DESTINY 2
Redesigning the vault inventory UX/UI to enhance the gameplay flow.
PROJECT TYPE
UX/UI feature improvements
TIMELINE
3 weeks
ROLE
UX Strategy
UX/UI Design
PROJECT INTRO
As part of ELVTR’s Advanced UX/UI for Gaming course, I proposed a feature improvement to enhance the current gameplay flow of Destiny 2 — a critically acclaimed multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Bungie.
The Challenge
The core challenge I set out to solve was:
How can I solve current friction points within the gameplay flow to enhance the player experience in thoughtful, scalable ways?
The Process
EVALUATING THE EXISTING EXPERIENCE
I started by conducting a full gameplay flow evaluation, mapping the player journey across pre-game, gameplay, and post-game screens, features, and interactions.
I then rated and audited every screen against the player experience pillars (usability, desirability, and scalability) to identify friction points and gaps. For screens with low ratings, improvement goals were added as potential opportunities to explore.
FEATURE PRIORITIZATION & SCOPING
To help identify which improvements to incorporate, I did a quick scoping exercise to prioritize features.
FEATURE DEEP DIVE:
REDESIGNING THE VAULT
The feature improvement goals I prioritized were specific to Destiny 2’s vault feature: the in-game inventory system players use to manage their gear.
I also discovered that the Vault is a major pain point with Destiny 2 players - many players manage their inventory via a third-party platform.
VAULT IMPROVEMENT GOALS
Redesign the layout
Give players a more exciting, immersive, and visual way to preview gear.
Improve the IA
Leverage existing IA patterns to organize gear in meaningful and scalable ways.
Add search functionality
Make it easier for players to find specific gear with keyword searches.
VAULT DESIGN EXPLORATIONS
I mocked up low-fidelity wireframes of the updated Vault, exploring how to achieve the improvement goals.
THE VAULT
The Vault redesign leverages existing UX/UI patterns to organize gear by primary item type (armor, weapons, consumables) and secondary item type (i.e. helmets, boots, gauntlets).
HOVER INTERACTION
Mimicking the current interaction experience, as a player hovers over an item in their Vault, the item is displayed in the right viewport with primary stats and mods.
FINAL PROTOTYPE & PROJECT THOUGHTS
Final thoughts
The redesigned Vault UX/UI improves gameplay flow and enhances the player experience by making inventory management more intuitive, immersive, and scalable, while seamlessly aligning with Destiny 2’s existing IA and gear categories.