Research
The key to designing a good UI or HUD for a game is to conduct research on the genre, test on the audience, and refine the design. The first step in the process is to play or watch videos of several games within the genre or on the target platform. This helps to identify general conventions which can reduce the cognitive load for players who are familiar with playing similar games.
Accesibility
Designing game UI with accessibility in mind is crucial. Accessibility should be a priority from the start, considering factors such as impaired vision, hearing, and physical control abilities. Game accessibility guidelines should be applied (gameaccessibilityguidelines.com). Controls should allow players to carry out tasks easily and have muscle memory. Deviating from common control trends may negatively impact the player‘s experience.
Digital tools to improve accessibility, such as Stark (= Adobe XD plugin) for checking contrast and color should be used. Accessible Colors and Color Oracle, and the Harding FPA suite of applications to avoid seizure triggers are also important. In general fixing accessibility issues during the design phase is easier and less expensive than trying to retroactively fix them. Improving accessibility can also improve usability for all players.
Target group
The target group should be taken into account when designing the controls. Factors to consider include the player‘s experience level, age (children have smaller hands and less dexterity), and playing environment (near a monitor or on a TV from a distance). One should exercise empathy by imagining specific players and their needs. Seeking advice from experts, specialists, and disabled gamers through user research and social media is recommended.
Prozess
For prototyping tools like Adobe XD are recommended. They help to identify limitations and weaknesses in the design, and allow fast iteration and testing. Testers can access the prototypes from the cloud, and test the work on their device to identify any shortcomings.
The process of improving the user interface and user experience of a game involves constantly testing and iterating. This can be done by having users play an unfinished version of the game to see if the design is engaging. It is important to gather feedback and make changes to enhance the overall quality of the UI. Ideally, this should be done in an environment that allows recording players and gameplay. Interviewing or surveying players after the session is also helpful. Feedback can be used to identify and remove pain points and make changes to the UI, control, and game design.
https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2019/07/09/game-ui-how-to-prototype-test-designs: UI Prototyping in Games https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/ux-walkthrough-prototype-testing-do-s-don-ts-part-1: UI Prototyping in Games