Articles about UX - Nasty Rodent - Page 2

Question 1

What is the simplest way to tell diegetic from non-diegetic UI?

Accepted Answer

Ask one question: can a character in the game world see or interact with this element? If yes, it's diegetic. If only the player can see it, it's non-diegetic (or spatial, if it has 3D placement, or meta, if it represents character state through screen effects).

Question 2

Which UI type is "best" for immersion?

Accepted Answer

Diegetic UI has the highest immersion potential when executed correctly — but it can fail if the information becomes hard to read or if the fiction doesn't support the element. Meta UI is also highly immersive for conveying character state. The best immersive results typically come from hybrid systems: diegetic for atmospheric elements, non-diegetic for complex data, meta for emotional state communication.

Question 3

Do most AAA games use one type or a mix?

Accepted Answer

A mix. Pure-diegetic games are rare and always involve significant design trade-offs. Dead Space itself added spatial elements (the floor locator) when its diegetic map failed navigation usability testing. Most AAA titles classify each UI element independently and assign it the most appropriate type for that element's information function.

Question 4

How does UI type choice affect production cost?

Accepted Answer

Diegetic UI goes through the character or environment art pipeline: 3D modeling, texturing, rigging, animation integration, scene placement, LOD consideration. This is significantly more expensive per element than non-diegetic, which goes through the 2D UI pipeline. The cost difference is a legitimate factor in UI type decisions and should be accounted for in pre-production scope.

Question 5

What is spatial UI, and how does it differ from diegetic?

Accepted Answer

Both spatial and diegetic UI exist in the game's 3D space. The difference is fictional: diegetic UI is acknowledged within the game's fiction (characters can see it), while spatial UI is purely player-facing (it exists in 3D space but no character in the world would acknowledge it). A floating waypoint marker is spatial. Isaac Clarke's health strip on his suit is diegetic.

Question 6

Is non-diegetic UI always a design compromise?

Accepted Answer

No — this is one of the most common misconceptions in game UI discussions. Non-diegetic UI executed with visual restraint, context-sensitivity, and genre-appropriate styling is a complete design solution. Many of the most acclaimed UI systems in games are non-diegetic. The compromise comes from poor non-diegetic design — persistent, cluttered, visually dominant overlays that compete with the game world for attention.

Blog - Page 2

Diegetic and Non-Diegetic UI in Games: Design Principles and Use Cases