AAA combat design: Ghost of Tsushima

As impressive as Ghost of Tsushima is with it’s innovative UX design, it’s thematic beauty and art direction, the heart of any samurai game lies in its combat system and luckily Ghost of Tsushima's combat system is a masterful blend of simplicity and depth delivers a visceral and immersive samurai experience. Lets beak it down.

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Abdi Jama
AAA UX/UI Design: Thematic UI

As a UX/UI designer in AAA game development, my role includes understanding and crafting interfaces that align with the game's narrative, mood, and art direction. The UI is the first things players will see so it need to set the tone for the rest of the game.

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Abdi Jama
Apex Legends UX Breakdown

In this Apex Legends UX breakdown analysis, we dive into the seamless integration of its core game loop and the intricate design of every screen, widget, and UI element.

This detailed UX design not only promotes fluid gameplay but also ensures that players can react quickly in high-stakes situations, fostering an immersive and competitive experience.

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Abdi Jama
AAA HUD Design Best Practices: From Health Bars to Quest Logs

Many games allow you to customise your HUD experience via the settings, to turn off or change your HUD elements. They may even have presets such as hardcore (No HUD) settings or streamer modes. In this post, I will be looking at some console and PC games that have at good notable HUD designs, as well as some innovative ways of incorporating it into your game design itself.

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Abdi Jama
Why Social Media Is the Biggest Game In The World

Snapchat, Instagram and Tiktok aren’t just apps—they're video games where the objectives are attention, expression, and social capital. For game designers, studying these platforms offers a masterclass in engagement. By treating social media as a competitor (or collaborator), we can design experiences that tap into the same innovative community-driven experiences.

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Abdi Jama
AI: Sell the Magic, Not the Machine

AI is like electricity: revolutionary, everywhere, and completely invisible. But here’s the problem—most people don’t get it. Not because they’re too dumb, but because companies are too busy trying to explain the voltage instead of showing the lightbulb.

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Abdi Jama
Why are people still buying iPods?

Why are people still buying iPods in 2025? An iPod doesn’t try to be a camera, a web browser, or a social network. It plays music, and it does so without distractions. This focused experience is a rare gem in a world obsessed with multitasking.

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Abdi Jama
What does a video game UX designer actually do?

As a UX designer, I am responsible for creating the user interface and experience for video games. This includes everything from the menus and buttons that players see and interact with, to the in-game HUDs (heads-up displays) that provide information to players.

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Abdi Jama
Xbox's Messaging Problem

What exactly is a Xbox? Is it a console, is it 2 consoles, is it a gaming subscription, an ecosystem, or a publisher? For those who who don't closely follow the industry, this question might be more complex than it appears.

Clarity in messaging is critical for any brand. It shapes consumer perception, builds trust, and distinguishes a company's offerings in a crowded marketplace. A lack of clarity can lead to confusion, erode brand loyalty.

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Abdi Jama
More UI wont fix Bad Game Design

Game design is the foundation of any great game, defining how players interact with mechanics, environments, and systems. When design falls short—whether through unclear mechanics, confusing navigation, or lackluster feedback—developers might turn to UI as a quick fix. But piling on UI elements won’t rescue a poorly designed game. Instead, it often highlights underlying issues while cluttering the experience.

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Abdi Jama
Dead space and the Cost of Excellence

Dead Space remains a benchmark in video game with its diegetic UI approach—where interface elements like health and ammo were seamlessly embedded into the protagonist’s suit—did more than just provide information; it defined the game’s identity, elevated its immersion, and reinforced its survival-horror atmosphere. Yet, despite its critical and commercial acclaim, few games have followed in its footsteps, why?

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Abdi Jama
Did Bad UX killed Yahoo? How UX can shape market trajectories

In the early 2000s, Yahoo held a significant position in the search engine market, commanding approximately 36.4% of U.S. searches in 2005. By 2017, when Verizon acquired Yahoo, its global search market share had dwindled to around 4%. In contrast, Google, which had about 35% of the U.S. search market in 2005, expanded its dominance to over 87% globally by 2017. This stark divergence underscores the critical role of user experience (UX) strategies in shaping market trajectories.

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Abdi Jama
From Buttons to Brand: The Hierarchy of User Experience Design

Understanding the levels of UX design and strategy can show us how a small UI choice contribute to a larger UX strategy, ultimately impacting a company's market presence and success. From crafting a single button to shaping a marketplace strategy, each level plays a critical role in delivering a holistic user experience.

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Abdi Jama
How to use narrative design to create amazing player experiences

Design isn’t just about aesthetics or functionality—it’s about understanding the emotional core of your audience inorder to make unforgettable gaming moments.

Narrative design isn’t just about creating plots or dialogue—it’s about shaping how experiences convey meaning, evoke emotions, and connect with the audience. Let’s explore how these lessons apply to game and UX design.

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Abdi Jama
Inconvenient by Design

In the world of luxury products, inconvenience often masquerades as exclusivity. This counterintuitive approach to design has been embraced by several high-end brands, with Apple leading the charge. By creating products that sometimes defy conventional usability, these companies have managed to turn potential flaws into talking points, reinforcing their brand identity and fostering a sense of exclusivity among their customers.

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Abdi Jama
Environmental design: Why Fare Evasion is a UX Problem, Not Just a Crime

If the NYC subway genuinely wants to address its fare evasion problem, it needs to rethink its approach and learn more on psychology and User Experience Design principles, rather than adding things like like harsh lighting and sharp metal barriers that make the subway feel more like a prison or an interrogation rather than an enjoyable commute in a public space. 

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Abdi Jama
The Sweet Science: What we can learn from Chocolate industry

Here’s how elegant packaging and a compelling backstory is used elevate a simple product, like chocolate, into a luxury item. In the hands of a skilled marketer, even a humblest bar of chocolate—can be transformed into an emblem of sophistication and exclusivity. It’s not about the product alone; it’s about the narrative, the design, and the way it makes you feel.

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Abdi Jama
How games and apps get you to invest

The endowment effect is a fascinating psychological phenomenon that explains why we value things more when we feel a sense of ownership. In both video games and real life, this principle influences how we interact with and perceive products, decisions, and experiences. Let’s unpack this using examples from subscription services, Mad Max, Skyrim, and even Nike’s shoe customisation platform.

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Abdi Jama
What designers can learn from the watch industry

Rolex doesn’t sell watches—they sell identity, story, and prestige. Games are no different. By focusing on the psychological journey of your players—how they feel, what they desire, and how they connect—you can elevate your design beyond mechanics and into emotional resonance. The goal is to create something players don’t just play, but something they live, share, and remember.

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Abdi Jama
Navigating Digital Worlds

Introduction Video games have evolved significantly, offering players an array of interactive experiences. Key to these experiences is the user interface (UI), which bridges the gap between player and virtual world. In this article, I will compare and contrast the UI layouts and the extent of interaction freedom in "Alan Wake 2," "Ghost Recon: Breakpoint," "Elden Ring," and the "Far Cry" series, focusing on how these aspects impact player agency.

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Abdi Jama