This is the second post in a series about UX design principles we can draw on from video games. Click here to start form the beginning.
Ever spend hours building a virtual life in The Sims or conquering empires in Civilization? Surprise — that's great UX design at work. Video games are masters at onboarding players, keeping them engaged, and rewarding their efforts. I'm exploring how popular video games (The Sims, Civilization, Overwatch, Fortnite, Candy Crush, and more) create addictive and intuitive experiences. More importantly, we’ll translate those gaming UX principles into practical takeaways for your digital product — no cheat codes required!
Before I dive in, a quick note: I'll use examples from games purely to illustrate UX concepts. You don’t need to be a gamer or know these titles in detail – we’ll explain the context and draw out the practical insights for product design.
Clear Information Architecture: HUD Clarity from Overwatch to Amazon
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Once users are in your product, how do you present information to them? In gaming, the answer is often the HUD (Heads-Up Display) – the layer of info overlaying the gameplay. A stellar example here is the team-based shooter Overwatch. At any given moment, an Overwatch player sees their health, ammo, current weapon, objective status, time remaining, team status, kill feed, etc., all at a glance. It sounds like an overload, but players quickly learn to parse this visual cocktail instinctively. The design makes use of position, color, and icons so that critical info (like health or time) stands out, while less critical can be noticed when needed. The Overwatch UI is cluttered yet remarkably clear, enabling split-second decisions without pausing to dig through menus.
Product design takeaway
Aim for an “at-a-glance UI” for key user workflows. Identify the top information or controls your users need most frequently and surface them prominently. Use visual hierarchy (size, color, placement) to guide the user’s eye to the most critical data first, just like a game HUD highlights health or objectives in bold ways. Tooltips and progressive disclosure can help manage complexity: show detailed info when users hover or at second glance, but keep primary stats always visible. For instance, Amazon's product pages famously pack product images, price, shipping info, style options, star rating, and the buy button all above the fold — no need to hunt around the site for basic information. Secondary information for when users are more serious are located just below; think detailed product info, reviews, FAQ, and the like.
Another game-inspired tip: use icons and visual cues consistently. Gamers learn that a red cross means health or a small clock icon means time left. In your product, develop a consistent visual language (e.g., a heart icon for favorites, a bell for notifications) and stick to it. This reduces cognitive load because users don’t have to read labels each time – they recognize symbols. In short, take a page from games like Overwatch by designing a UI that communicates “the state of the game” (or app) in real time, at a glance. Your users will make decisions faster and feel more in control.
Want to keep reading? I talk about building engagement loops like in Civilization here.
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