Before/After: Inventory UI overhaul for a live-service RPG that improved item findability

Gaming · 5 min read

Players of Echo Realms often complained that finding recently acquired loot was a chore: the old inventory used nested tabs, tiny icons, and a sorting system that favored rarity over recency. In response, the UX team ran contextual playtests and heatmap analyses to observe how players searched for gear during gameplay.

The new design flattened the structure, introduced a prominent ‘new items’ shelf, and added context-sensitive filters that remembered recent player actions (e.g., show only equippable weapons). Iconography was increased, and a dynamic tooltip showed item power in combat-relevant units. Importantly, designers preserved client performance by streaming thumbnails and loading detailed metadata asynchronously.

Telemetry across a six-week window revealed that players equipped new items 45% faster, inventory-related support tickets dropped by 30%, and day-7 retention for players who frequently looted gear increased by 5%. Designers found that small, contextual touches—like the ‘new items’ shelf—and reducing mental models (rarity vs recency) had outsized impact on in-session satisfaction.