How to Design Engaging Products: Insights from Fortnite's UX
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Learn how to create engaging user experiences with insights from Epic Games’ Fortnite.
In this Master Class, former director of UX at Epic Games and 15-year game industry veteran, Celia Hodent, will show you the psychology and UX framework behind the development of successful games like Fortnite, and how you can apply the same strategies to the development of any product, service, or system.
In this Master Class you’ll also learn what successful gamification entails—which is more complex than merely adding "badges" to an experience. Effective gamification requires a deep understanding of human motivation and the notion of "transfer" (of a skill learned in one context onto another context).
Finally, Celia will also talk about the ethics of engagement and how to draw a line between engaging users and exploiting them, thus slipping into dark patterns or shady practices feeding the so-called "attention economy."
In this Master Class, you’ll learn:
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The UX framework and iteration process applied in the development of Fortnite.
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The cognitive science and psychology that support the development of engaging and fun video games and how to apply it to other products.
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What gamification (or playful learning) needs to be efficient. This applies to any product intended to encourage healthier habits for example, or to educate in a playful way.
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The ethical considerations that any UX professional should have when working on the "engageability" of a product.
Join this Master Class to learn how to engage users and make playful products by applying the lessons from video game developers. Learn the key ingredients that make video games fun and how to use them ethically in other products.
Your Speaker and Industry Expert
Celia Hodent is an expert in the application of cognitive science and psychology to improve products, systems, services, and video games. She currently leads an independent UX consultancy, working with a wide range of international media and enterprise companies.
She works in-depth with companies to help ensure their products are both engaging and successful by considering the entire user experience they will provide to their audience. Celia conducts workshops and provides guidance on the topics of playful learning (“gamification”), ethics, implicit biases, and inclusion in tech and video games.
Celia holds a PhD in psychology and has over ten years experience in the development of user experience (UX) strategy in the entertainment industry, and more specifically with videogame studios through her work at Ubisoft, LucasArts, and as Director of UX at Epic Games (Fortnite). She is founder and chair of the Game UX Summit, and a member of the Foresight Committee at CNIL (National Commission on Informatics and Liberty, an independent French administrative regulatory body).
Celia is the author of The Gamer’s Brain: How Neuroscience and UX can Impact Video Game Design (2017), The Psychology of Video Games (2020), What UX Really Is: Introducing a Mindset to Great Experiences (2021), and co-editor of Game Usability: Advice from the Experts for Advancing UX Strategy and Practice in Videogames (2022).
To learn more about Celia or contact her, visit her Twitter: @CeliaHodent or her blog: celiahodent.com.
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Why are design skills so important right now?
Design skills are valuable for both you personally and for your company.
For you personally, design skills are important because:
Design roles are growing faster than average. The World Economic Forum ranks human-centered design among the fastest-growing skill areas through 2030.
Employers increasingly expect design skills across roles, not just from designers. Knowing design thinking, user research, or UX principles makes you more competitive in any field.
Designers who combine human-centered skills with AI expertise are in especially high demand.
For your company, design skills are important because:
Design skills help your team increase sales, retain customers, and improve customer satisfaction. Better customer experiences lead directly to better business results.
Companies that invest in design outperform the S&P 500 Index by 228% (Design Management Institute, Design Value Index).
Design is more than aesthetics. It's how teams make products easier to use, services more efficient, and technology more human. These skills create value across every department.
I'm not a designer. Why should I learn design and AI?
Design and tech skills can open up career opportunities.
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Why can design skills make you valuable in these jobs and industries?
That's because:
Design skills help your team increase sales, retain customers, and improve customer satisfaction. Better customer experiences lead directly to better business results.
Companies that invest in design outperform the S&P 500 Index by 228% (Design Management Institute, Design Value Index).
Design is more than aesthetics. It's how teams make products easier to use, services more efficient, and technology more human. These skills create value across every department.
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A few days later, the on-demand Master Class will show up on your private profile page if you're an IxDF member. If you're not a member, you'll receive your recording by email.
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When you sign up for the live Master Class, you'll automatically receive the link to the recording a few hours after the live event ends.
A few days later, the on-demand Master Class will show up on your private profile page if you're an IxDF member. If you're not a member, you'll receive your recording by email.
You can enjoy your Master Class on-demand at any time, anywhere. Watch it as many times as you want.
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