HUD information hierarchy for competitive FPS games

The problemIn globally popular competitive FPS games, players read health, objectives and abilities in split seconds. Competing decoration and shifting positions raise cognitive load and slow scanning. (Blizzard reports Overwatch has passed 100 million cumulative players—⁠context for the audience, not reach of this concept.)

My contributionA conceptual comparison of VALORANT, Counter-Strike and Overwatch HUDs, exploring glanceable signal priority.

Game HUDs compared

Comparative HUD review informing layout concepts.

Experience map · conceptual

Critical signals
Health and objectives
Spatial hierarchy
Stable priority positions
Layout concepts
Glanceable status and alerts

My role: UX researcher & design concepts
Team: Academic research context
Timeline: Independent research project
Tools: Heuristic evaluation, User feedback, Recommendation mockups

Comparative game HUD research and redesign concepts.

Process

The work behind the decisions.

01
Compare interface signals
Reviewed VALORANT, Counter-Strike (CS:GO / CS2) and Overwatch HUDs for glanceability, signal priority (health, objective, abilities), hierarchy stability and scan efficiency.
02
Identify attention conflicts
Used heuristics and user feedback to identify competing decorations and inconsistent signal placement.
03
Explore hierarchy concepts
Developed recommendation mockups and layout concepts with clearer priority and consistent spatial positions.

Annotated HUD proposal over a third-party game screenshot — a comparative research concept, not shipped game work.

Key decisions

Design decisions that shaped the experience.

Decision 01

Give critical signals stable positions

Prioritize high-importance status in consistent spatial locations to support quick scanning.

Trade-off

Consistency must retain enough distinction between health, objectives and abilities.

Decision 02

Reduce competition, retain alerts

Reduce decorative competition while keeping critical alerts and status visible.

Trade-off

Simplification should not remove information players need in fast-paced situations.

Design value & supporting evidence