Christian M. Paulo

Playstation 4 UI Redesign

Application Design I
HfG Schwabisch Gmünd WS 2017/2018
Lecturer: Jonas Heuer

Fahim Popalzai, Christian Paulo

Task:

The task was to redesign an existing application. In our case we decided to use the operating system of Playstation 4, because we think it could be improved in terms of user interface and user experience.

Project Gallery

Sony Playstation 4

We felt that the whole experience of the PlayStation Dynamic Menu (name of the OS) wasn't up to date with the current standards of a modern day gaming console. So we took the chance and made a new concept which brings emotions and content into the foreground of the OS.

We also focused on reducing the complexity and completely revamped the UI Design. And since this a redesign, we still wanted that our concept looks and feels like a PlayStation. Underneath you'll see the concept video of our redesign.

Research & Conception

As a first step, we compared the console with existing consoles. We paid attention to the general comprehensibility of the menu navigation and the user interface.

Simplify the mental model

Our main goal was to decrease the complexity of the OS. The PS4 is basically an App Drawer where with every interaction, it feels like you're going deeper and deeper into the system. We changed that by reducing the system to two layers.

Spotlight & Whats new

In the first you have, you're Spotlight, which features your currently running app or game. Below that is the What's New section.

The magiccubes

As the name reveals the are cubes with only one side visible. They flip through their sides and reveal shortcuts or additional information to the objects they are places on.

The quickmenu

On top, accessible globally with the PS Button, the Quickmenu. Which features the other functions from your PSN account to the settings.

Sidebar

All menu items of the category are arranged in a sidebar as usual. By pressing the shoulder buttons you can move vertically from one point to the next.

Context menu

Additionally, we have equipped the system with a context menu, which offers the possibility to edit and move elements but also to filter and arrange them. It is, so to speak, the right click of a computer mouse.

Improved controls

We mostly kept the old control scheme but we've added certain shortcuts for frequently used functions. The global search, the notifications and the task manager are know quickly accessible through one button press.