Dicey Decisions
Overview
Dicey Decisions is a digital board game built in Unity, adapted from a Tabletop Simulator prototype. The main design challenge was translating complex tabletop rules into a clear, intuitive digital experience without overwhelming new players.
UI/UX Designer (primary)
Gameplay Programmer (support)
Google Forms
Unity
Canva
January 2025 – Present
Click here to check it out on Steam!
User Research
When adapting it to Unity, we discovered that mechanics that felt intuitive in tabletop form became confusing in a digital environment. Early playtests revealed that the lack of onboarding and tutorials created frustration for new players.
Research Findings
Playtests
After every major change to our game, playtests were conducted with experienced game designers and frequent board game players.
Rule & Resource Understanding
75% were unsure what to do with resources and the cards
Core Gameplay Appeal
43% enjoyed the art style and the dice picking mechanic
Onboarding Clarity
82% weren't sure how to play the game without a tutorial
Key takeaway: Players enjoyed the mechanics and visual style, but struggled to understand rules and legal actions without guidance.
Topics Addressed
- When were you the most confused?
- What is the first thing that caught your eye?
- What was the most frustrating mechanic?
- What was the most frustrating aspect of the game?
Design Decisions
In our first playtest, we found players struggled to understand the rules. To address this, I led the following UI/UX solutions:
- Created a guided first round with move-by-move directions and highlighted possible moves, similar to chess.
- After continued confusion in the second playtest, we developed a full interactive tutorial to teach rules before multiplayer play.
We also enhanced visual consistency and clarity by:
- Collaborating with our artist to create a wood-inspired theme.
- Adding button backgrounds for better visibility.
- Integrating animations and sound effects for board pieces and buttons.
Ideation
While the core gameplay mechanics and rules from Tabletop Simulator served as a starting point, we reimagined the visual direction by shifting the art to a pixel-art aesthetic to better suit a digital board game experience. We wanted to create a more cohesive and visually engaging experience, aligning with online retro-inspired games.
Solution & Impact
Based on repeated playtest feedback, I focused on improving player understanding, visual clarity, and moment-to-moment feedback. Working closely with the team, I translated user pain points into actionable UI/UX improvements that would encourage players to continue playing beyond a single round.
- Designed a guided first round and a full interactive tutorial to onboard new players
- Added clear visual feedback for illegal moves and game states
- Improved button affordances, animations, and sound effects to reinforce player actions
- Helped define a wood-inspired, pixel-art visual system to improve readability and thematic consistency
These changes significantly improved onboarding and player confidence. After implementation, playtests showed a
64% increase in positive feedback, with players understanding the rules faster and engaging in multiple rounds without external guidance.
Constraints included balancing tutorial depth with pacing, ensuring new players felt supported
without slowing down experienced players.
Conclusion
This project strengthened my interest in designing clear, approachable systems for complex games. It reinforced the importance of playtesting, iteration, and strong visual feedback when translating analog experiences into digital ones.
thank you for reading this case study!