Author Archives: Hanna Hagenmalm

About Hanna Hagenmalm

2016 Graphics

Creating an Accessible User Interface

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
The past two weeks I have spent designing the user interface (UI) for the game.
A cluttered, dense user interface can be difficult to navigate. For new gamers, who might not be accustomed to interpreting the information presented by a game, and for people with some form of visual impairment, it might become overwhelming; a barrier to actually playing the game.
Given that the game I am working on is aimed at non-players and casual players, as […]

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Program: Graphics

Creating an Accessible User Interface

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
The past two weeks I have spent designing the user interface (UI) for the game.
A cluttered, dense user interface can be difficult to navigate. For new gamers, who might not be accustomed to interpreting the information presented by a game, and for people with some form of visual impairment, it might become overwhelming; a barrier to actually playing the game.
Given that the game I am working on is aimed at non-players and casual players, as […]

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Program: Graphics

Achievements and Medals

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
Many games include some sort of score to give the player a sense of progression. Draxl’s Journey is aimed mainly at new, 40+ gamers, and so we decided that the score should be easy to understand and encouraging. Our thinking was that receiving a low score could be discouraging, rather than inspiring, for players who are not yet converted.
The result was a simple system of achievements. Instead of receiving any punishment (other than the failure […]

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Program: Graphics

Achievements and Medals

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
Many games include some sort of score to give the player a sense of progression. Draxl’s Journey is aimed mainly at new, 40+ gamers, and so we decided that the score should be easy to understand and encouraging. Our thinking was that receiving a low score could be discouraging, rather than inspiring, for players who are not yet converted.
The result was a simple system of achievements. Instead of receiving any punishment (other than the failure […]

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Program: Graphics

Keeping Assets Consistent Throughout Production

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
So. You have been tasked with drawing a spaceship. As you have never drawn a spaceship before, this turns out to be quite a challenge. But as the art style is graphic and your team supportive, you do manage to create a first little shiplet. It took many hours, and the standard bucket of sweat and tears and blood, but you did it. Good job.
Then you have to create a second one, and while the […]

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Program: Graphics

Keeping Assets Consistent Throughout Production

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
So. You have been tasked with drawing a spaceship. As you have never drawn a spaceship before, this turns out to be quite a challenge. But as the art style is graphic and your team supportive, you do manage to create a first little shiplet. It took many hours, and the standard bucket of sweat and tears and blood, but you did it. Good job.
Then you have to create a second one, and while the […]

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Program: Graphics

Creating the Avatar Through Iteration

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
Iteration literally means to do something over and over again, usually with the intention of improving it. Within game development, it refers to a work process, in which a game is gradually improved through short cycles of production-feedback. This method is suggested as an alternative to the ”waterfall method”, in which an aspect of the game is completely finished before moving on to the next. The issue with the waterfall method is that the cost of […]

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Program: Graphics

Creating the Avatar Through Iteration

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
Iteration literally means to do something over and over again, usually with the intention of improving it. Within game development, it refers to a work process, in which a game is gradually improved through short cycles of production-feedback. This method is suggested as an alternative to the ”waterfall method”, in which an aspect of the game is completely finished before moving on to the next. The issue with the waterfall method is that the cost of […]

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Program: Graphics

Designing With Red-Green Color Blindness In Mind

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
The topic for this post is going to be accessibility. I’ll be exploring how to design for people with red-green color blindness, and how I’ve tried to apply those principles to the game’s background.
As a team, we decided to put extra focus on accessibility. This included the ability to play the game with one hand only, supplementing auditory cues with visual ones, and creating assets that would work for people with mild visual impairment.
The reason […]

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Program: Graphics

Designing With Red-Green Color Blindness In Mind

Author: Hanna Hagenmalm
Team: Leviathan
Concept: Draxl’s Journey
The topic for this post is going to be accessibility. I’ll be exploring how to design for people with red-green color blindness, and how I’ve tried to apply those principles to the game’s background.
As a team, we decided to put extra focus on accessibility. This included the ability to play the game with one hand only, supplementing auditory cues with visual ones, and creating assets that would work for people with mild visual impairment.
The reason […]

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Program: Graphics