Designing for an MMORPG and staying true to the IP
Team
Role
Scope
Cryptic Studios
Staff UX/UI Artist
UX/UI Design, Iconography, Asset Creation, Marketing Design
Team
Cryptic Studios
Role
Staff UX/UI Artist
Scope
UX/UI Design, Iconography, Asset Creation, Marketing Design
Platform
Tools
Scope
PC, Console
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Platform
PC, Console
Tools
Project
Star Trek Online (STO) is a live MMORPG going on 14 years with a loyal and committed fanbase. As the army-of-one UX/UI Artist, it was my task to continue visual consistency and improve upon a complex design system all while maintaining the authenticity of the Star Trek literacy. My day to day consisted of creating iconography, art assets, loading screens, marketing images, collaborating with System Designers and FX, and R&D (watching many hours of awesome Star Trek episodes, but taking every detail of the fiction quite seriously).
Iconography
Every newly created starship needed a set of icons to represent its ship select icon, health pog, space console icon, power icon, and trait icon. Ship select icons consisted of a screenshot of the ship model. Health pogs were vector images of the ship's top view.
For the space console, power, and trait icons, I created the original designs with a combination of Illustrator, Dimensions and/or Photoshop. These designs were inspired by specific Star Trek technology or events relevant to the episodes they were featured in.
UX/UI
Improvement
The Infinity Lockbox was a function that allowed players to acquire rewards from featured seasons. It was also a source of monetization. We needed to refresh the look and function to increase player engagement. My solve was to 1) modernize the current user experience while still staying true to the game’s visual consistency. 2) Organize lockbox items and prize packs and creating its own separate space distinct from the inventory tab. 3) Creating an intuitive experience for players to easily access lockbox items.
Infinity Lock Box Menu
Infinity Lock box Menu
Season Launches
A lot can be said in a visual moment. The story arc icon and banner represented the main theme in the overarching plot line. For episode previews, the goal was to capture the essence of the season in a single thumbnail to create the drama that builds up to the full story arc.
Marketing
Along with designing UX/UI and iconography, I also created marketing display images for Star Trek Online's C-Store, where players can purchase in-game items, equipment, tokens, and most importantly, ships.
Results
Star Trek Online (STO) is a beloved IP. As the UX/UI Artist it is my job to uphold the visual fluency and authenticity to continue the enthusiasm of a loyal fanbase and MMO community.
