UX Process, Pipelines & Pillars
Overview:
When I began my UX career in game development, there were few resources explaining how UX fits into studio workflows and production pipelines. This section reflects where I am now, an approach shaped by years of hands-on experience, iteration, and adapting UX to meet the realities of game development.
UX Process & Pipelines:
Early in my career, I assumed the full UX process could and should be applied to every project. I’ve since learned that success comes from adapting UX to fit within real-world expectations which include timelines, budgets, and the UX maturity of the company. In game development, flexibility is key. The UX process pipeline outlined here represent my most recent iteration: a practical, adaptable baseline, not a rigid framework.
Impact:
Establishing these processes, pipelines, and UX pillars significantly improved cross-discipline alignment and collaboration. Other teams gained a clearer understanding of how UX/UI contributed to development, feature requests became more actionable before kickoffs, and the UX/UI team operated with stronger cohesion and shared expectations from concept through implementation.
Processes:
Below are some examples of recent process documents used to help align the team, standardize task requirements and support production with cross disciplinary processes.
Setting up process:
Once I understand the existing development process, I begin mapping how UX can integrate into that structure. From there, I define key components that help align the UX/UI team and can be shared with the broader project team to ensure clarity and collaboration.
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Getting the Right Info:
To streamline the request process, I worked with production to get Jira ticketing support. I originally set up a set by step guide, this eventually got converted into a specific Jira ticket type. Now all request information was right in the Jira ticket, making this process very user friendly.
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Pipelines:
Providing clear documentation to the team and to the rest of the project team on expectations provided clarity and alignment.
The Pipeline:
I set up a pipeline flow chart that was presented to the UX/UI team. We then collaborated and iterate on expectations until we had a solid process. Touch points for audio and stakeholders were included.
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Phases of Development:
I collaborated with production to create a phases of development document designed to align all disciplines. Its goal was to provide visibility into the overall process and clarify key touch points between teams, supporting better cross-discipline coordination. This provided visibility at the different phases on expected levels of quality of features moving through development for other teams.
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UX Pillars:
I noticed a lack of resources on how to define UX pillars specifically for games. The example here was developed collaboratively with the team to ensure alignment and clarity across disciplines, tailored to support the player experience and guide design decisions throughout the project.
