Paradox Development Studio

Paradox Development Studio (PDS) is a Swedish game studio and the creators of Grand Strategy Games (GSGs) like Stellaris, Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, and Hearts of Iron, et al.

Building complex games like Grand Strategy Games for both PC and console is a costly endeavour. Normally, two different platforms imply two different User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) designs, even though it is the same game. If the game’s UI could have similar designs for both platforms, this costly obstacle could be overcome. This project aimed to take the first steps to look at “one UI to rule them all”.

Aron investigated the feasibility of similar UI and UX designs when creating GSGs for both PC and consoles (Xbox and PlayStation). He conducted an extensive quantitative research with a 400-question survey that generated 864 submissions from players across 12 different strategy games on consoles. The Pace was found to have the biggest impact on the UX of strategy games on consoles. To evaluate the Pace further, qualitative playtests of 2 of the games used in the survey were conducted. Aron worked closely with the UX team and the game engine team of PDS to discuss and iterate on solutions for the UX and UI design of GSGs on consoles with his user research as the basis. Aron’s research is now directly in use by the teams.

The best way to get a grip on what I have done at Paradox is to download and read the full paper here:
Link to my internationally published paper.