The main mistakes in the design of the main menu of the game
Why is the main menu important? Meet, as they say, on clothes. I think no one will argue that the first impression is very important. The main menu is what meets the user before entering your amazing game. What will it be? A polite, tidy butler, or a blunt-looking unshaven bruiser from whom he fumes?
By experience (as a player and as a developer), he identified the top major mistakes in the design of the main menu of the game.
A very common mistake. Here you and the main buttons, and bonus content, and links to the site, and access to social. networks, and various ratings, statuses, and a panel with friends, and a column from Twitter developers, etc. etc.
Oh, and the animated cartoon in the background ... a real carnival. All that is missing is the fireworks and the girls dancing the can-kan in the first row. Although there may be such games.
')
The user is frankly lost in a huge number of elements. And you know what? He will not notice in this diversity half of the information that you impose on him.
Tip: Work on the active elements, leave only what the user really needs (!). Additional elements are better to make smaller.
Before this, games were sinned very often. For example, we are met by a room, in the middle of the table, in the corner of a kind of gun. The wind is howling, disturbing music sounds. And ... so what?
Having moved around the screen with the mouse, we find that some elements (typewriter on the table, fan, stool, ...) are highlighted (and God forbid, if the text indicates the value of these objects).
This confuses the user. Is it cool? It is doubtful. But the player gets his first quest - to go through the screen and find all the highlighted elements in order to understand in general where to click. Is it cool? Not cool at all!
Not to mention the fact that some things are logically unrelated to the real meaning. Why, for example, a typewriter is a “new game”. And to continue the game then what? “Settings” is a radio in the corner of the room. Why?! Why not woolen socks in the closet? They are cool too!
This is wildly uncomfortable. A person can focus attention on a group of adjacent buttons and select the right one. Therefore, the advice is to group the active elements by meaning and select the most used ones (by color or size).
The main buttons: “new game”, “continue”, “exit” are better to show in the most conspicuous place - better in the middle of the screen or below.
Some additional functions (if so necessary to show them) - it is better to group them somewhere aside. But, again, do not smear everything on the screen. Ideally, make no more than two groups of objects: basic and additional.
It’s, of course, cool that half the game card with all the characters and cool effects is loaded right in the main menu, but think about the user. If the menu is loaded almost as a level in the game - nafig such a menu. Select one character or a small (!) Spectacular image. No need to drag a bunch of objects into the main menu, no matter how great it looks. This is great the first 5-10 starts, then irritation arises because of the brake menu, which is loaded for almost a minute.
I already wrote about this above, but I want to highlight once again: you do not need to make a huge area with game news, advertising of other products, etc. Not all users are so interested. People do not like banners and other obsessive jumping windows. Remember this.
Madly enrages. If any item (for example, “Ratings” or “Profile”) leads to the browser - I beg, give a warning to the user. And in this warning, make the checkbox "no more show." Then everyone will be happy.
Personally, I will click “Cancel” in 90% of cases.
You worked very hard and made an amazing screensaver. It is so perfect that Blizzard sends its employees to you for an internship. But I saw her yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and, damn you, she was already fed up!
Why show the splash screen every time you start the game? Why not show once and somewhere in the interface to make a reference to re-show?
A special place in the programmer hell is prepared for those who make these screen savers without being able to miss. Once again, I looked through this screensaver - by the time the main menu appeared, I was not sure that I wanted to play.
These are items that are black boxes (sometimes Pandora’s boxes) until you click. This is most often an icon that the user has never seen before. Someone will click out of curiosity, and someone will ignore. In any case, think over the graphic images of the menu items, and better - sign everything with text (at least in the form of a tooltip).
Entertainment - a terrible thing. But if, when triggered, the menu item starts the animation for more than three seconds - this is bad. The user has already seen your work and appreciated it, but each time he has to wait until the pressed menu items turn over nicely and disappear into the sunset. Do not make the user wait. He doesn't like it.
Well and the main thing. Make the interface so that it would be nice to play yourself, and you shouldn't be ashamed of your mother. Good luck!
By experience (as a player and as a developer), he identified the top major mistakes in the design of the main menu of the game.
1. Heap of buttons and other active objects
A very common mistake. Here you and the main buttons, and bonus content, and links to the site, and access to social. networks, and various ratings, statuses, and a panel with friends, and a column from Twitter developers, etc. etc.
Oh, and the animated cartoon in the background ... a real carnival. All that is missing is the fireworks and the girls dancing the can-kan in the first row. Although there may be such games.
')
The user is frankly lost in a huge number of elements. And you know what? He will not notice in this diversity half of the information that you impose on him.
Tip: Work on the active elements, leave only what the user really needs (!). Additional elements are better to make smaller.
2. Menu items in the form of active objects of the general graphic scene.
Before this, games were sinned very often. For example, we are met by a room, in the middle of the table, in the corner of a kind of gun. The wind is howling, disturbing music sounds. And ... so what?
Having moved around the screen with the mouse, we find that some elements (typewriter on the table, fan, stool, ...) are highlighted (and God forbid, if the text indicates the value of these objects).
This confuses the user. Is it cool? It is doubtful. But the player gets his first quest - to go through the screen and find all the highlighted elements in order to understand in general where to click. Is it cool? Not cool at all!
Not to mention the fact that some things are logically unrelated to the real meaning. Why, for example, a typewriter is a “new game”. And to continue the game then what? “Settings” is a radio in the corner of the room. Why?! Why not woolen socks in the closet? They are cool too!
3. Active objects are spread across the screen.
This is wildly uncomfortable. A person can focus attention on a group of adjacent buttons and select the right one. Therefore, the advice is to group the active elements by meaning and select the most used ones (by color or size).
The main buttons: “new game”, “continue”, “exit” are better to show in the most conspicuous place - better in the middle of the screen or below.
Some additional functions (if so necessary to show them) - it is better to group them somewhere aside. But, again, do not smear everything on the screen. Ideally, make no more than two groups of objects: basic and additional.
4. The main menu is overloaded with animation.
It’s, of course, cool that half the game card with all the characters and cool effects is loaded right in the main menu, but think about the user. If the menu is loaded almost as a level in the game - nafig such a menu. Select one character or a small (!) Spectacular image. No need to drag a bunch of objects into the main menu, no matter how great it looks. This is great the first 5-10 starts, then irritation arises because of the brake menu, which is loaded for almost a minute.
5. Insanely obsessive background elements.
I already wrote about this above, but I want to highlight once again: you do not need to make a huge area with game news, advertising of other products, etc. Not all users are so interested. People do not like banners and other obsessive jumping windows. Remember this.
6. Links that collapse the game and open the browser without warning
Madly enrages. If any item (for example, “Ratings” or “Profile”) leads to the browser - I beg, give a warning to the user. And in this warning, make the checkbox "no more show." Then everyone will be happy.
Personally, I will click “Cancel” in 90% of cases.
7. Screensavers that appear every time you start the game
You worked very hard and made an amazing screensaver. It is so perfect that Blizzard sends its employees to you for an internship. But I saw her yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and, damn you, she was already fed up!
Why show the splash screen every time you start the game? Why not show once and somewhere in the interface to make a reference to re-show?
A special place in the programmer hell is prepared for those who make these screen savers without being able to miss. Once again, I looked through this screensaver - by the time the main menu appeared, I was not sure that I wanted to play.
8. Mysterious items
These are items that are black boxes (sometimes Pandora’s boxes) until you click. This is most often an icon that the user has never seen before. Someone will click out of curiosity, and someone will ignore. In any case, think over the graphic images of the menu items, and better - sign everything with text (at least in the form of a tooltip).
9. Long operation of menu items
Entertainment - a terrible thing. But if, when triggered, the menu item starts the animation for more than three seconds - this is bad. The user has already seen your work and appreciated it, but each time he has to wait until the pressed menu items turn over nicely and disappear into the sunset. Do not make the user wait. He doesn't like it.
Well and the main thing. Make the interface so that it would be nice to play yourself, and you shouldn't be ashamed of your mother. Good luck!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/195608/
All Articles