Samuel Austin

UX Designer with professional experience creating engaging, meaningful, and usable cross-cultural video game experiences. Proficient in applying user behaviour, emotional, and motivational theories to design solutions in the form of wireframes, mockups, IA, and user flows, crafting immersive interactions.

Co.Pilot: AI Game Development Inspiration

Gaming is the future of entertainment, and as such, has unlimited potential to create connections across the world.

Co.Pilot leverages AI referencing to foster opportunities for more diverse games to be created and build bridges between cultures, starting with the Chinese and Western game industries.

Co.Pilot provides a cross-cultural UX and design referencing resource for Chinese video game developers who want to release immersive games in the Western market, but struggle to understand Western users’ needs, patterns, and behaviours.

Stakeholders at the centre of the design

Throughout the design journey, multiple stakeholders from across the problem space landscape were considered and prioritised. These stakeholders and their associated personas were central to the research, validation, and storytelling processes via interviews, ideation sessions, and storyboarding.

Iterative and principle-driven process

Due to the multiple layers of stakeholders and their conflicting needs, the principles of research, signals and trends, participatory design, and storytelling were all leveraged to find a suitable solution. The process was not linear, and iterations were needed to continuously go back and forth between these stages.

Other Work

Deloitte Digital

Worked with Deloitte Digital to develop an inclusive search platform catered for mature job seekers having trouble landing their next role. The product allowed users facing the challenges of age discrimination to find jobs in a usable, accessible, and tech-neutral manner.

GenGame

In association with GenGame, a project investigating how to encourage users to further engage with their smart meter and save energy. This resulted in an app called EcoHour, allowing users to build up rewards throughout the week for a timed reward window.

Personal Project

Investigated behaviour change strategies with a positive environmental impact by designing an app that would support international students to make more informed and more eco-friendly clothes washes. Included gamification and behavioural economic strategies.

Overview

UX Designer at NetEase Games specialised in creating cross-cultural video gaming experiences and interactions. 7 years of video game industry experience in localisation, marketing, and dev operations. Focused on interaction design, but also able to do research, UI, and strategy.

Experience

  • UX Designer – NetEase Games (July 2022-Present)
  • Culturalization & DevOps Lead – NetEase Games (April 2019-June 2022)
  • PR and Copywriting Manager – Yoozoo Games (May 2018-April 2019)
  • Project Lead – CSOFT International (May 2016-May 2018)

Visionary Thinkers

Visionary Creators

Visionary Makers