1up.com
UX & UI Revisions

When 1up.com’s second rendition of their website debuted, although very different from other gaming sites, it presented some unforeseen problems with the layout.

The first problem was some confusion to their brand. Were they a gaming site or a blogging site? The answer was that they were primarily a gaming site but had the key feature of blogging for gamers. To make this more apparent, the new layout would have a more obvious division of gaming moved to the left and the blogging aspect would be moved to the right.

The second problem was the efficiency of the site. 1up.com’s second rendition had plenty of flash and animated components. Unfortunately most household PCs couldn’t handle the long load time of the pages. The new layout would minimize the flash content and use more conventional html to retain more viewers.

The third and most crucial problem was the navigation. 1up.com’s navigation was unconventional and viewers were unfamiliar with the format. Most of the links were hidden. The solution was to prioritize the links, refine terminology, and simplify some of the links to icons.

After implementing these solutions, the success was immediate. 1up.com saw a dramatic increase, from 100 to 225 million in page turns and return visitors.

ROLE: Visual design, user Interface, user experience, production