UI/UX, Accessibility, and Publishing

🔄 Quick Recall: In Lesson 6, you balanced your game’s difficulty and economy, added juice and polish, and designed tension-release pacing. Now you’ll make the game navigable, accessible, and ready for players to find and buy.

Game UI/UX Design

Game UI has a unique challenge that regular software doesn’t: it must provide information without pulling the player out of the game world.

HUD Design

Design the HUD for my game:

Game: [your concept]
Genre: [type]
Camera perspective: [top-down, side-scroll, first-person, third-person, isometric]
Critical info the player needs during gameplay: [list]

Design a layered HUD system:

PRIMARY LAYER (always visible, minimal):
- What 2-3 pieces of information are life-or-death?
- Position them at screen edges where they don't obstruct gameplay
- Use icons over text where possible

SECONDARY LAYER (on-demand, one button press):
- What info does the player check periodically? (map, inventory, quest log)
- How does it appear? (overlay, pause menu, slide-in panel)

TERTIARY LAYER (deep menus):
- What stats do completionists and power players want?
- Settings, detailed stats, codex/lore entries

Also specify:
- Font family and size (must be readable at minimum supported resolution)
- Color scheme (must work in all game environments — bright and dark)
- Animation behavior (how HUD elements appear, update, and respond to events)

Design the menu system for my game:

Screens needed:
1. Main menu (title screen)
2. Settings menu (audio, video, controls, accessibility)
3. Pause menu (resume, settings, save, quit)
4. Inventory / character screen (if applicable)
5. Save/load screen

For each screen:
- Layout (what goes where)
- Navigation flow (how the player moves between options)
- Visual style (matches game aesthetic or clean/separate?)
- Keyboard AND controller navigation (both must work)
- Animation transitions between screens

Key UX rules:
- Every screen has a clear "back" action
- No dead ends (player can always navigate away)
- Settings changes apply immediately with preview
- Save confirmation before quitting

✅ Quick Check: Why should every settings change apply immediately with a preview?

Because players are adjusting settings to fix a problem they’re experiencing right now — screen too dark, music too loud, controls uncomfortable. If changes only apply after confirming and returning to gameplay, players must exit settings, test, decide it’s wrong, re-enter settings, adjust again. Immediate preview lets them dial in the right setting in one session.

Accessibility Implementation

The IGDA Game Accessibility SIG identifies these as the most impactful accessibility features:

Design an accessibility system for my game:

Game: [your concept]
Core interactions: [what the player does physically — button presses, mouse movements, timing requirements]

Implement these accessibility categories:

VISUAL:
- [ ] Colorblind mode (deuteranopia, protanopia, tritanopia filters)
- [ ] High-contrast UI option
- [ ] Adjustable HUD element sizes
- [ ] Screen reader support for menus (if possible)
- [ ] Subtitles with speaker identification, adjustable size, and background opacity

MOTOR:
- [ ] Full control remapping (keyboard, controller, mouse)
- [ ] Adjustable input sensitivity
- [ ] Toggle vs hold options for sustained actions
- [ ] One-handed play options (if feasible)
- [ ] Auto-aim or aim assist options

COGNITIVE:
- [ ] Difficulty settings with clear descriptions (not just Easy/Normal/Hard)
- [ ] Tutorial skip option
- [ ] Objective markers and waypoints (toggleable)
- [ ] Simplified control option

AUDIO:
- [ ] Visual cues for important audio events
- [ ] Subtitle support for all dialogue and important sounds
- [ ] Separate volume sliders (music, SFX, dialogue, ambient)
- [ ] Mono audio option

For each feature, note implementation complexity (low/medium/high) and priority (must-have/nice-to-have).

Start with the highest-impact, lowest-effort features: subtitle customization, control remapping, and separate volume sliders. These three alone significantly expand your player base.

Publishing Strategy

Platform Selection

Platform	Best For	Revenue Split	Audience
itch.io	Early access, community building, niche games	You choose (0-100%)	Indie enthusiasts
Steam	Commercial release, mainstream audience	70/30 (75/25 after $10M, 80/20 after $50M)	Mainstream gamers
Epic Games Store	Premium releases	88/12 (100/0 for first $1M)	Cross-platform players
Console stores	Broadest audience	70/30 typical	Console players

Recommended strategy: Build on itch.io for early feedback → Launch on Steam for commercial release.

Pre-Launch Checklist

Create a pre-launch marketing plan for my indie game:

Game: [title]
Genre: [type]
Unique selling point: [what makes it special in 1 sentence]
Target launch date: [when]
Budget: [marketing budget, even if $0]

Generate a timeline:

6 MONTHS BEFORE LAUNCH:
- Steam page setup (capsule art, screenshots, description)
- Social media accounts (what platforms, posting cadence)
- Presskit preparation (what to include)
- Developer blog or devlog plan

3 MONTHS BEFORE:
- Demo release strategy (Steam Next Fest, itch.io)
- Content creator outreach (who to contact, how)
- Community building (Discord, Reddit, forums)
- Wishlist campaigns

1 MONTH BEFORE:
- Final trailer production
- Press release distribution
- Review copy timing
- Launch day plan

LAUNCH WEEK:
- Monitoring and responding to feedback
- Bug fix priority system
- Community engagement plan
- Post-launch content roadmap communication

Include specific, actionable tasks for a solo developer with limited budget.

The Steam Page

Your Steam store page is your most important marketing asset. 70-80% of lifetime revenue comes in the first two weeks — and wishlist count directly drives that launch performance.

What converts Steam visitors to wishlists:

A trailer that shows gameplay (not cinematic) in the first 5 seconds
Screenshots that represent actual gameplay (not staged)
A description that communicates the core experience in the first paragraph
Tags that accurately match your genre (so the algorithm shows your game to the right people)
A demo that lets players try before committing

Exercise: Prepare Your Game for Players

Design your HUD using the layered system prompt
Implement at least 3 accessibility features (subtitles, remapping, volume sliders)
Create your Steam/itch.io store page description
Write a press kit with: game description, screenshots, developer bio, contact info

Key Takeaways

Game UI uses layered architecture: primary (always visible), secondary (on-demand), tertiary (deep menus)
Settings should apply immediately with preview — players are solving a problem in real-time
Accessibility features (subtitles, remapping, volume sliders) benefit ALL players and expand your audience
70-80% of game revenue comes in the first two weeks — wishlisting and pre-launch marketing are critical
Platform strategy: itch.io for community building and feedback, Steam for commercial launch
Your Steam page is your most important marketing tool — gameplay trailers and honest screenshots convert

Up Next: In the final lesson, you’ll bring everything together to build a complete game — from concept through GDD, prototype, assets, narrative, balance, polish, and publishing.