Overachievers – Educational Trivia Game
Overachievers is a dynamic educational trivia game where players assemble their own academic challenge team from a lineup of quirky, high school-inspired characters. As the UX designer for this project, I played a pivotal role in shaping the game’s experience, guiding the design team, and ensuring seamless integration of the visual and functional elements.
Project Planning & User Experience
As the UX designer, my primary responsibility was to provide clarity and cohesion throughout the development process. Transforming an initial idea into a tangible product requires direction and thoughtful iteration. My role involved creating detailed design documents, mockups, and visuals that served as focal points for team collaboration. These documents were instrumental in providing clear, actionable feedback and aligning everyone’s vision.
One of the key challenges during development was the team’s differing opinions on the user interface (UI). To resolve this, I created several mockups that visualized different UI approaches, helping the team assess the pros and cons of each design. By presenting visual examples, I made it easier for the team to understand which direction worked best for the game, eventually leading to a unanimous design decision.
Screenshots of mockups and final in-game interface
Proof of Concept
Character animation plays a significant role in Overachievers, and I was tasked with figuring out how to bring these characters to life. To address potential challenges, I developed a proof of concept: a fully rigged and animated character that demonstrated how we could achieve the desired animation style. This early prototype was crucial in identifying any technical limitations and helped guide our animation process. After reviewing the proof of concept, I thoroughly documented the techniques and learnings for future reference, ensuring a smooth production workflow.
Images of the “Miguel” character animation process
Collaboration & Leadership
During production, my role expanded to providing support to other designers on the team. I worked closely with them as they developed their own characters, offering feedback and suggestions on how to improve their designs. Additionally, I fostered a collaborative environment by regularly sharing my own design process, offering both successes and struggles as learning opportunities. I believe this “lead by example” approach helped reinforce standards and kept the team on track in a friendly and constructive manner.
Graphic showing design document pages and iteration process
Art & Animation
I designed, rigged, and animated several characters for Overachievers. Each character was developed with its own unique personality, making them distinct and engaging. To achieve dynamic and expressive animations, we combined traditional 2D animation techniques with modern CG animation methods. This hybrid approach allowed us to create characters with fluid, exciting movements that enhanced the overall experience.
Character design and animation sequences
UI Design
As the lead designer for the UI, I was responsible for ensuring that the interface was both functional and intuitive. The goal was to communicate clearly to students what they needed to do without overwhelming them. Through multiple iterations and testing, I developed a UI that was easy to navigate while maintaining an engaging visual style. The final design was streamlined and effective, ensuring students could focus on the trivia game without confusion.