Ensuring our players know where & what to click, Michelle Lee brought her experience to the game's UI & UX design, making sure that burgeoning gardening necromancers have the right tools in the right place. She is passionate about contributing to the social good of the digital space, with a focus on mental health and accessibility in her work. You can find out more about her work for Greenhearth Necromancer here.
Welcome to the fifth monthly (ish) developer log for Greenhearth Necromancer!
Our monthly devlogs will highlight different aspects of Greenhearth and will share insights into its development. As a semi-idle magical gardening sim, there will be much to share as development continues! This month’s entry is a Q&A with our UI/UX designer, Michelle Lee.
As a semi-idle magical gardening sim with a locked balcony perspective, the user experience for our players is paramount. Identifying problems, selecting the right tools, researching information, and engaging with the balcony in a grounded way requires specific expertise. Throughout the devlog, we'll be sharing Michelle's answers, along with a variety of UI elements that showcase how Greenhearth's interface feels cohesive, stylish, and, honestly? Pretty dang cute.
UI/UX is essentially the translator (or bridge) between the player and the game. It takes everything the developer wants the player to understand and turns it into something the player can actually process, enjoy, and act on without their brain overheating. I think good UI/UX reduces cognitive overload and levels the playing field for different types of players. It bridges the gap between intention and experience. When it’s done right, players don’t feel like they’re “learning a system,” they just play. When it’s done wrong, sometimes it can feel like you’re suddenly fighting the menu harder than the boss.
I believe good UX/UI is kind of invisible. Not in a visual way; it should be intuitive, responsive, and purposeful, without constantly reminding the player that it exists. The goal isn’t to show off how clever the interface is; it’s to support the player so smoothly that they can focus on the experience itself. It aims to guide the player without really holding their hand, communicate information clearly and quickly, and enhance the game’s tone and narrative.
The biggest inspiration for me was the game’s art direction (gothic, magical, and deeply tied to nature). I wanted the UI to feel like it belonged in that world rather than sitting on top of it. The art was already pretty much established when I joined the team, so I wanted to adapt. When I was first introduced to the game, my mind immediately went to Kiki’s Delivery Service and Studio Ghibli’s whimsical, cozy fantasy. I leaned into that feeling and blended it with my own style, something cute but still refined and a little mysterious.
Narratively, the UI is tied to the main character’s journey of research, memory, and discovery. The journal, loose papers, scraps, and notes are all intentional. I wanted players to feel like they’re studying alongside the character, slowly piecing things together through books, magic, and observation. It’s meant to feel personal, a little messy, and very human.
Be adaptable, and always put yourself in the player’s shoes ( all of them).
I think being a designer is a bit like being an actor. You’re constantly stepping into different roles and perspectives. Especially with a UX-heavy game like Greenhearth, I had to imagine how the game feels if I know nothing about plants, if I’m an expert, if I’m just here for vibes, or if I’m trying to speedrun everything. Good designers become the voice of many users at once. Your job is to represent those perspectives so the rest of the development team doesn’t have to guess. I strongly believe empathy is just as important as skill.
There aren’t strict rules, but there are lessons you learn the hard way. One big one I’ve learned recently is knowing when to stop. More time and more detail don’t always make a better design; they just make it louder.
I really love the small icons: plants, statuses, charms, and similar elements. They were a fun, creative challenge because they had to be readable at a glance and fit the world’s tone. I squeezed my brain dry trying to create them, and I love a challenge. They turned out quite cute while remaining cohesive with the overall aesthetic, and they add a lot of personality without overwhelming the interface.
It usually starts with identifying a problem, for example, “the HUD feels cluttered” or “players aren’t noticing this information.” From there, I mock up multiple solutions, each solving the issue in a slightly different way. Then comes the most important part: asking questions. I gather feedback from users, testers, and the internal team, compare responses, and determine which version actually solves the problem rather than just looking nice. After that, it’s a cycle of testing, tweaking, questioning, and iterating. I think UX is never really “done”; it just gets better over time.
I’m currently in love with Marvel Rivals’ UI. The animations are clean, everything feels responsive, and there’s so much character baked into the interactions without sacrificing clarity.
As someone who struggles with fast-paced shooters, I really appreciate how readable and intuitive the UI is. It provides the information I need quickly without overwhelming me.
I’m a simple person with simple tastes. My go-to fonts are Lato and Poppins as they are clean, versatile, readable, and hard to mess up.
Thanks for reading all about the UI/UX design of Greenhearth Necromancer! If you don’t want to miss updates about the game, subscribe to our newsletter and wishlist the game on Steam!