HERO LAUNCHER · END TO END APP DESIGN
A unified launcher that lets PC gamers find and play any game without switching apps, remembering platforms, or waiting on updates
A solo end-to-end UX design project — user research, competitive analysis, personas, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing across five participants.
Tasks completed
100%
Understood concept immediately
100%
Rated experience very easy
80%
Friends integration praised
80%
What?
End-to-end design of Hero Launcher, a unified PC game launcher concept that consolidates Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox, EA, and Battle.net into one interface.
For Who?
PC gamers who own games across multiple platforms and lose time managing multiple launchers, re-authenticating, and hunting for which platform a game lives on.
My Role
Solo UX/UI designer — competitive analysis, user research, personas, wireframing (lo-fi and hi-fi), prototyping, and usability testing.
What the product needs
A unified library that connects to existing platforms with opt-in control, one-click game launch, and social context — without requiring users to give up the platforms they already use.
What users need
To find and launch a game without switching apps or remembering which platform it lives on. To feel in control of what gets connected and what doesn't. To see what friends are playing without leaving the launcher.
DECISION 01 — NAVIGATION
I added a persistent back button after 3 of 5 participants had to use the Home button as a workaround
No inner screen had a way to go back during testing. Three participants navigated to the home screen and retraced their steps rather than going back one level. A persistent back button was added to the top left of all inner screens — game detail, friend profile, and settings.
DECISION 02 — LIBRARY SORTING
I moved the sort toggle into the sidebar after 2 of 5 participants could not find it
Sort controls were buried in a settings panel where participants weren't looking for them. An A-Z and Recent toggle was added directly inside the library sidebar so the current sort state is always visible and one tap away.
DECISION 03 & 04 — FRIENDS PROFILE & SOCIAL CONTEXT
I redesigned the friend profile buttons and added online status after testing showed no hierarchy and participants expected more social context
The original friend profile had three identical purple buttons with no visual priority and no indication of whether a friend was online or available to play.
The redesign reordered the buttons to Message, Invite to Game, and Join Game — making Message the primary filled button, Invite to Game a purple outline, and Join Game green.
Join Game is greyed out when a friend is offline or playing an unjoinable game.
Online status indicators were also added to friend activity cards on the home screen, and a currently playing overlay was added to the friend profile avatar so users get the most relevant social context the moment they visit a friend's profile.
How I did it
RESEARCH
Five participants revealed that friction starts before the game even launches
Five user interviews were conducted with PC gamers recruited from an existing Discord community. Sessions covered platform habits, pain points, and workarounds.
Nate
Steam-primary gamer frustrated by fragmentation across multiple launchers.
Wants Hero Launcher to feel as familiar and reliable as Steam.
"If it operated more like Steam it would be way more user-friendly."
Jonny
Multi-platform gamer who found the onboarding flow seamless and intuitive.
Expected automatic library sync after connecting — which is exactly how Hero Launcher works.
"Seamless, easy, convenient, efficient — it achieves its goal."
CJ
Steam-primary gamer who benchmarks every launcher against Steam.
Wanted to see friend activity and who is playing right now without leaving the app.
"Cool and needed — I could see myself actually using this."
Ryan
Steam and Epic user with 3-5 active games, frustrated by navigation dead ends.
Could not find a way to go back on inner screens — used Home as a workaround.
"This could honestly be a Discord competitor with messaging added."
Fleming
Full prototype tester who found the app clean and functional throughout.
Took a moment to identify the Library sidebar — suggested minor visual polish.
"Functionality is strong — the UI just needs to be prettier."
Key themes from affinity mapping
63 observations from 5 interviews consolidated into 7 themes. Authentication fatigue and fragmentation dominated — every participant experienced both.
Fragmentation & Platform Confusion
Avoidance & Friction Behaviors
Authentication Fatigue
Steam as Golden Standard
Fragmentation & Platform Confusion
All four participants described not knowing which launcher a game lives on. Workarounds included opening launchers one by one or Googling — a recurring friction moment before any game was played.
Avoidance & Friction Behaviors
Participants actively avoided launchers they found unreliable. Ubisoft, Xbox, and Battle.net were described as launchers opened only when necessary — and sometimes not at all.
Authentication Fatigue
Every participant mentioned frustration with repeated sign-ins. For one participant a failed login caused a complete session abandonment after 20+ minutes of troubleshooting.
Steam as Golden Standard
All four used Steam as their primary launcher and measured everything else against it. Complaints about other launchers were framed as "not like Steam."
Desire for Unified Control
Participants wanted a unified library but reacted negatively to automatic aggregation without consent. Opt-in connection was non-negotiable.
Desire for Unified Control
Social Happens Outside the Launcher
Passive Library Management
Social Happens Outside the Launcher
All four use Discord for friend coordination. In-launcher social features were either ignored or unknown — Discord had already replaced them entirely.
Passive Library Management
No participant actively organises their cross-platform library. Games accumulate and organisation only surfaces when something breaks or a game can't be found.
Path forward
Fragmentation and authentication friction dominated the map — confirming these were systemic problems, not edge cases. Hero Launcher was designed to solve both with a unified opt-in library that keeps users in control while eliminating the need to switch apps, remember platforms, or re-authenticate after initial setup.
KEY INSIGHTS
Six patterns that shaped every design decision
Authentication fatigue is universal
Every participant mentioned frustration with sign-ins and re-authentication on non-Steam platforms. This made persistent session management the highest priority feature in the product — users should never be asked to re-authenticate after initial setup.
Steam is the benchmark — not a competitor
Users don't want to replace Steam. They want everything else to feel as reliable as Steam. Hero Launcher had to match that bar from day one — speed, library organisation, and trustworthiness were non-negotiable.
Libraries are passive, not managed
No participant actively organises their cross-platform library. Games accumulate and organisation only surfaces when something breaks. The product needed to handle this invisibly — without asking users to configure anything.
Discord replaced in-launcher social
All four participants use Discord for friend coordination. In-launcher social features were ignored or unknown. Hero Launcher's social layer had to earn its place by offering context Discord doesn't — cross-platform library visibility and currently playing status.
"Which platform is it on?" is daily friction
All four described the recurring experience of not knowing which launcher a game lives on. A unified searchable library with a visible platform badge on every game was the direct solution to this problem.
Aggregation is wanted but control is non-negotiable
One participant reacted negatively when a competitor auto-aggregated Xbox data without asking. Opt-in connection became the foundational design principle of the entire onboarding flow — every platform connection requires explicit user consent.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Four competitors studied to understand what Hero Launcher should adopt, avoid, and build differently
Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy, and Playnite were analysed across engagement model, library management, social features, and UX quality.
Steam
Primary launcher benchmark
REFERENCE
Engagement model
Rich social layer — activity feeds, friend lists, groups, reviews. Library is central to the experience. Daily use driven by habit and community, not just gaming.
Library Management
Best-in-class library organisation — collections, filters, sort options, installed/uninstalled states, cloud saves, and playtime tracking all in one place.
Social Features
Full social layer — friends list, activity feed, chat, game invites, shared wishlists. Most participants said they use Steam Chat even when playing non-Steam games.
UX Quality
Industry standard. Familiar, fast, reliable. Every participant benchmarked all other launchers against Steam. The UX bar is set here.
Hero Launcher Implication
Steam's speed, reliability, and library organization is the minimum bar users are measuring against. Hero Launcher must feel as fast and trustworthy as Steam from day one.
Epic Games Store
Re-authentication friction
AVOID THIS
Engagement model
Exclusive titles (Fortnite, free weekly games) drive installs and return visits. Outside of exclusives, engagement drops significantly compared to Steam.
Library Management
Basic library with cover art. Limited organisation tools. No cross-platform awareness — Epic only shows Epic games.
Social Features
Basic friends list. No chat within the launcher. Social interaction pushed to external platforms like Discord.
UX Quality
Clean visual design but persistent re-authentication issues and frequent sign-out problems were flagged by multiple research participants as a key frustration.
Hero Launcher Implication
Persistent sessions per platform — users should never be asked to re-authenticate after the initial setup. This is the single most reported friction point from Epic users.
GOG Galaxy
Failed execution, validated problem
AVOID THIS
Engagement model
GOG identified the unified library problem and built toward it. But complex setup and unreliable third-party integrations led to low adoption and a shelved product.
Library Management
GOG Galaxy 2.0 attempted cross-platform library aggregation. The concept was validated but integration reliability was a chronic problem.
Social Features
No meaningful social layer. Focused entirely on library aggregation without community features.
UX Quality
Interface quality declined as integrations grew. Setup complexity and unpredictable behaviour created distrust. Ultimately shelved by GOG.
Hero Launcher Implication
GOG validated the problem. The market exists. Design quality and integration reliability are what Hero Launcher needs to succeed where GOG Galaxy didn't.
Playnite
Demand proven, UX ceiling hit
REFERENCE
Engagement model
Active community of enthusiast PC gamers. Open-source model means fast iteration but no design system, inconsistent UX, and steep learning curve for new users.
Library Management
Playnite's primary value proposition is unified library management. Works well for power users willing to configure it manually. Not accessible to casual gamers.
Social Features
No native social features. Community happens on Reddit and Discord outside the app entirely.
UX Quality
Developer-tool aesthetic. Powerful but intimidating. The UX ceiling limits Playnite to enthusiasts — it never crossed into mainstream adoption.
Hero Launcher Implication
Same concept as Playnite, different audience. A polished, approachable UI that doesn't require configuration is what separates Hero Launcher from an enthusiast tool.
PERSONAS
Two personas, two different relationships with the same core frustration
Two personas were developed directly from research findings across all five sessions — representing the two most distinct relationships with the fragmentation problem that Hero Launcher was built to solve.
The Casual Collector
Goal: Get into a game with zero friction. Don't ask me to remember which platform it's on.
▸Steam-first, avoidance-oriented.
▸Values simplicity above all.
▸Friction causes disengagement rather than problem-solving
▸If a game requires a non-Steam launcher, he is less likely to play it.
The Veteran Juggler
Goal: One trustworthy hub. Authenticate once. Never hunt for a game again.
▸7-8 platforms, 80-100 games.
▸Workaround-heavy
▸Has abandoned gaming sessions after launcher cascades.
▸Wants credential management and cross-store browsing in one place.
WIREFRAMES
From lo-fi sketches to a tested hi-fi prototype across three complete task flows
Wireframing began at lo-fi to validate layout logic before committing to visual design. Key screens were tested with participants before moving to hi-fi, which meant structural decisions were already validated when visual polish was added.
LOFI WIREFRAMES
The homepage was designed around one goal — getting into a game in the fewest clicks.
Jump Back In was made the dominant element from the first sketch. The store page was scoped out after early peer feedback flagged complexity, replaced with direct links to external stores. The onboarding flow was centred around opt-in connection after research confirmed users reacted negatively to automatic aggregation.
Flow
-
Website landing page and onboarding flow
-
App homepage with Jump Back In, Recently Played, Friend Activity, and Quick Actions w/ Library sidebar w/ platform filter pills and sort toggle
-
Game detail page with hero banner and launch panel
HIGH FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
i built a fully interactive hi-fi prototype in Figma across three complete task flows, iterating on layout and interaction decisions after every round of testing
Starting from validated lo-fi wireframes, we moved into hi-fi using Hero Launcher's brand identity — deep purple, navy, and Motiva Sans throughout. All components were built in Figma with documented specs. The prototype covered three complete task flows tested with five participants, with key iterations applied after testing including a persistent back button, a sidebar sort toggle, redesigned friend profile buttons, and online status indicators.
FLOW 01 — ONBOARDING
5 screens
Flow:
Website landing page → Welcome screen → Sign up → Connect platforms → Import confirmation
FLOW 02 — GAME LAUNCH & FRIEND EXPLORATION
3 screens
Flow:
Home screen → Game details page → Friend profile → Game from friend activity
FLOW 03 — SETTINGS AND BATTLE.NET
5 screens
Flow:
Home screen → Settings → Connect Battle.net → Library preferences → Home screen
Context:
After user links their battle.net account the game library updates to include Battle.net games
USABILITY TESTING
Testing confirmed the core flows worked and surfaced four targeted improvements
One round of moderated usability testing with five participants over Discord screen share. Each session covered three task flows: onboarding, game launch and friend exploration, and settings with Battle.net connection.
Tasks completed
100%
Understood concept immediately
100%
Rated experience very easy
80%
Friends integration praised
80%
FLOW 01 — ONBOARDING
Task
Navigate to website and download app
Create an account
Connect Steam and Epic Games
Complete import confirmation and reach home screen
Result
✓ Completed
✓ Completed
✓ Completed
✓ Completed
FLOW 03 — SETTINGS AND BATTLE.NET
Task
Navigate to Settings from top nav
Connect Battle.net
Adjust a library preference
Return to home screen
Result
✓ Completed
✓ Completed
✓ Completed
✓ Completed
— Jonny
"Seamless, easy, convenient, efficient — it achieves its goal."
— CJ
"Cool and needed — I could see myself actually using this."
ITERATION 01
Back button and navigation
✗ No back navigation on inner screens
✗ Users had to return to Home to go back
✓ Persistent back button top left all inner screens
✓ Users can navigate back without losing their place
Insight
3 of 5 participants could not find a way to go back and used the Home button as a workaround — retracing steps rather than moving back one level. Adding a persistent back button to all inner screens resolved this immediately.
ITERATION 02
Library sort toggle
✗ Sort controls buried in settings panel
✗ 2 of 5 participants could not locate sorting
✓ A-Z and Recent toggle visible in library sidebar
✓ Current sort state always visible at a glance
Insight
Sort controls placed inside a settings panel were not where participants looked. Moving the A-Z and Recent toggle directly into the library sidebar made the current sort state always visible and one tap away.
ITERATION 03
Four iterations made directly from testing feedback
✗ Three identical purple buttons, no visual hierarchy
✗ Join Game active even when friend is offline
✓ Message primary, Invite outline, Join Game green
✓ Join Game greyed out when offline or unjoinable
Insight
Three identical purple buttons gave users no signal about which action was most common or most significant. Reordering to Message, Invite to Game, and Join Game with distinct visual treatments created a clear hierarchy that guides users to the right action first.
ITERATION 04
Four iterations made directly from testing feedback
✗ No online status on friend activity cards
✗ Friend profile showed no currently playing info
✓ Online status on every friend activity card
✓ Currently playing overlay on friend profile avatar
Insight
Participants consistently expected to see what a friend was actively playing when visiting their profile — not just on the home screen. Online status indicators and a currently playing overlay give users the most relevant social context the moment they open a friend's profile.