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NOTICE: My site is currently undergoing an overhaul: Content and formatting may currently not reflect a final design outcome.

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi

Scalable & Responsive UI Product

2023

Parkwide Gamification On A Massive Scale

As part of this project from 2019 - 2023, I credit this project with driving my focus toward UI/UX design and spring boarding my role from Graphic Design to UI/UX. This extensive project cemented my proficiency with Adobe XD, as it led me to become the UI lead within the company. I was the sole creator of the 15+ UI/UX prototypes that were created for the various sections of the project (one of which contained over 100 individual screen designs). I also produced many supporting illustrations, animation and designs, some of which I consider my most substantial work to date.

This project spanned one of the largest-scale teams that my previous employer had compiled for project work. I am so proud to be integral to its journey to become a globally-recognised attraction when it launched in the UAE.

As part of this project from 2019 - 2023, I credit this project with driving my focus toward UI/UX design and spring boarding my role from Graphic Design to UI/UX. This extensive project cemented my proficiency with Adobe XD, as it led me to become the UI lead within the company. I was the sole creator of the 15+ UI/UX prototypes that were created for the various sections of the project (one of which contained over 100 individual screen designs). I also produced many supporting illustrations, animation and designs, some of which I consider my most substantial work to date.

This project spanned one of the largest-scale teams that my previous employer had compiled for project work. I am so proud to be integral to its journey to become a globally-recognised attraction when it launched in the UAE.

Overview

Role:

Art Director, UI/UX Lead, Illustrator, Designer

Project Focus:

Complete UI design, from scratch.

Mission

Statement:

Create a complete, scalable, responsive product that can educate, inform and entertain visitors park-wide.

Tools & Software

Adobe Creative Cloud, XD & Miro

Aims & Focuses

What does the product aim to achieve through great UX design?

Must be accessible for Children under 5

Must be ADA complient & accessible for wheelchair users

Must be perpetual dual language across the UI (Arabic / English)

Must capture the new positioning of the SeaWorld brand; focussing on education of aquatic life, humanitarianism and fun without exploitation

Design consistency across both information and Gameplay UIs, adaptability across orientations, resolutions and devices (Kiosks, Tablets & Mobile)

Complete Parkwide Design

As lead UI designer for this project, I produced a lot of the content personally while working in-tandem with another designer, who was tasked with replicating my illustrative style previously outlined earlier in the project, on the large catalogue of designs we needed to complete together. Concept Art assets and in particular digital painted works were supplied in-house from excellent Concept artists for us to utilise, and sometimes I would produce these personally if needed.

These items served as peripheral design work that would eventually integrate and become UI assets to a the Theme Park game UI project.

I am incredibly proud of the work produced for these items, as were our clients, who liked the designs so much they immediately outlined plans to produce physical pins based on these designs.

The P.O.R.T. (Points of Research Technology) Kiosks that were dotted around the park were to act as the hub for all of the park’s general needs, as well as serving as the interaction points for player’s profiles in the park’s games. There were several requirements I had to factor into the design of the P.O.R.T. UI, namely ADA access for wheelchair users, and children, who wouldn’t be tall enough to interact with the top third of the screens, meaning all my interaction had to be based around the bottom area of these 55” kiosk screens.

14 Gameplay UI Prototypes

The administrative and general UI of the P.O.R.T.s was joined by the Park's interactive games. 14 of which I oversaw the UI design for. These games would sit outside the boundaries of the P.O.R.T. UI for the most part, but elements of the design system, as well as cues such as Hexagonal elements and framework would remain where possible to retain a design synergy. These games were coded using Unity as the primary codebase and I was able to directly access and implement assets into the games themselves personally to assure they would be quality assets, implemented accurately.

The administrative and general UI of the P.O.R.T.s was joined by the Park's interactive games. 14 of which I oversaw the UI design for. These games would sit outside the boundaries of the P.O.R.T. UI for the most part, but elements of the design system, as well as cues such as Hexagonal elements and framework would remain where possible to retain a design synergy. These games were coded using Unity as the primary codebase and I was able to directly access and implement assets into the games themselves personally to assure they would be quality assets, implemented accurately.

Realm Medals & Achievement Badges

A large element to my work on SWAD was the creation of hundreds of Badges and Medals, that would be awarded to the players in-game, as accomplishment and progression trophies for their playthrough of the parkwide game. The Realm medals shown here, I am particularly proud of as they were very extensively illustrated, drawn freehand using Adobe Illustrator; they were very popular with the client, who loved them so much they wanted to turn them from the initial digital-only designs and manufacture them into physical badges to sell in the in-park stores.