Teaching players through interaction, not instruction.

CONTEXT

2025 · Live project

ROLE

UX/UI Designer

METHODS

Playtesting, comparative analysis, prototyping

FOCUS

Educational UX, onboarding

CONTEXT

2025 · Live project

ROLE

UX/UI Designer

METHODS

Playtesting, comparative analysis, prototyping

FOCUS

Educational UX, onboarding

PROBLEM

The tutorial asked players to act, but nothing told them it was their turn. Without a clear prompt, players defaulted to watching instead of doing.

TESTING INSIGHT

Players weren't confused. They were waiting.

During playtesting, I kept seeing the same thing. Players understood the instructions, but they still waited for the game to show them what to do next. They didn’t need more information. They needed a clearer sense of where to go next.

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

How do the best mini-games teach a mechanic in under 10 seconds?

I researched how games teach new mechanics, combining playtesting with established tutorial design practices. I analyzed eight mini-games to identify how effective tutorials introduce information, direct attention, and prompt action.

Introduce information just in time.

Strong tutorials teach one mechanic when it's needed instead of front-loading every rule.

Use narration to create order.

Voice gives players a sequence to follow, directing their attention from one element to the next.

Prompt the next action.

A little motion, a glow, or a clear cue can show players where they’re supposed to act next.

Just-in-time information

One mechanic at a time, introduced when it's needed, not front-loaded.

Narration creates order

A wall of text has no reading order. A narrator's voice does. It moves through the screen and tells players where to look next.

Prompting the players

Motion, glow, or a direct cue. Without one, an empty space reads as "done," not "your turn."

Just-in-time information

One mechanic at a time, introduced when it's needed, not front-loaded.

Narration creates order

A wall of text has no reading order. A narrator's voice does. It moves through the screen and tells players where to look next.

Prompting the players

Motion, glow, or a direct cue. Without one, an empty space reads as "done," not "your turn."

HYPOTHESIS

If narration and visual cues work together to direct attention, players should know what to look at and when to act without needing explicit instructions.

DESIGN SOLUTION

From static modal to narrated sequence

The narrator introduces each element one at a time, while the interface highlights it as it's mentioned. Instead of reading a set of instructions and figuring out what to do next, players are guided through the interaction as it happens.

Just-in-time information

One mechanic at a time, introduced when it's needed, not front-loaded.

Narration creates order

A wall of text has no reading order. A narrator's voice does. It moves through the screen and tells players where to look next.

Prompting the players

Motion, glow, or a direct cue. Without one, an empty space reads as "done," not "your turn."

Just-in-time information

One mechanic at a time, introduced when it's needed, not front-loaded.

Narration creates order

A wall of text has no reading order. A narrator's voice does. It moves through the screen and tells players where to look next.

Prompting the players

Motion, glow, or a direct cue. Without one, an empty space reads as "done," not "your turn."

IMPACT

Turned insights into direction.

I brought the problem to the team and advocated for treating the tutorial as an interactive experience rather than a set of instructions. I synthesized my research used animated prototypes to demonstrate the approach, helping align the team around the new direction and inform the redesign.

Back to selected work