Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe II is an extension of the classic Tic-Tac-Toe game played on a nine 3x3 grid arranged as a larger 3x3 grid.

This is a collaborative, published project I developed with Steven Phun, a software engineer. As a team, we decided to program an enhanced version of this classic game. We chose to design a game because we are both passionate about video games, and Tic-Tac-Toe presented a good challenge and opportunity to learn in a short amount of time. My design for this game is inspired by the games found on the 1998 Game Boy Color with a modern approach. This aesthetic appeals to gamers because it reminds them of the mini games they used to play on their Game Boy.

Our goal was to design a complex game that is still user-friendly. Upon opening the app, first-time users is greeted by the rules for the game. The design is straightforward to promote easy understanding, but still conveys the identity of the game through consistent typography and color palette.

The screen on the left demonstrates the logo being used as an app icon. Upon opening, users will discover the menu, with button design inspired by the 1998 menu graphics. For accessibility, user’s with color vision deficiency can change the in game colors through their settings. This can help users differentiate themselves and their CPU and/or other players. The game can be played by yourself or with your friends with multiplayer mode.

Through user testing, we were able to improve the player experience by analyzing their feedback. For example, many users where stumbling to understand which grid is playable. We improved this by adding the option for users to choose their own player color and their opponents player color.

I designed the logo to reflect the in-game experience of outlined boxes and filled boxes using Illustrator. The complementary color palette gives the game contrast to differentiate the players. I chose Gill Sans Nova because the wide body anatomy is reminiscent of the pixelated fonts in 1998 games.

Through this project, I learned to work within the limitations of coding and how to maintain the app’s identity within these boundaries. I also developed my ability to collaborate with software engineers.