Minecraft Inventory

Project for the UI/UX course (dES360) At digipen

Team Size: Solo

Role: UI/UX Designer

Duration: 1 month

Software:

  • Google Forms

  • Figma

BEFORE and after figma prototype:

I researched and identified the user experience problem of the Minecraft’s inventory system.

**toggle the original and new layout within the Flows section

for best experience // expand to full screen

Why?

Picture this: I'm minding my own business, sipping on my tea, and all I hear from my little eight year old sister in the next room is a symphony of grunts and whines. Turns out, she's not battling creepers—she's grappling with the chaotic mess that is Minecraft's inventory system on her iPad. Being the amazing sibling that I am, I decided to dive into this issue and figure out a way to make life easier for iPad kids like her. (Plus, fewer whines mean a more peaceful coexistence.)

Other Motivations

Parental Peace of Mind

Offering parents peace of mind by creating a user-friendly inventory system, ensuring kids engage in the game responsibly and without constant tech-related headaches.

Educational Integration

Enhancing item recognition and organization can provide educational benefits, helping younger players learn and understand different items within the game.

Boosting creativity

Unleashing the creative potential of young minds by simplifying the inventory, allowing players to focus more on building and designing within the game.

Techniques

approach

User-Centered Design

Prioritized clarity and simplicity in the interface, ensuring students easily manage classes and access information for a satisfying scheduling experience.

Iterative Design

Conducted user research, created wireframes, and iterated designs based on feedback. This iterative process ensures that the solutions are aligned with user needs.

research

I visited my sister's school, seeking permission from parents to interview their children. As an incentive, I offered Minecraft figurines to the participants. I conducted the interviews, took notes, and utilized Google Forms for streamlined data organization. To conclude, I invited participants to sketch their recollection of the Minecraft inventory.

key findings

participants

  • The survey included responses from 12 participants, all between the ages of 7 and 11.

  • Experience levels ranged from 1 to 7 years, with the majority having 2-5 years of experience.

Inventory Questions

Is it tricky to use?

Platforms Used

Various platforms were used, including iPad, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Playstation.

needs Special Button?

Most desired a special button for inventory organization.

Other Insights

Participants expressed a desire for certain items, like buckets, to stack in the inventory for better management.

Apart from Minecraft, participants had experience with games like Roblox, Zelda, and Fortnite, showcasing familiarity with inventory-based gameplay.

Half of the participants found inventory management challenging, often due to collecting excessive items during gameplay.

Preferences and Challenges

dESIRED INVENTORY FUNCTIONALITY

Participants mentioned preferences for an organized inventory with sections such as Building Materials, Weapons, Food, Weapons, and Other for efficient item categorization and easier navigation within the inventory.

ARMOR: 3 participants forgot that armor is included in the inventory. This could suggest that armor items may not be prominent or distinct enough in the current inventory design.

is it easy to find items?

Although 11/12 of the participants never organize their inventories during gameplay, most participants rated their experience visually searching for a specific item in an inventory with a score of 3 on a scale of 1 to 5.

However, this rating varied, indicating diverse perceptions of the ease when searching for items.

Knowledge of items

8 out of the 12 participants couldn't name any items based on their looks, which suggests that some players might benefit from improved item recognition or educational aspects within the game.

Favorite Activities

Sketches

SHIED: 11 participants forgot that the shield is part of the inventory.

GRID SPACE: 10 participants weren't fully aware of the specific grid squares they had available in their inventory.

CRAFTING: 9 participants forgot that crafting is part of the inventory system. This might indicate the need for clearer visual cues or reminders for crafting within the game.

HOT BAR AWARENESS: 9 participants forgot to include the hot bar in their sketches, indicating that some users might not fully grasp that the hot bar is an integral part of their inventory. This misunderstanding may contribute to users inadvertently running out of inventory space as they fail to realize the space limitations of the hot bar.

 Participants enjoyed activities like building, engaging in combat with friends, fighting off threats, exploring, and collecting materials for building.

PerSona

demographics:

Based on the research findings, I crafted a persona, Max, who embodies the characteristics, behaviors, and preferences of the target user group, representing the typical young IPad Minecraft player.

NAME: Max // Minecraft Adventure Enthusiast
AGE: 8
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single
CAREER: Elementary school student

backstory:

Max is an excited 8-year-old who loves exploring and building in Minecraft. He recently got into the game and enjoys creating amazing structures and landscapes to show his family and friends. When he's not playing, Mason is busy with school and likes sharing his Minecraft stories with friends.

Motivations:

  • Building exciting and creative structures in Minecraft.

  • Exploring new terrains and discovering hidden treasures.

  • Connecting with friends and sharing gaming experiences.

ideal experience:

frustrations:

  • Running out of inventory space while exploring and collecting materials.

  • Difficulty in finding specific items quickly within the cluttered inventory.

  • Managing numerous items and juggling between different items during gameplay

Max eagerly logs into Minecraft, excited to continue his adventures Minecraft. He imagines an inventory system where he can seamlessly organize his tools, materials, and treasures based on his adventurous pursuits. The system should allow him to categorize items, stack important resources, and easily access what he needs. Max envisions a user-friendly interface that saves him time, reduces frustration, and maximizes his enjoyment as he delves deeper into the realms of Minecraft.

analyzing

Utilizing insights from the target user, Max, focusing on his motivations and frustrations, I pinpointed three primary pain points and established corresponding goals for improvement.

Goals for improvement

a. Dynamic hotbars

Enable players to have different hotbar setups based on their current objectives or goals within the game.

b. search bar in the inventory

Enable players to search for an item in their inventory instead of doing it globally.

c. Player-Centric Customization

Allow players to create their own inventory categories and assign item tags to enable them to efficiently sort and search for specific items aligned with their current in-game objectives.

Stackable Items

Address the issue of limited inventory space by allowing certain items to stack, optimizing space and reducing clutter.

Item information

Address the issue of new(er) players struggling with identifying items solely by their looks by providing educational aspects within the game.

Difficulty in item management

Managing a diverse range of items can be challenging, and finding specific items quickly can be difficult, particularly during intense gameplay.

pain points

item recognition

Young(er) players in Minecraft tend to prioritize item recognition based on visual cues rather than item names. This can lead to confusion when players encounter new or less common items, as they may struggle to identify or understand the item's purpose solely based on its appearance.

inventory overload

Players often collect too many items, leading to a cluttered and overwhelming inventory, especially during exploration or resource gathering.

problem statement

To address the identified pain points, which revealed challenges in item management, inventory overload, and item recognition, I created a problem statement.

The formula:

[Create/Modify/Define] a [noun] in order for a [specific user type] to [feel a certain way / accomplish a certain thing].

Create an adjustable inventory management system on the IPad for young(er) Minecraft players, empowering them to seamlessly organize and access in-game items, fostering a sense of control and mastery, while simultaneously expanding their vocabulary and knowledge related to in-game items.

designing

Adaptive Inventory System

Enhance overall item management and accessibility for players during dynamic gameplay.

Implement an 'add-to-category' feature within the existing item categories.

Implement a search bar and filters in the inventory.

Implement a customizable hotbar loadout system.

key design decisions

Item Recognition Based on Visual Cues

Assist new and younger players in identifying items by appearance.

Implement an item description that would feature larger visuals, item titles, descriptions, and tags.

Allowing Stackable Items

Address limited inventory space and reduce clutter.

Enable stackability for specific items (e.g., buckets, armor, eggs).

Sketching phase

I translated initial design concepts from mental notes. The first design captured the essence of my vision effectively. I also used the users’ sketches as reference. After a comparative analysis of inventory layouts across various platforms, it became apparent that aligning the iPad version with other platforms would enhance user familiarity.

This part breaks down the design process for each approach of the key design decisions, providing insights into the user-centric design decisions that shaped them.

“Add-to-Category”

Allows players to create their own item sections for quicker access to items tailored to their current in-game objectives.

figma remake

To streamline the design process and understand the navigation system, I recreated and prototyped the original layout of Minecraft on IPad in Figma. This served as a foundation for implementing changes seamlessly, allowing for a side-by-side comparison with the redesigned elements.

section focused iterations

search bar & filters

Enables players to search for an item in their inventory instead of doing it globally.

Hotbar loadout system

Allows players to switch in-between various activities (e.g., mining, building, combat) to suit their needs in the game.

Stackability

Though this seems like a minor change, it encourages efficient use of inventory space and enabling players to carry more without overwhelming the interface.

item information & customizable tags

Facilitates quicker and clearer item identification, improving the player knowledge of the game.

proposal

link:

Execution:

User testing results

I reached out to five participants who had previously completed the initial survey.

What Users Liked:

1. Users appreciated the new search and loadout features for their effectiveness, especially in high-pressure situations.

2. Participants noted that the new design was visually appealing.

Needs to be fixed:

  1. Users prefer an option to hide item descriptions, as not all of them are interested in this information.

  2. Participants pointed out that the search keyboard can obstruct search results.

  3. Participants were uncertain about the meaning of red squares as no “uncraftable items” were shown.

  4. When presented with numerous grid squares in search results (in the recipe book), users felt overwhelmed.

  5. Users found it challenging to tap on small icons when creating loadouts.

  6. Users still struggled to gauge inventory space, even with numbers in the hotbar and loadout, due to visibility issues.

  7. Users expressed a desire to see how they could customize new sections at the top and noted they wouldn't have noticed the "add your own section" feature without guidance.

Surprises that shaped Design Direction

Feedback

key learnings

I initially expected anticipated reluctance or disinterest from kids and parents regarding participation.

I assumed that initial design ideas would resonate with users without significant adjustments.

obstacles faced

Approaching parents for permission initially proved challenging due to a personal discomfort with seeking help.

However, I overcame this obstacle by emphasizing the educational benefits of the project and expressing genuine interest in the participants' insights. This experience served as a valuable lesson in stepping out of comfort zones for project success.

Changed approach

In reality I got a positive response with enthusiasm and curiosity, with some expressing aspirations to become game designers. This unexpected positivity fueled motivation and added a human touch to the project.

Received valuable feedback during user testing that led to fundamental design changes, particularly in the need to provide an option to hide item descriptions. This emphasized the importance of ongoing user feedback and its role in refining the design direction.

I faced challenges in resisting the temptation to add features that did not align with core user needs.

But I instituted a strict prioritization framework based on user feedback and project goals. This helped in keeping the design focused on addressing key pain points and avoiding unnecessary complexity.

Engaging children in meaningful discussions for making design decisions proved to be challenging. Formulating simple yet impactful questions that captured their attention and facilitated constructive feedback was hard.
But, in conclusion, this experience emphasized the importance of adapting communication strategies for different user groups.