357 Poker
357 Poker is a table game on the 188 Bet platform, offering a fresh twist on classic poker. It features two distinct design styles: a gorgeous and luxurious casino aesthetic for a premium experience and a fresh and cute style for a more casual, playful vibe. The game provides intuitive gameplay, dynamic betting options, and smooth mobile compatibility, ensuring an engaging experience for all players.
Targeting traditional poker fans, casual gamers, and mobile users, 357 Poker is designed to appeal to a broad market. With interactive elements, fair play algorithms, and a secure platform, it stands out as a visually appealing and immersive poker alternative in the growing online gaming industry.
I'm excited to take on the challenge of designing two distinct styles at the same time, pushing my creativity to the limit!
I had the pleasure of designing two different visual style of both users.
Based on the suggestions from business analysis, I designed three different styles of game models: a rich Chinese golden style, a cute Japanese style with a simple design, and a future technology style.
Features
The game Poker 357 was designed with a mobile-first approach, focusing on casual players who frequently play games on their phones. The design choices were made to ensure convenience, ease of use, and accessibility.
Ideation Process
Target Audience & Playstyle
-The game is designed for mobile gamers who prefer quick, casual gameplay.
-Since these players often play for short bursts, the game is structured to end in a single round, allowing them to play in their spare time without long commitments.One-Handed Operation
-To enhance mobile usability, the game features an upright (portrait) layout, making it easy for users to play with one hand.
-The UI design ensures that all essential controls are within thumb’s reach, optimizing comfort and efficiency.User Interface & Interaction
-The UI layout is divided into clear functional areas:Interaction Zone – Where players tap and make choices.
Information Zone – Displays game progress, scores, and necessary details without clutter.
-The design minimizes unnecessary movements, allowing quick and intuitive gameplay.
Challenges
1️⃣ Overwhelming Information Density
The layout contained too much content, making it difficult for users to read and process information quickly.
The interface felt visually cluttered, reducing readability and player comfort.
2️⃣ Complex Interaction Zone
There were too many buttons in the Interaction Zone, leading to usability issues.
Players found the buttons hard to use, increasing the risk of accidental mistakes.
3️⃣ Limited Flexibility for Changes
Despite usability concerns, the business team was unwilling to reduce content or buttons, requiring a design solution that worked within these constraints.
Solutions
Visual Simplification: I reduced the UI color intensity and refined the visual hierarchy to make the interface more readable and less overwhelming.
Text Optimization: Adjusted font sizes and spacing to improve legibility while keeping all required content.
Button Refinement: Resized and repositioned buttons to enhance usability without removing them.
Future Improvements: If given the opportunity to redesign this project, I would focus more on WCAG contrast standards and visual consistency to further enhance accessibility and user comfort.
Tools
Photoshop
llustrator
draw.io
Role
2D Designer
A 2D designer creates characters, backgrounds, and UI, defining the game’s visual style for an immersive player experience.
Timeline
Overall: 7+ weeks
Discover the Style
I have explored three distinct design styles for this project. The first is a luxurious black-and-gold theme, a popular choice in the Chinese market. The second is a Japanese 'cute' style, which is widely favored in North Asia. The market team is currently testing its potential fit within the Asian gambling market. The third is a futuristic tech style designed to appeal to mobile players. After evaluation, we selected the black-and-gold and Japanese styles as the most suitable for our market strategy.
Wireframe
The first step in this process was gaining a deep understanding of gameplay. At this stage, my primary focus was usability, clarity, and functionality. To achieve this, I conducted user interviews and researched gaming communities to identify common challenges faced by our target audience.
Simultaneously, we validated the content through business analysis and user testing. This ensured the integrity of the game’s architecture, the accuracy of its content, and a seamless, player-friendly experience.
Mockup
At this stage, the focus shifts to visual design. I create high-fidelity mockups that refine textures, materials, and overall aesthetics based on project requirements.
During this phase, we finalize the game's visual direction with the client, ensuring a completion rate of at least 95%. Key elements—including characters, environments, and interface design—must be approved at this stage, as the 3D team will use these mockups as the foundation for modeling and animation.
Character Design
After finalizing the mockup with the client, I moved on to the 2D design draft stage, collaborating closely with the 3D team to develop the character models. At this stage, it’s crucial to clearly define character proportions, structural details, and material specifications to ensure accuracy in the modeling process.
For this particular setting diagram, since the character model was already established, a three-dimensional turnaround was not required. However, if a character library or predefined modules were unavailable, a full three-view reference would be essential for proper execution.
For Others
Once the mockup is finalized, I proceed with designing additional game pages and collaborating with developers to create a comprehensive game flowchart.
After ensuring that all design elements are complete and nothing is missing, I move on to designing the game logo and advertisements. Finally, I organize and export the necessary assets, preparing them for seamless integration with the development team.
Game Flew
After finalizing the mockup with the client, I moved on to the 2D design draft stage, collaborating closely with the 3D team to develop the character models. At this stage, it’s crucial to clearly define character proportions, structural details, and material specifications to ensure accuracy in the modeling process.
For this particular setting diagram, since the character model was already established, a three-dimensional turnaround was not required. However, if a character library or predefined modules were unavailable, a full three-view reference would be essential for proper execution.
Project Feedback
This project targeted multiple international markets, requiring careful consideration of regional design preferences.
Market Insights:
The Chinese market responded positively to the existing visual style.
Southeast Asian users preferred a more European and American aesthetic, showing less interest in Japanese-style visuals based on platform returns.
User Experience & Performance:
The platform did not report any usability concerns, indicating a smooth user experience.
Google Analytics data confirmed that players navigated the interface effectively, achieving their goals without major friction.
This project reinforced the importance of adapting visual design to regional preferences while ensuring a seamless user experience across diverse audiences.
