Animal Crossing: Fan Project
Solo project / UI/UX Artist / Duration: 4 months
Description:
Animal Crossing is a fan solo project about creating a unique take on UI elements for the Animal Crossing series by Nintendo. As a UI/UX designer, my role is to conduct research, create wireframes, design the UI and develop mock-ups of menus, HUD, map screen and inventory.
Main Objective:
Design a revised UI design for Animal Crossing's inventory and crafting screen with the emphasis on creating a unique design that improves the player experience while maintaining the series' visual style.
Note: The Animal Crossing series is the property of Nintendo. The project is used for non-commercial, and academic purposes only.
Inventory Wireframe
To begin, I conducted research on existing Animal Crossing games to identify common visual elements and painpoints from interacting with the inventory. I then created a series of wireframes to test different layout options and gather feedback from players. This helped me to refine my design and ensure that the interface would be user-friendly.
Inventory Asset Sheet
Inventory Mock-Up
After completing the UI and layout, I created a mock-up of the Inventory heads-up display to showcase the final design. The mock-up was designed to give players an organized way to quickly access their items within the designated categories while still maintaining the look and feel of Animal Crossing.
Inventory UI Prototype
Crafting Screen Wireframe
For the crafting screen, I conducted research on adding quality-of-life features that were missing in previous iterations. While remaining consistent with the style of the inventory UI, I created wireframes to test different layouts and added features to improve the player's interaction with the crafting mechanic.
Crafting Screen Asset Sheet
Crafting Screen Mock-Up
After refining the screen layout and UI, I created a mock-up of the crafting menu to showcase the final design. The mock-up was designed to give players all of the primary information needed for crafting items, from materials needed, item information, quantity, etc., while still maintaining the look and feel of Animal Crossing.
Note: Credit for the screenshot.
Hood, Abby Lee, et al. "Animal Crossing: New Horizons."
ign.com, November 9, 2021. Screenshot. November 20, 2023
Crafting Screen Prototype