Project — Turn 10 Studios · 2019 — 2023
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Best Sports / Racing — TGA 2023 · Innovation in Accessibility — TGA 2023 · Turn 10 Studios · Redmond, WA ·
From August 2019 to 2023, I worked at Turn 10 Studios as a UX Designer on the next generation of Forza Motorsport — focused on the single player experience, the upgrades system, Freeplay, and accessibility features.
The game won both Best Sports/Racing and Innovation in Accessibility at The Game Awards.
The game
Deep, complex, and one of the reasons players choose Forza over other racing titles — User Research made that clear. But it was also clear we wanted a better system for the new game. The pain points I identified initially:
Navigation
Lots of diving in and out of deep menus.
Performance stats
Players assumed stat bars worked like an RPG — higher is always better — and made their cars harder to drive as they became unbalanced.
Approachability
The system could be overwhelming to new players.
Error correction
Frustration when hard-earned credits bought an upgrade that made the car worse.
Process
A detailed player journey map came first — a sense of the player’s needs and feelings throughout the upgrade process.
Process
A detailed map of the information architecture, so any design would let players navigate and understand the system with ease. (Engine category shown.)
Shipped
• Tabbed system to improve ease of navigation
• Car stats changed from bars to a balance graph
• Quick Upgrades lets newer players easily upgrade performance
• Clear representation of the new Car Points system
I re-designed the system players use to create custom single and multiplayer events, so they can explore game modes in new ways. Three key areas for improvement: discovery (help players find it), flow (less diving in and out of menus), and ease of use (surface the most important options).
User research
With Microsoft User Research, I surveyed FM7 players on which options they used most. As expected, only a few were changed frequently — most were almost never touched.
The pitch
I advocated for splitting races into \”quick events\” and \”advanced events\” — easy setup from the most-used options, with Freeplay’s full depth still available.
Wireframes / Prototypes
Final design
Shipped
Freeplay clearly featured and easy to find, Quick and Advanced event setup, a clear count of viable cars, and tabbed menus in Advanced.
As the main UX designer for the career mode, I worked closely with game designers, producers, developers, UI artists, and user researchers. For the \”Builder’s Cup\”, we needed a completely new way to enter a race — one that let players understand the layered systems of cups, ladders, series, and events.
What co-workers said
— 2021
“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.”
— 2021
“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.”
— 2020
“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.”
— 2019