Summoner’s
screen
Wallpapers, screensavers and lock screens for people who would rather be playing.
Project overview
The concept was presented to me by a MacOS developer who had an idea of an app with the ability to edit desktop wallpapers, live wallpapers, lock screen wallpapers, and screensavers.
Target audience
The target audience for the app was macOS users who enjoy gaming, customisation, and cool wallpapers.
Niche
The app’s niche was a gamer theme. Instead of users downloading multiple images, creating folders, and relying on native features for customisation, the app would streamline the process. It would source assets based on the customer’s preferences and theme choice, providing a curated pool of gaming-themed wallpapers and screensavers.
Motivation
Given that the functionality exists natively on macOS, the goal of the app was to provide an appealing user interface and improve asset management. The app would handle downloading and managing the selected assets while offering a niche collection of wallpapers and screensavers
Research and inspiration
To better understand the audience, we run a poll and a survey, which highlighted the current shortcomings of the native experience and the desire for game themed wallpaper. This also highlighted the specific games the participants wish to have and don’t have access to. This informed our choice on the first themes to roll out
With a clear understanding of the shared vision between the developer and me, it was up to me to deliver the visual aspect of the application.
Design process
With the identified shortcomings in mind, it was clear that the app needed to be simple yet scalable to adequately serve the target audience and niche.
The key features included:
Customisation capabilities
The ability to edit desktop wallpapers, live wallpapers, lock screen wallpapers, and screensavers.
Asset management
Host game-themed assets, both locally stored and server-based.
User engagement
Allow suggestions for future game themes to host. Support and contribution options.
Advanced filtering
Enable users to filter assets by keywords, such as characters within supported themes.
Collection management
Allow users to create and maintain their own collections.
User interface options
The ability to edit desktop wallpapers, live wallpapers, lock screen wallpapers, and screensavers.
Customisation intervals
Customise intervals for each asset type or set a global interval for all.
Ease of use
Include a widget to simplify the customisation process.”
Quality navigation and responsive interaction
Ensure high-quality navigation and responsive interaction throughout the app to enhance the user experience.
Wireframes
The initial concept was created by the project’s developer, who focused on exploring the app’s functionality. As the process progressed, it became clear that the interaction and design needed to be mapped out and visualised. He shared a skeleton of his vision, and it was up to me to bring it to life—both visually and in terms of motion.
The UI was designed to be very simple, with a focus on making it visually appealing. I sketched the basic layout and necessary pages, evaluating the quality of interaction and navigation. Satisfied with the initial concepts, I decided to skip low-fidelity designs and moved directly to high-fidelity designs and styling.