Redesigned several key features of the ARC Raiders game UI, including loadouts, workshop, stash, backpack, crafting, and upgrading (as a passion project). The result was overwhelmingly well-received by the ARC Raiders community, with...

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Approach

I took several of my main, personal issues with the UI and reimagined how they could be improved. I wanted to get feedback on my ideas from other ARC Raiders players, so instead of designing an interactive prototype for every feature, I only presented static images of key redesign elements. This allowed me to work quickly, communicate ideas to other players, and get feedback without investing a lot of time into unpopular ideas. Think of this as UX research on iterative changes to the UI.

The core UI issues I addressed revolved around:

• Loadouts

• Workshop

• Stash & Backpack

• Crafting/Upgrading

Features are absent from Loadouts

Solution 1: Make squad members’ loadouts visible

Being able to view your squad members’ individual loadouts would enhance team synergy and cooperation before entering a raid.

Solution 2: Add custom loadouts

Imagine being able to equip an entire loadout with a single action. Custom loadouts should have tools like auto-crafting/buying items to fill loadouts slots that are not currently in the player inventory. This would help get us topside much faster with fewer inputs.

Workbench order is determined by unlock order, not player preference

Solution: Allow players to reorder workbenches

On PC, simply drag and drop the workbench (like a stash item) to swap its location with another workbench. Consoles could use a shortcut button.

Blueprints are not intuitively ordered

In general, the blueprints are scattered in a seemingly random order instead of ordered by category and rarity.

Solution: Order blueprints more intuitively (and consider labeling the missing ones)

Items should be organized by category and rarity to help players quickly scan which blueprint they’re missing. Labeling the missing blueprints may motivate some players to go find them and reduce confusion about what blueprints even exist.

Features absent from Stash/Backpack

Solution 1: Display total Stash value

Plainly display the Stash value above instead of requiring players to go to the Expedition tab or select/Sell all their items. This will save players time and inputs, and help them gauge stash progress.

Solution 2: Add a “Merge Stacks” button for the Backpack

The Stash has a “Merge Stacks” feature that, when activated,  combines stacks of exact same items. This cuts down on clutter tremendously and saves players time. However this feature is missing from the in-raid Backpack.

Note: Automatically organizing items may feel less immersive in-raid so this is a minor request

The Stash has a “Merge Stacks” feature that, when activated,  combines stacks of exact same items. This cuts down on clutter tremendously and saves players time. However this feature is missing from the in-raid Backpack.

Note: Automatically organizing items may feel less immersive in-raid so this is a minor request

Solution 3: Add more info to hover states

Weapon stat triangles, the amount of items the player owns, and blueprint information are all tracked elsewhere in the UI, so let’s add them here for consistency and ease of use when crafting/selling.

Crafting/upgrading takes more steps than necessary

Solution 1: “Craft More” option for Actions menu

Then open a crafting overlay to complete the player’s request. This cuts down on excess navigation and player inputs.

Note: Not all items can be crafted. Exclude this option when not applicable.

Solution 2: “Buy/Craft” option for low resources

Give players the immediate option to buy or craft resources they need (instead of going to the Refiner or Traders tab). Then open an overlay to complete their request.

Select community quotes

"This would be a dream come true if it was implemented"

"Love it. Absolutely are things I really would expect in a game like this. Probably the biggest gripe I have with the game right now"

"I really wish this was an update post and not a suggestion post"

"Hey Embark here, you want a job?"

"Hey man, I appreciate the work you put into to coming with these ideas and mock them up. You’re clearly passionate about the game and have a good foundation of UX design. Thanks for making time to make something"

Next steps...

Here's what I'd do differently if I had the opportunity, time, and resources:

• Discover more player pain points by conducting a poll

• Design a full interactive prototype of these changes, then...

• A/B test the changes against the original

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