Planningex
Learn UI design from designers who've shipped titles to millions. We're teaching what actually works in production — not just theory from textbooks.
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Our program breaks down into three core areas. Each one builds on skills you'll use every single day as a game UI designer.
How to structure HUD elements, menus, and navigation systems. We cover information hierarchy and visual flow — the stuff that makes or breaks player experience in the first five minutes.
Working with mobile constraints changes everything. You'll learn color psychology for game contexts, icon design that reads at tiny sizes, and typography that works across devices.
Real studios have deadlines and technical limitations. We teach you how to work with developers, optimize assets, and adapt designs when the initial concept hits reality.
You've probably heard about proximity and similarity. But applying them to a battle HUD with twenty elements competing for attention? That's different. We work through real scenarios where you need players to parse complex information instantly.
Micro-interactions aren't decoration. When a player taps a button, that response time and animation curve communicates whether the action succeeded. Bad feedback makes your game feel broken even when the code works perfectly.
Free-to-play interfaces need to present offers without feeling pushy. It's a balance most designers struggle with. We look at case studies from successful titles and break down what makes their shop interfaces convert without annoying players.
Color blindness affects about 8% of men. Small text is unreadable for many players over 40. Yet most game UI ignores these issues. We cover practical ways to make your interfaces work for a wider audience without compromising your visual style.
We structure everything around building actual portfolio pieces. Theory comes when you need it — not in isolation.
Start with redesigning existing game interfaces. You'll pick apart what works in popular titles and create your own versions. This phase teaches you to analyze design decisions and understand constraints.
Design UI for hypothetical games across different genres. A puzzle game needs different interface approaches than a strategy title. You'll develop range while building a diverse portfolio.
Team up with other students to create a complete UI system for a game concept. You'll handle feedback, iterate on designs, and experience what it's like working with others who have opinions about your work.
Refine your best pieces and learn how to present them. We cover case study writing and portfolio site basics. By the end, you'll have work that demonstrates your skills to potential employers or clients.
The people teaching this program have worked on games you've actually played. Here's what they think about the current state of mobile game UI design.
I've reviewed hundreds of junior portfolios over the years. The pattern is consistent — beautiful mockups that would never survive contact with actual development. Tools like Figma make it easy to create pixel-perfect designs. But understanding technical constraints, performance budgets, and how developers actually implement your work? That's what separates someone who took an online course from someone who can contribute on day one.
You can watch tutorials forever and still struggle when it's time to create original work. That's because design improvement comes from iteration — and iteration requires feedback from people who know what they're looking at. When I was learning, I posted work to forums and got torn apart by anonymous commenters. It was brutal but effective. Now we can structure that feedback in a way that's constructive. Students show work every week, get specific critiques, and revise based on input from designers who've shipped actual products.
We're taking applications through June. The program runs for seven months, with new material released weekly and live feedback sessions every two weeks.
Program Duration: 7 months (September 2025 - March 2026)
Format: Self-paced lessons with scheduled critique sessions
Time Commitment: Plan for 10-15 hours weekly