Game UI is invisible when it works, and unbearable when it doesn’t.
You’ve felt it before: clunky menus, weird scroll logic, unreadable icons. UI might not be the flashiest part of a game, but it’s the part players touch constantly. So it better feel good.
Here’s how we think about game UI, and how we actually build it with our indie clients.
First, what even is good game UI?
We’ve found that great UI has 3 core traits:
1. It’s readable.
Can I tell what I’m looking at? Do the fonts hold up at a glance? Do the icons mean what they’re supposed to?
2. It’s responsive.
Whether you’re on a mouse, controller, or touch screen, the UI should feel like it’s listening—not lagging behind.
3. It matches the game’s vibe.
If the art is painterly but the UI is neon and techy, something’s off. Good UI blends in just enough to support the mood.
How We Build It (Without Driving Everyone Nuts)
Every team is different, but here’s our usual flow:
1. Wireframes First
No colors, no frills. Just layouts that make sense. We start with flowcharts or grayboxes to figure out how the UI works before we make it pretty.
2. Look & Feel Pass
Once the layout’s solid, we layer on style. Fonts, icons, button states, all aligned to the game’s tone—whether that’s cozy, retro, slick, or unhinged.
3. Test, Tweak, Repeat
We play through mockups. We share playable prototypes. We ask, “What feels weird?” then fix it. We’re not precious about being right on the first pass.
Bonus: We also think about localization early (text length! font support!) so you’re not redoing UI in panic mode later.
Why It Matters
UI is how players live in your game. If it’s confusing, clunky, or just boring, it drags everything else down—even if the art and gameplay are amazing.
Great UI keeps players in the zone. It gives them confidence. It makes the whole game feel tighter.
Got UI questions? Need a fresh pair of eyes?
We’ve worked with indies across genres and platforms to make UIs that don’t just look good—they work.
