From August 2019-2023, I worked at Turn 10 Studios as a UX Designer on the next generation of Forza Motorsport with a specific focus on the single player experience, upgrades system, freeplay, and accessibility features. This game won both the Best Sports/Racing and Innovation in Accessibility categories at The Game Awards.
Upgrades
The upgrades system in Forza Motorsport is deep and complex, and User Research revealed it is one of the reasons players choose our game over other racing titles. However it was clear that we wanted to create a better system for the new game. A few pain points I identified initially were:
Navigation- lots of diving in and out of deep menus
Confusion about performance stats- players assumed that the bars used to show performance worked like an RPG (i.e higher is always better) and would make their cars more difficult to drive as they became unbalanced
Approachability- The system could be quite overwhelming to new players
Error correction- Players would become frustrated when they spent their hard earned credits on an upgrade only for it to make their car worse
Player Journey Map
One of the first things I did when tasked with recreating the upgrades system was to create a detailed player journey map to get a sense of the player’s needs and feelings throughout the process.
Information Architecture
Knowing this was a complex system, I made a detailed map of the information architecture to ensure that whatever design ideas I came up with would allow players to navigate and understand the system with ease. (Example below is just for the Engine category)
Wireframes/Prototypes
Given what I had identified from my investigations, I then made numerous prototypes using Adobe XD
Final Design
Although some things were changed before launch, you can clearly see elements of my design reflected:
Tabbed system to improve ease of navigation
Change of car stats from bars to balance graph
Quick Upgrades allows newer players to easily upgrade their car’s performance
Clear representation of the new Car Points system
Freeplay
I was tasked with updating the Freeplay system to be more user-friendly. In other words, I re-designed the system players use to create custom single and multiplayer events so they can explore and interact with game modes in new ways. After looking at Freeplay in FM7, I identified a few key areas for improvement:
Discovery- help players find it more easily
Flow- less diving in and out of menus
Ease of use- All the options could be overwhelming to a new player. Need to identify and surface the most important ones
User Research
To validate my assumptions, I then worked with Microsoft User Research to conduct a survey of FM7 players to see which options they used most often. As expected, there were only a few that were changed frequently. Most were almost never touched.
Wireframes/Prototypes
Due to the user research, I advocated for the separation of races into “quick events” and “advanced events,” which would allow the majority of players to easily create an event using the most used options while also allowing other players the full depth that the Freeplay system offered.
Final Design
Once again although some elements changed before release, many pieces of my designs are represented here:
Freeplay now clearly featured and easy to find
Quick and Advanced event setup
Clear representation of the number of viable cars
Tabbed menus (Advanced)
Single Player Experience
I was the main UX designer for the single player/career mode. In this role, I worked closely with game designers, producers, developers, UI artists, and user researchers to create the exciting new career mode.
Event Selection
For the newly designed “Builder’s Cup” single player mode, there needed to be a completely new way to enter a race that would allow players to understand the layered systems of cups, ladders, series, and events. Here are a few of the prototypes I made using Adobe XD.
Co-Worker Quotes
Here are a selection of quotes from co-workers during my time at Turn 10 working on this project.
“Your commitment to making change through empathy and learning really embodies our organisational priorities in a meaningful way.”
“The work you’ve done this past period was an important piece in defining the [single player] experience. Bringing user research into the process from the beginning provided learnings and sets a solid precedence for how we continue to build with players at the center.”
“You consistently demonstrate a willingness and propensity to learn. I believe this is another one of your strengths. You’ve also shown a wonderful propensity to bring what you learn to others,.”
“Your peers callout your inclusive style, honesty, and desire to learn while acknowledging the challenges inherent in your work.”
“Sierra, I am genuinely excited to see where you take your career. You are thoughtful, compassionate, and talented. You set an example for empathy and inclusion.”
“Can I just say I am so glad you joined the team. It’s like you didn’t know what you were missing until you had it but I’m so happy we have it now”