Simplify DND
Dungeons and Dragons. Maybe you've heard of it before, maybe you even play it yourself.
For a lot of people, just talking about Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) brings to mind old sitcom episodes, or the fear of "satanic rituals conducted in suburban basements." Whatever your personal relationship with this game, D&D has evolved through the years to become a cultural touchstone for many people. Recently the game has seen a resurgence in popularity, thanks to a number of factors such as live or produced "actual-play" shows and the general acceptance of "nerd culture" into the mainstream. While the game can be an incredible opportunity for people to explore more of their own creativity or to weave a unique story with a group of their friends, there are many barriers that stop people from even trying to play. The first block most people run into is known as... the Character Sheet.
Current State
If you felt overwhelmed by all of the information and language used on the official D&D character sheet, you are certainly not alone.
​
Whenever I tried to get my family or friends to play a game, I was told again and again how confusing this part was especially. From a design standpoint, not only does it require that players have existing knowledge of the important terms and key information, a rough ask of brand new players, but it also presents all the information through one channel only. There are no visual indications or color-coding that might assist new players in understanding how certain elements relate to each other. To put it simply, it is bordering on unusability.
​
This problem is actually part of what led me towards UX/UI as a career path. As someone who struggles with attention and focus, the layout was incredibly frustrating. I wanted to design a character sheet that solved 2 things primarily: presented just enough information for a new player to enjoy themselves, and to lay out the sheet in a way that made it more accessible.
Scope and Limitations
As I approached this project as my first "official" design, I was confronted by a number of challenges I had not foreseen. As a newer designer, I began to fall into the trap of solving the problem before I fully understood it. To help refocus the project, I decided to focus on a few key elements.
​
First, I had to consider my target audience. I had initially wanted to design a sheet that would be usable by new and veteran players alike, but quickly learned that without a proper scope I was more likely to design something that sat in the middle without helping either user.
​
After re-focusing on the "New Player Persona" I pushed forward in defining the key elements needed for the design, namely that there were certain elements that were simply not needed by new players, like an expanded spell list, and other elements that needed to be made more clear.
Low-Fidelity "Layout" Wireframe
Much of this project was a learning experience for me. I explored using new tools such as Miro and Figma. I challenged myself to even learn video editing, just to prove that I could.
​
I think this part of the design process was where I learned the most. I was struggling with trying to complete a "finished" prototype before I even understood what layout I wanted. As I developed these sketches and rough outlines I grew to understand and trust the design process much more.
​
​
​
​
I realized that I was making several key errors in how I though the information would be best presented and how it was received. As a Sociologist, I know the value of data gathering and research, and each new insight I gained and each new user I tested led to another design change.
High-Fidelity
"Functioning"
wireframe
Now we see the project in its currently "completed" state. I would not say this project is finished yet, as there are several changes and additions that I would like to make in the future and I expect even more to come up as I use and share the sheets.
​
My next version will include a separate, supplemental page that has key rules and references that would be helpful for new players to have on hand.
​
This project has been incredibly rewarding because I was able to learn new tools as well as follow through with a design plan from inception to completion.
