Ux Study Case – Final Fantasy 16 – Items Menu
As a UX Game Designer, I love diving into game interfaces to spot what works, what doesn’t, and how it could be better (honestly, I probably think about UX design way too much while playing games). This case study focuses on the Item Menu of Final Fantasy XVI. My goal? To show how I tackle UX challenges, find pain points, and whip up design solutions that make the game experience smoother and more enjoyable. Think of this as a peek into my design process—part detective work, part problem-solving, all with the player in mind.
Identified UX Issues
Through hands-on interaction with Final Fantasy XVI‘s Item Menu, I identified three primary areas for improvement:
- Button Confusion: L1/R1 vs. L2/R2
Problem: The Item Menu navigation relies on the L1 and R1 buttons, which can be easily confused with L2 and R2 due to their close placement. This leads to accidental misclicks, causing unintended menu navigation. In fact L2 and R2 are used in the game for the header menu, increasing the likelihood of players mistakenly pressing the wrong buttons when switching between menus.
2. Information Layout
Problem: Item names are listed on the left side of the screen, while detailed descriptions are displayed on the far right. This layout forces players to constantly shift their gaze back and forth, creating unnecessary work and visual fatigue during extended gameplay sessions.
3. Unclear Iconography
Problem: The consumables share the same generic potion bottle icon. This lack of differentiation makes it difficult for players to quickly distinguish between items like Potions, Elixirs (healing), and Tonics (stat boosts). Additionally, the visual representation of items when selected is very small, reducing legibility and quick recognition.
Proposed Solutions
To tackle these issues, I began by conducting a competitor analysis and collecting references from other games to understand different approaches to similar menu systems.
This helped me identify best practices and potential design inspirations.
After several iterations and quick wireframes created in Figma, I developed the following solutions to address these issues:
- Improved Navigation with the Right Stick
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- Solution: Replace L1/R1 navigation with horizontal input from the Right Stick. This minimizes the risk of misclicks and provides a more intuitive, fluid way to cycle through menu tabs, leveraging a control method that players naturally associate with horizontal movement.
2. Streamlined Information Layout
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- Solution: Move the item descriptions directly below the selected item in the list. This reduces the need for players to shift their gaze across the screen, allowing them to process information more quickly and with less mental effort.
3. Enhanced Iconography and Visual Hierarchy
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- Solution: Design distinct icons for Potions, Elixirs, and Tonics to improve quick recognition. I also allocated the right side of the screen for lore details and slightly larger item images, enhancing the visual appeal and providing more context. While I recognize that larger images may pose production challenges depending on existing assets, this is an area I would discuss further with the art and production teams to assess feasibility.
Next Steps
This project is a work in progress. My next goal is to create a functional prototype of the redesigned Item Menu to conduct usability testing. This will help validate the effectiveness of my solutions, identify any new issues, and refine the design based on user feedback.
Conclusion
This case study reflects my ability to critically analyze game interfaces, identify user experience challenges, and develop practical, player-focused solutions. It also illustrates my iterative design process and my consideration of production constraints when proposing UX improvements.
All trademarks and copyrights related to Final Fantasy XVI are owned by Square Enix. This case study is a fan work, created for analytical purposes, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Square Enix.
