Overview
As a UX Designer on the Frostbite tools team, I designed internal systems used by game developers globally. My work spanned user flows, wireframes, prototyping, and UI design for tool modules like Cinematics, AI, and Physics. I collaborated with engineers and product leads to embed usability into development tasks and contributed extensively to the Frostbite design system to ensure consistency and scalability across tools
Role & Responsibilities
As part of the Frostbite UX Design team, I worked closely with engineers, product owners, and technical artists to:
- Design and refine developer-facing tools across Cinematics, AI, and Physics systems.
- Create user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity UI that balanced flexibility with clarity.
- Build interactive prototypes to test interactions and gather feedback before development.
- Contribute to the Frostbite design system, improving consistency across hundreds of tool modules.
- Participate in agile sprints, ensuring design and engineering stayed in sync through delivery.
This was a hands-on role — deeply embedded in technical problem-solving while advocating for usability in a complex, engineering-driven environment.
The Challenge
Developers using Frostbite tools were often highly technical but working under tight deadlines.
The challenge was not to oversimplify complex functionality, but to streamline interactions, reduce friction, and improve clarity in workflows that involved:
The challenge was not to oversimplify complex functionality, but to streamline interactions, reduce friction, and improve clarity in workflows that involved:
- Hundreds of settings, parameters, and interdependencies.
- Legacy UI patterns that varied across tools and teams.
- Steep learning curves for new developers joining Frostbite-powered studios.
- We needed to design consistent, intuitive patterns that scaled across disciplines (animators, level designers, AI programmers) without sacrificing control or performance.
Design Goals
Clarity – Reduce cognitive load by improving hierarchy, labeling, and information grouping.
Efficiency – Minimize clicks and repetitive setup through smarter defaults and streamlined navigation.
Consistency – Align visual language and interactions across multiple Frostbite tools.
Scalability – Design components that could evolve with the engine’s constant growth.
Delight in use – While “developer delight” isn’t the same as player delight, small interaction details could still make daily work faster and more enjoyable.
The Process
1. Research & Discovery
We conducted contextual interviews with game developers across different studios to understand their workflows, frustrations, and shortcuts.
I created journey maps and user flows that visualized where time and attention were lost in the interface. These became the foundation for prioritizing redesigns.
2. Ideation & Exploration
Working with product owners and engineers, I sketched and prototyped alternate layouts for tools used by eacch domain based on the output from the research phase
We iterated quickly in Figma and shared interactive prototypes with internal users for feedback.
3. Prototyping & Validation
Each prototype went through internal usability sessions — short, focused walkthroughs where developers performed common tasks while narrating their thought process.
We measured:
We measured:
- Task completion speed
- Frequency of “where is that?” comments
- Number of clicks / context switches
- Findings directly informed refinements before any engineering resources were committed.
4. Implementation Support
Once designs were approved, I partnered with engineers during implementation — providing detailed specifications, reviewing builds, and adjusting designs for performance or technical feasibility.
This collaboration built mutual trust between UX and engineering, ensuring we weren’t handing off static designs but co-creating working tools.
This collaboration built mutual trust between UX and engineering, ensuring we weren’t handing off static designs but co-creating working tools.
Impact
Reduced onboarding time for new developers by simplifying navigation and labeling.
Achieved greater consistency across multiple Frostbite tools through shared patterns.
Improved efficiency and accuracy for common workflows (e.g., scene setup, AI debugging).
Enhanced collaboration between UX and engineering — design was no longer an afterthought but part of the process.
While exact metrics were internal, user feedback consistently highlighted “less guesswork” and “fewer clicks to get things done.”
Tools & Methods
Figma • Prototyping • Journey Mapping • Heuristic Evaluation • Agile Collaboration • Design Systems