PORTFOLIO / SIE

INDEPENDENT PRODUCT DESIGN CONCEPT

LINKUP

A clearer path from wanting to play to playing together.

Play with purpose.

Find the right game and people for the

time, mood, and social experience you

have right now.

RESEARCH / INTERACTION / VISUAL DESIGN

An end-to-end UX case study tailored to Sony

Interactive Entertainment and the PlayStation

ecosystem.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

THE PLAYERS / PROBLEM AND NEED

Three situations. One need to start playing.

Illustrative composite personas show why choosing a game and a group can take more effort than playing.

FICTIONAL PERSONAS / AI-generated scenario illustrations. These are not research participants.

Marcus

A short window to play

PROBLEM

Coordination is consuming his available

play time.

NEED

See who is ready and judge session length

quickly.

Danielle

Friends are offline tonight

PROBLEM

A new group feels uncertain when its

expectations are unclear.

NEED

Understand play style and the group before

joining.

Chris

Co-op without a microphone

PROBLEM

Voice expectations make joining feel

uncomfortable.

NEED

Know voice is optional and that quiet play is

welcome.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

01 / THE TASK

Make starting a session feel easy.

The problem is the effort between “I want to play” and a session that actually fits.

How might we help players quickly find the

right game and the right people for the

amount of time, mood, and social

experience they want right now?

Project scope

Independent app concept.

Covers discovery, fit, joining, party

invitations, console handoff, and

recovery.

Final output: a clickable high-fidelity

prototype, with tablet and desktop

explorations.

Contribution shown

Problem framing, persona development, simulated research synthesis,

wireframes, UI foundations, interaction design, and evaluation planning.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

02 / THE DESIGN PROCESS

A traceable path from question to product.

Each stage connects a player need to a design decision and a visible artifact.

01

Frame

Task, constraints, assumptions

PAGES 05-07

02

Explore

Synthetic interviews and themes

PAGES 08-09

03

Structure

Journey, flow, sketches

PAGES 10-11

04

Iterate

Wireframes and simulated studies

PAGES 12-14

05

Design

UI system and final interactions

PAGES 15-21

06

Evaluate

High-fidelity simulation and next

steps

PAGES 22-26

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

03 / RESEARCH PLAN

Start with coordination, not feature demand.

Research question: what prevents players from starting the session they actually want?

Working assumptions

Coordination consumes short play

windows.

Mood changes the experience

people want.

Availability does not guarantee

compatibility.

Trust and safety can limit

openness to new people.

Exploration plan

Compare current behavior across

friends, solo play, and new groups.

Probe game choice, time available,

voice expectations, and

workarounds.

Use synthetic interviews to develop

hypotheses for later real research.

What could disprove it?

Existing friends, Discord, and

in-game matchmaking may already

solve the problem well.

A new tool must reduce effort rather

than duplicate those habits.

The concept does not establish

unmet demand.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

04 / INITIAL PROTO-PERSONAS

Three starting hypotheses.

Behavioral profiles guide questions; they are not demographic segments validated by research.

SIMULATED RESEARCH / Fictional participants and assigned outcomes. No real study data.

Time-Boxed Player

Goal: play within a 20-60 minute

window.

Friction: too many choices,

unavailable friends, and setup time.

Design need: quick entry and clear

session expectations.

Risk: overestimating coordination

friction.

Social Regular

Goal: play with a known group.

Friction: scheduling, game

consensus, and fragmented tools.

Design need: know who is ready

and agree on a game.

Risk: assuming interest in strangers.

Open Explorer

Goal: join a compatible new group.

Friction: toxicity, skill mismatch, and

unclear voice norms.

Design need: understand the room

before joining.

Risk: prioritizing discovery over

safety.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

05 / PERSONA REFINEMENT

Time is a context, not a fixed identity.

The synthetic synthesis changed the model before the interface was finalized.

SIMULATED RESEARCH / Fictional participants and assigned outcomes. No real study data.

CONTEXT OVERLAY

Time available + mood + friends available + voice preference

Social Regular

Familiar people first. A player may wait for friends

on a weekend, then choose a quick solo or open

session on a weeknight.

Open Explorer

New people when expectations fit. Clear play style

and optional voice support a situational choice,

rather than a permanent player label.

DESIGN CONSEQUENCE

Ask for intent now; avoid locking people into a persona.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

06 / SYNTHETIC INTERVIEW DATA

Eight scenarios made the assumptions concrete.

The records below are invented interview summaries used to explore possible patterns.

SIMULATED RESEARCH / Fictional participants and assigned outcomes. No real study data.

ID / hypothesis

Imagined behavior or friction

Design implication

I01 / time-limited

Library + group chat, then solo fallback

Reduce coordination overhead

I02 / time-limited

Invites then matchmaking; microphone off

Show who is ready; clarify voice

I03 / social regular

Group exists; game agreement is difficult

Separate people from game choice

I04 / social regular

Would rather play solo than meet strangers

Preserve friends-first control

I05 / open explorer

LFG groups have unclear tone

Show social expectations

I06 / open explorer

Competition and voice can mismatch

Expose play style before joining

I07 / social regular

Weekend waiting differs from weeknights

Treat available time as context

I08 / open explorer

Weak reasons for recommendations

Explain why a session fits

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

07 / SYNTHESIS

Make compatibility visible before commitment.

Themes are hypotheses derived from the synthetic records, not observed customer findings.

SIMULATED RESEARCH / Fictional participants and assigned outcomes. No real study data.

Coordination costs time

I01, I02, I03, I07

Intent first; familiar hosts; clear start and capacity.

Social comfort changes the choice

I04, I05, I06

Friends-only paths; voice optional; casual play labels.

Players need reasons to trust fit

I05, I06, I08

Game, duration, play style, and expectations together.

The next step needs to be explicit

Later usability simulations

Separate joining, reservation, invitation, and console

play.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

08 / JOURNEY AND INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

Design the whole path, including uncertainty.

The flow distinguishes a reserved spot, a party invitation, and the action needed on console.

Player step

Question to answer

Interface responsibility

Choose intent

Friends, new players, or both?

Simple intent choices

Discover and evaluate

Does this game and group fit?

Game, capacity, host, duration, voice

Join a session

Is my spot confirmed?

Reservation status + clear feedback

Wait and accept

What is the host doing next?

Waiting, received, expired, accepted states

Continue on console

Am I already in the game?

Explicit PlayStation handoff instruction

Recover or leave

What changed, and can I exit?

Status-aware retry; confirmed leave

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

09 / EARLY EXPLORATION

Sketch the decisions before polishing the UI.

The annotation pass identifies the decisions; the pencil sketch presents the flow with fewer annotations.

01 Annotation pass: clarify hierarchy and movement.

02 Pencil sketch: a cleaner view of the four-screen flow.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

10 / DIGITAL WIREFRAMES

Turn the rough flow into a testable sequence.

Low-fidelity iterations focused on navigation, session fit, and the point of commitment.

WHAT WAS TESTED

Intent labels.

Friends versus new

players.

Session fit.

The joining action.

Editable screens made these

decisions reviewable before

final styling.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

11 / EARLIER USABILITY SIMULATION

The first round exposed clarity problems.

Five fictional profiles completed five assigned tasks. All results and timings were invented.

SIMULATED RESEARCH / Fictional participants and assigned outcomes. No real study data.

Task

Unaided

Assisted

Assigned median

Find a friend

4 / 5

1 / 5

36 seconds

Explore new players

3 / 5

2 / 5

42 seconds

Evaluate session fit

2 / 5

3 / 5

76 seconds

Return to sessions

4 / 5

1 / 5

15 seconds

Join a session

3 / 5

2 / 5

28 seconds

16 of 25 attempts were assigned unaided completion. Session fit was the main design hypothesis to address;

these numbers do not measure product usability.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

12 / ITERATION DECISIONS

Replace ambiguity with visible expectations.

Changes connect the earlier simulation to the later wireframes and high-fidelity design.

Earlier ambiguity

Design response

Reason

“Try New” / “Open Both”

Find new players / Friends + new players

Explain the social choice

Unclear fit before joining

Duration, voice, capacity, host context

Support a decision before commitment

Game and session titles overlap

Separate game identity and session naming

Reduce interpretation effort

Viewing could imply joining

View session, then Join session

Make commitment explicit

Joined means “already playing”

Reserved, invited, accepted, console next

Clarify each status

Failure could duplicate a request

Check status before retrying

Handle an unconfirmed join honestly

A later low-fidelity simulation assigned 22/25 unaided attempts. This was a revised scenario assumption, not validated improvement.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

13 / VISUAL AND BRAND DIRECTION

A PlayStation-oriented presentation of LINKUP.

Sony and PlayStation identity frames the case study; LINKUP remains an independent product concept.

LINKUP

Cool neutrals, clear blue actions, and

restrained surfaces keep game imagery and

session information in focus.

Deep navy

Action blue

Soft surface

Quiet boundary

Interaction foundations

Inter in the source design. Main controls: 48 px. Back,

close, and navigation targets: 44 x 44 px. Focus stroke: 2

px. Corners: 8 px controls / 12 px cards. Shared light and

dark foundations.

Brand marks retain their original proportions. The

prototype uses game artwork to support

recognition; it does not imply a Sony partnership or

licensed product.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

14 / FINAL MOBILE EXPERIENCE

Intent first. Session fit next.

The core mobile journey moves from social preference to a concrete session decision.

01 Choose who to play with

02 See familiar players

03 Compare available sessions

04 Review before joining

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

15 / SESSION EVALUATION

Give players a reason to say yes.

The session details surface information that helps players judge compatibility before joining.

Recognize the game

Game identity and artwork anchor the session, alongside the host and

current player count.

Set realistic expectations

“Host estimate 60 min” and “Duration may vary” avoid presenting an

estimate as a guarantee.

Keep social comfort visible

“Voice optional” and “Casual play” help players judge the group before the

Join session action.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

16 / INVITATIONS AND HANDOFF

Joining the session is one step toward playing.

The prototype separates reservation, party invitation, acceptance, and opening the game on PlayStation.

Spot reserved / waiting for

host

Party invitation received

Invitation accepted

The accepted

state explicitly

asks the player to

open the game on

PlayStation.

No automatic console

launch or live Sony

account integration is

implemented in this

concept.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

17 / RESPONSIVE DESIGN

Keep the same decision hierarchy across sizes.

Mobile is the primary journey. Tablet and desktop explore wider information layouts.

Tablet 768 x 1024

80 px rail; two card columns.

Desktop 1440 x 900

1280 px workspace; 216 px sidebar; three card columns.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

18 / RECOVERY AND EXIT

Keep the status truthful when things go wrong.

Failures need to explain what is known, what is uncertain, and what the player can do next.

Unconfirmed join: retry

checks the request and

session status.

Expired invitation: explain

why acceptance is

unavailable.

Lost connection: reconnect

and refresh the current

status.

Exit is a real action

Stay preserves the

spot. A confirmed leave

releases it and returns

to Sessions.

Dismissing pending UI

is not treated as proof

that a request was

cancelled.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

19 / ACCESSIBILITY INTENT

Make interaction states understandable and operable.

These are design requirements and stress scenarios, not verified accessibility conformance.

Perception

Essential text targets 4.5:1 contrast;

meaningful icons and focus

boundaries target 3:1.

Use words as well as color for

status.

Check 320 px width, 200% text,

long names, and image fallbacks.

Operation

44 x 44 px targets for icon

navigation; 48 px primary controls.

Visible 2 px focus indicator.

Modal focus trap, restored trigger

focus, and Escape for unsubmitted

actions.

Verification still needed

Keyboard and screen-reader

behavior in an implemented app.

Real text scaling and device testing.

Reduced motion and announcement

timing.

Contrast measurements on final

assets.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

20 / HIGH-FIDELITY EVALUATION

Six fictional profiles. Seven complete tasks.

The latest simulation covers comprehension from discovery through recovery and confirmed exit.

SIMULATED RESEARCH / Fictional participants and assigned outcomes. No real study data.

Profiles

P1 Experienced co-op player / mobile

P2 Time-limited casual player / mobile

P3 Competitive console regular / desktop

P4 Multiplayer newcomer / mobile

P5 Player without a microphone / mobile

P6 Larger-text preference / tablet

Tasks

T1 Choose intent and evaluate a session

T2 Join and understand the reserved spot

T3 Handle a delayed party invitation

T4 Accept and continue on PlayStation

T5 Recover an unconfirmed join

T6 Recover a lost connection

T7 Cancel or confirm leaving

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

21 / SIMULATION DATA

The waiting and handoff states need the most attention.

Assigned outcomes: U = unaided, no hesitation; H = unaided, hesitation; P = hypothetical prompt.

SIMULATED RESEARCH / Fictional participants and assigned outcomes. No real study data.

Task

P1

P2

P3

P4

P5

P6

T1

U

U

U

H

U

H

T2

U

H

H

H

U

H

T3

H

P

H

P

H

H

T4

U

H

U

P

H

H

T5

U

U

U

H

U

H

T6

U

H

U

U

U

H

T7

U

U

U

U

U

U

U

U

U

H

U

H

U

H

H

H

U

H

H

P

H

P

H

H

U

H

U

P

H

H

U

U

U

H

U

H

U

H

U

U

U

H

U

U

U

U

U

U

22 U / 17 H / 3 P

42 fictional task attempts.

Counts are assigned for critique;

they are not measured success

rates.

Separate engineering QA

The handoff reports 84/84

saved-route checks. This indicates

route checking, not user

comprehension; the original log

was not reviewed.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

22 / WHAT TO IMPROVE NEXT

Make “what happens next” unmistakable.

Recommendations from the latest simulation remain proposals; they are not shown as completed fixes.

SIMULATED RESEARCH / Fictional participants and assigned outcomes. No real study data.

Priority / signal

Proposed revision

Validation question

P1 / T2-T3 hesitation

Elevate spot reserved + host next action

Can players explain the wait unaided?

P1 / T4 handoff prompt

Party invite accepted, then console next step

Do players know they must open the

game?

P2 / T1 scan hesitation

Keep game first; test larger text hierarchy

Can players identify fit while scanning?

P2 / T5-T6 recovery hesitation

Preserve status-check wording and leave path

Can players distinguish uncertain vs

reserved?

Explore automatic invite updates with a manual fallback. Avoid invented wait times or an “Open PlayStation” button without

a supported integration.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

23 / FINAL PRODUCT AND REFLECTION

A coherent prototype with an honest next step.

The delivered design demonstrates product reasoning and interaction craft; market and usability validation remain open.

What the portfolio demonstrates

A behavioral persona model.

Research-to-design traceability.

Explicit commitment and handoff states.

Responsive layouts and recovery paths.

A shared visual and interaction system.

Why it is relevant to SIE

The concept focuses on starting play, social choice,

recognizable games, and continuity with console use.

It demonstrates attention to player trust and

accessibility expectations without claiming an official

integration.

Next: real player evidence

Recruit actual PlayStation players across the behavioral modes. Test fit, reservation, handoff, recovery, and

leaving without prompts. Then confirm demand, implementation feasibility, and accessibility on real devices.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

24 / EXPLORE THE WORK

Open the prototype and inspect the evidence.

Source artifacts keep the design journey reviewable beyond this portfolio.

390 x 844 / primary journey

768 x 1024 / wider layout

1440 x 900 / workspace

UI foundations in the current file

Scenario synthesis and task coverage

Case-study narrative and supporting research

Six profiles, seven tasks, and next revisions

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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PORTFOLIO / SIE

25 / PROVENANCE AND SCOPE

Independent concept. Transparent evidence.

The case study uses Sony and PlayStation identity as its intended audience and ecosystem context.

All personas, interview summaries, usability profiles, quotations, timings, and task outcomes are

synthetic. They support design exploration and do not establish real user behavior, product demand,

or validated improvement.

Current screens are captured from the LINKUP Figma prototype. The latest simulation recommendations are kept

separate from the current prototype states. The 84/84 route-check statement comes from the project handoff, without

its original log.

REFERENCE LINKS

Sony and PlayStation names and marks belong to their respective

owners. Game imagery appears in the concept prototype for

identification. This portfolio is not endorsed by or affiliated with

Sony Interactive Entertainment.

LINKUP / Independent concept for Sony Interactive Entertainment

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