choices that followed the functions of the game's systems.
Looking back, I recognize a lot of visual mistakes and contrast issues I had in my work, but this project is still very important to me because it shows when I grew the most and also how far I've come along in my craft.
