How to Create UX that Drives Retention & Monetization, with Alfonzo Burton

Playmakers - The Game Industry Podcast

In this episode:

Jordan interviews Alfonzo Burton, a top-tier designer in UI/UX, and has worked as the Director of UI/UX at Glu and Pocket Gems. He is now the Chief Creative Director at UX Magicians Inc., a San Francisco-based user experience design agency. His expertise has been used in some of the top-grossing mobile games, with several hitting the 100-million-dollar mark. Alfonzo shares his insights on creating effective UX that drives retention and monetization, the importance of testing, why early UX planning can help avoid costly pivots later in development, and more.

Topics covered:

• Alfonzo’s journey from web design to UI/UX for games
• The role of UX in driving player retention and monetization
• Key misconceptions about UX design in the gaming industry
• The three pillars of creating a top-grossing game: fun, deep economy, and great UI/UX
• How to balance creativity with proven best practices in UX
• The importance of testing and iterating early in game development
• Why early involvement of UX designers is critical to success
• Differences between UX design in the Western and Asian markets

For more game industry tips:

• Learn more about Jordan & Bright Black
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• Visit www.playmakerspodcast.com for the full blog post and more!

Timestamps:

[03:04] Transitioning from web design to mobile and console game UX

[05:25] Misconceptions about UX and why it’s a process, not just about visuals

[07:56] The three pillars of a hit game: fun, deep economy, and great UI/UX

[10:27] Balancing creativity with risk management and best practices in UX

[12:08] The iterative process of designing a UI and why multiple prototypes matter

[15:23] The importance of involving UX early in the development process

[19:13] Why successful games often struggle to change UI after launch

[22:18] Scalable UX systems: Why some designs work long-term and others fail

[25:14] The importance of testing for UX: Best practices versus innovation

[30:05] Transitioning UX design from mobile to console games

[31:03] Alfonzo’s thoughts and advice on the future of UI/UX

Resources & media mentioned in this episode:

Learn more and Connect with Alfonzo Burton:

• LinkedIn
• Behance

Games & companies mentioned:

• Glu Mobile
• Pocket Gems
• UX Magicians Inc.
• WWE 2K17 (console UX design by UX Magicians)
• Deer Hunter and Dino Hunter (Glu Games)
• Clash Royale (Supercell)
• Game of War and Mobile Strike (Machine Zone)