Member Profile
View some selected works from our team.
Robert Croft
Principal User Experience Designer, UXD
With over 25 years of experience across UX, game design, and interactive systems, I design immersive experiences that bridge usability, technology, storytelling, and human behavior.
My career spans AAA games, mobile platforms, live products, and emerging technologies across Windows, Web, Android, iOS, XR, Unreal Engine, Unity, Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation. I’ve contributed to projects and teams at companies including Electronic Arts, Zynga, and Ubisoft, collaborating across design, engineering, product, and creative disciplines to deliver large-scale interactive experiences.
My work focuses on interaction systems, UI architecture, gameplay UX, design frameworks, and scalable production pipelines that enable teams to move efficiently from concept to execution. I specialize in building experiences that are intuitive, emotionally engaging, and technically grounded within real production constraints.
Today, through Cryptic Design, my focus extends beyond traditional UX into transmedia product development and original IP creation. Projects such as Singularis and Lifa explore the intersection of games, cinematic storytelling, music, simulation, XR, and creative technology through unified experience design systems.
A major part of my work involves developing modern creative workflows that integrate real-time engines, procedural pipelines, AI-assisted production tooling, rapid prototyping, systems documentation, and cross-medium design processes. I believe the future of interactive development belongs to smaller, highly capable teams empowered by advanced tools, strong systems thinking, and cohesive creative direction.
At its core, my philosophy remains simple:
- great experiences should feel clear, immersive, meaningful, and human.
Explore the work below to see these ideas in practice.
WIN Reality (2021, 2022)
During my time at WIN Reality, I worked on the WIN Reality project aimed at enhancing the overall user experience of their VR Baseball Training simulator. Tasked with creating a new visual theme, branding, and user flow, I kicked off into a comprehensive research phase to gain deep insights into the product, user behavior, company needs, and stakeholder perspectives.
Armed with valuable research findings, I transitioned into the phase of defining project requirements, which involved creating a new design library, documenting user flows, and establishing a clear visual direction for the simulator environment. Collaborating closely with artists, product managers, developers, and key stakeholders, we embarked on a journey to craft a completely revamped user experience.
Our vision included the implementation of a pod design concept, serving as an immersive space for users outside of training sessions. This pod area not only showcased user achievements but also delivered relevant news updates, facilitated onboarding processes, and served as a gateway to access various baseball and softball drills, including pitch recognition. Through meticulous planning, collaboration, and creative innovation, we successfully executed this project, significantly enhancing the overall user engagement and satisfaction with WIN Realty.
Login Screen - The streamlined login interface for accessing training sessions, featuring profile management and device registration options.
Workout Selection - Assignment Types Users navigate different assignment categories, choosing specialized drills to enhance their hitting performance.
Workout Selection - Advanced Filters Players filter training assignments by sport, level, and age to personalize their VR training experience.
Drill Selection Interface - A categorized view of available drills, allowing players to refine pitch recognition and reaction skills.
Match-Up Selection - Pitch Recognition Players select their opponent and customize pitch recognition training by adjusting the strike zone focus.
Match-Up Selection - Drill Modifiers Customization options for pitch recognition drills, including modifiers like Nitro Zone and Custom Timing.
Pitcher Selection - Filters and Sorting A dynamic pitcher selection menu where players can filter by league, velocity, arm slot, and pitch types for tailored training.
Profile Selection Screen - Users select their player profile before entering training, with clear organization for multiple accounts and progress tracking.
WIN Reality UI Components - A detailed breakdown of UI components within the pitcher selection system, ensuring usability and clarity.
Drill Card UI Components - A comparison of different UI styles for drill selection cards, balancing readability and engagement.
Screen Space Resolution Grid - A UI layout reference for ensuring optimal screen spacing and visual hierarchy across different resolutions in VR.
FAQs
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Question: What is WIN Reality?
Answer: WIN Reality is a virtual reality training platform designed to help baseball and softball players improve their skills through immersive, real-world simulations. The platform provides advanced pitch recognition, reaction drills, and in-depth analytics to enhance player performance.
Question: What was the goal of the WIN Reality project?
Answer: The goal was to develop an intuitive and immersive training environment that allows athletes to face realistic pitching scenarios, refine their decision-making skills, and track progress through structured drills and assignments.
Question: What made WIN Reality unique?
Answer: WIN Reality set itself apart by combining real-world sports science, motion-captured pitchers, and VR training to offer a cutting-edge development tool for players at all levels—from youth leagues to professional athletes.
Question: How did the UX/UI contribute to the success of WIN Reality?
Answer: The UX/UI was designed to create a seamless training experience by providing clear navigation, responsive interactions, and intuitive feedback systems. The interface ensured that users could quickly access drills, track progress, and customize their training without unnecessary friction.
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Question: What was the scope of the project?
Answer: The project involved designing and enhancing the user experience for Win Reality’s virtual reality baseball and softball training application, ensuring intuitive usability across all user skill levels while maintaining immersive and engaging experiences.
Question: What was your role in the project?
Answer: As Senior UX Designer, I led the end-to-end design process, from discovery and ideation to prototyping and final design implementation, while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across design, product, and engineering.
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Question: What were your primary responsibilities in the project?
Answer:
Conducting user research to understand the needs of athletes, coaches, and casual users.
Designing intuitive and immersive VR user interfaces for the Meta Quest platform.
Leading workshops to align stakeholders on UX direction and priorities.
Prototyping and testing VR interactions to improve usability and engagement.
Ensuring cross-functional collaboration with developers to implement designs.
Delivering design solutions that aligned with Win Reality’s brand vision and goals.
Question: How did you contribute to the overall success of the project?
Answer: My contributions helped streamline user onboarding, enhance engagement with in-game training tools, and optimize the usability of VR interactions. This directly improved player confidence and skill development, aligning with the company’s mission to prepare athletes to “Be Ready for Real.”
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Digimancy (2021)
During my time with Digimancy, I had the privilege of collaborating with industry veterans on the creation of a brand new RPG IP in partnership with Paradox Entertainment. As part of this endeavor, I conducted extensive research on competitors, including Paradox properties, and engaged with stakeholders to gather insights crucial for shaping our project.
Utilizing the gathered insights, I formulated a comprehensive UX strategy aimed at establishing a robust framework while addressing emergent features unique to our new IP. This strategy served as the foundation for the development of both low and high-fidelity mockups, as well as a functional prototype created in Figma, illustrating the envisioned flow of the game.
Upon finalizing the game's conceptual flow, I transitioned into the visual design phase, collaborating closely with the team to iterate on design iterations until approval was achieved. Throughout this process, I worked with the development team to provide support and guidance during the implementation of features, ensuring alignment with the established UX framework and visual design principles.
Narrative Encounter - Environmental Hazard A high-stakes moment where the player navigates a hazardous planetary event, making key decisions to protect the crew and ship.
Narrative Encounter - Pirate Confrontation A dialogue-driven encounter where the player engages in a tense standoff with a pirate leader, making critical choices that shape the outcome.
Narrative Encounter - Pirate Negotiation The player is faced with multiple decision paths, including diplomacy, threats, or bribery, each affecting the pirate’s response and the mission’s direction.
Combat Breather Phase Mockup A strategic pause where players assess unit status, analyze the battlefield, and make tactical adjustments before the next combat round.
Combat Breather Phase (Expanded UI) - An extended combat breather phase UI mockup, displaying unit stats, buffs, and tactical options to prepare for the next move.
Combat Clash - Tactical HUD A real-time space battle interface where players engage in ship-to-ship combat, utilizing weapons and abilities for strategic engagement.
FAQs
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Question: What was the Digimancy Project: WIRE?
Answer: WIRE was a strategic sci-fi RPG developed by Digimancy Entertainment. The game featured deep narrative-driven gameplay, turn-based tactical combat, and an immersive world-building experience.
Question: What was the goal of the project?
Answer: The goal of WIRE was to create a compelling and tactical RPG experience with a strong emphasis on player choice, deep strategy, and a visually engaging interface that supported the game’s narrative and combat mechanics.
Question: What was unique about the project?
Answer: WIRE incorporated a combat breather phase, which allowed players to assess the battlefield strategically before taking action. The project also prioritized a highly readable UI, ensuring accessibility for both casual and hardcore strategy players.
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Question: What was your role in the project?
Answer: I was responsible for UX/UI design, focusing on creating intuitive interaction models, developing a clear visual hierarchy, and refining in-game menus, HUDs, and navigation systems to enhance usability and player engagement.
Question: How did you contribute to the game’s development?
Answer: My contributions included designing wireframes, prototyping interface elements, and collaborating with designers, artists, and engineers to ensure a cohesive user experience. I played a key role in refining the game's combat interface, menu navigation, and dialogue systems.
Question: What tools did you use during development?
Answer: I used Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and Unity for wireframing, prototyping, and implementing UI elements. I also collaborated with the development team to test and iterate UI designs in-engine.
Question: How did you ensure accessibility and usability?
Answer: I conducted usability evaluations to refine text readability, color contrast, and interactive elements. I also ensured that key gameplay information was easily accessible without overwhelming the player.
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Question: What were your primary UX/UI responsibilities?
Answer: My main responsibilities included:
Designing and iterating on combat UI, including health indicators, action menus, and targeting systems.
Developing a navigation framework for in-game menus, ensuring ease of use.
Creating wireframes and prototypes for testing and implementation.
Refining the combat breather phase to optimize information clarity.
Ensuring visual consistency and usability across all interface elements.
Question: What were some of the biggest challenges you addressed?
Answer:
Balancing high-information UI screens without overwhelming players.
Creating a fluid and responsive HUD that adapted to different game scenarios.
Ensuring combat feedback and player actions were clearly communicated through the UI.
Question: How did your work impact the project?
Answer: My UX/UI contributions helped improve combat readability, streamlined menu navigation, and enhanced player immersion, ultimately making the game more engaging and accessible for players.
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WellSky (2019, 2020)
During my time at WellSky, I served as a Senior User Experience Designer within the engineering team. Working alongside a talented group of UX professionals, including designers, researchers, and managers, I played a crucial role in addressing the UX needs of WellSky's extensive product portfolio, which included approximately 70 products.
My main responsibility was to establish a formalized design library system aimed at standardizing the branding and visual identity of WellSky's products. This initiative was essential for ensuring a cohesive and professional look and feel across all SKUs. Additionally, I collaborated closely with product teams to address their interaction and visual design requirements, with a particular focus on enhancing interoperability among WellSky's diverse range of products.
Throughout my tenure, I meticulously created and maintained research and design documentation using platforms such as Confluence, Figma, and various websites. I led meetings to conduct research, define project requirements, and design solutions for multiple products within the WellSky ecosystem, contributing to the organization's overarching goal of delivering user-centered and interoperable software solutions.
Homepage Dashboard – The main landing page of the WellSky Blood system, providing quick access to patient management, non-patient workflows, and emergency actions.
Expanded Navigation Menu – A view of the system’s primary navigation menu, offering access to key modules such as Patients, Orders, Inventory, Product Testing, Administration, and Billing.
Search Functionality – Demonstrates the search bar functionality, allowing users to type or scan for specific patient or inventory details.
Product Testing Options – A submenu that enables users to choose specific product testing types, including Bacterial Platelet Testing, ABO Testing, Unit Testing, and Automated Testing.
Foundations Page - This page introduces the foundational principles of WellSky's Design Language System (DLS), including key elements like Material Design, Layout, Structure, and Accessibility.
Navigation Desktop - Overview of WellSky's desktop navigation guidelines, detailing how users interact with the platform’s navigation structure, including the Top Main Navigation and Left Side Navigation.
Digital Logo Guidelines - A breakdown of WellSky's digital logo usage guidelines, including proper branding standards and logo variations for digital platforms.
Navigation Architecture - A detailed diagram highlighting the architecture of WellSky's navigation system, labeling key elements such as breadcrumb navigation, page titles, and primary navigation areas.
Material Design Overview - Explanation of WellSky’s adoption of Google's Material Design principles, focusing on creating a unified visual language across different platforms.
Color and Usage Overview A guide to how color is implemented in the WellSky DLS, outlining its role in branding and user interaction, with sections on primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
Color and Usage Overview - A guide to how color is implemented in the WellSky DLS, outlining its role in branding and user interaction, with sections on primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
Button Styles - A showcase of various button styles within the WellSky DLS, including contained, disabled, and focused states across light and dark themes.
FAQs
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Question: What is WellSky?
Answer: WellSky is a leading health and community care technology company that provides software solutions to improve patient outcomes and streamline healthcare operations. With a vast portfolio of approximately 70 products (at the time), WellSky serves healthcare providers, caregivers, and organizations in various sectors, including home health, hospice, rehabilitation, and social services.
Question: What was the focus of this project?
Answer: The project aimed to enhance the UX/UI across WellSky’s diverse product suite by developing a design library system, improving interoperability, and refining interaction design. The goal was to create a consistent, user-centered experience that streamlined workflows and improved usability across all WellSky platforms.
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Question: What was the scope of the project?
Answer: The project involved improving the user experience across WellSky’s extensive portfolio of approximately 70 products. The primary focus was on standardizing branding and visual identity through a design library system, enhancing interoperability between products, and addressing interaction and visual design challenges.
Question: What was your role in the project?
Answer: As a Senior UX Designer within the engineering team, I was responsible for establishing and maintaining a formalized design library system, collaborating with product teams on UX/UI improvements, and ensuring a cohesive user experience across WellSky’s diverse range of products.
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Question: What were your primary responsibilities in the project?
Answer:
Design Library & System Standardization – Created a formalized design library system to unify branding and visual identity across 70+ products.
Interoperability & Cross-Product UX – Focused on enhancing interoperability to ensure a seamless experience across WellSky’s product ecosystem.
Collaboration with Product Teams – Worked closely with product managers, designers, and engineers to improve UI consistency and interaction design.
UX Research & Documentation – Led research efforts, gathered user insights, and documented findings in Confluence, Figma, and other platforms.
Stakeholder Engagement – Facilitated UX meetings to define project requirements, review research, and implement design solutions.
Question: How did you contribute to the overall success of the project?
Answer: My work streamlined the UX design process across WellSky’s product suite, ensuring consistency and usability improvements. By standardizing the design language, I helped accelerate product development, reduce design inconsistencies, and enhance the overall user experience.
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Onward (2019)
During my time with Downpour Interactive, I contributed to the UX development for their VR title, ONWARD. My responsibilities included conducting a competitive analysis and heuristic evaluation to inform our UX strategy. I also played a key role in unifying a visual style guide for the game and developing its information architecture.
Additionally, I collaborated on designing principles and ideating frameworks to enhance the overall user experience. I created UI assets and seamlessly implemented them within the Unity engine to ensure optimal functionality. Moreover, I actively participated in designing new features, offering innovative ideas and solutions to enrich the gameplay experience for ONWARD players
Role Selection - A structured UI for selecting roles in Onward, categorizing players into Rifleman, Specialist, Support, and Marksman.
Loadout Selection - A detailed UI screen displaying mid-range and close-range loadouts, allowing players to choose equipment strategically.
Customize Loadout - A flexible UI system for players to fine-tune their loadouts, balancing weapon stats with available points.
Attachment Selection - A UI breakdown of attachment customization, giving players options like flashlights, suppressors, and foregrips.
Weapon Stats - An in-depth weapon details screen displaying stats such as damage, accuracy, magazine size, and penetration values.
Weapon Tryout - A hands-on UI feature allowing players to examine and test weapons in a virtual environment before deployment.
Onward Workshop - A UI for browsing community-made maps, filtering by game modes, environments, and other customization options.
FAQs
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Question: What is Onward?
Answer: Onward is a tactical VR military shooter developed by Downpour Interactive. The game focuses on realism, teamwork, and strategic combat, providing an immersive experience where players engage in coordinated battles across various environments. With an emphasis on communication and skill, Onward has become a staple in the VR shooter genre.
Question: What was the focus of this project?
Answer: The project aimed to improve the UX/UI experience for Onward, ensuring a cohesive visual style, refining interaction design, and enhancing gameplay usability. A key focus was on unifying the visual style guide, structuring the information architecture, and implementing UX-driven improvements within the Unity engine.
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Question: What was the scope of the project?
Answer: The project covered a competitive analysis and heuristic evaluation to refine Onward’s user experience. It also involved defining design principles, UI asset creation, and Unity implementation, all while improving the overall gameplay experience and interface design.
Question: What was your role in the project?
Answer: As a UX Designer, I was responsible for conducting research and analysis, establishing visual and interaction design frameworks, and ensuring UX consistency across the game. Additionally, I developed UI assets and implemented them within Unity to enhance functionality and usability.
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Question: What were your primary responsibilities in the project?
Answer:
Conducting competitive analysis and heuristic evaluation to refine UX strategy.
Developing a visual style guide to ensure UI consistency across the game.
Structuring the information architecture to improve navigation and player experience.
Collaborating on UX principles and design frameworks for game features.
Creating and implementing UI assets in Unity for seamless integration.
Assisting in feature ideation to enhance gameplay and user engagement.
Question: How did you contribute to the overall success of the project?
Answer: My contributions helped streamline the UX/UI process, ensuring a cohesive design system while improving game navigation, readability, and usability. By implementing refined design principles and UI assets, I enhanced the overall gameplay experience for Onward players.
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Rise to Power (2018)
During my time at Electronic Arts, I played a key role in defining the UI/UX design for Star Wars: Rise to Power, an unlaunched mobile strategy game developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm. My primary responsibility was to establish and define the game’s UI design, ensuring a seamless and immersive experience aligned with Star Wars’ strategic and cinematic identity.
I worked closely with Game Designers, UI Artists, Programmers, and QA to problem-solve, implement, and test designs. I developed high-quality concept interfaces, focusing on intuitive navigation, strategic decision-making mechanics, and scalable UI elements that supported the game’s core features, including fleet management, diplomacy, and base building.
Additionally, I contributed to the game’s information architecture, ensuring a structured, player-friendly experience. My work helped establish a cohesive design strategy that maintained brand consistency while optimizing usability for mobile players.
Faction selection interface for Star Wars Rise to Power designed to support onboarding, player alignment, and strategic faction choice workflows.
Live service monetization interface for Star Wars Rise to Power featuring special offer systems, character bundles, and mobile purchase UX flows.
Mobile strategy game store interface for Star Wars Rise to Power focused on special offer presentation, inventory visibility, and monetization usability.
Mobile strategy game store interface for Star Wars Rise to Power focused on special offer presentation, inventory visibility, and monetization usability.
Promotional event interface for Star Wars Rise to Power designed to improve player engagement and live service content visibility.
Event reward storefront interface for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting progression systems and mobile game economy interactions.
Research and technology progression systems for Star Wars Rise to Power designed to support strategic upgrades, player progression, and mobile gameplay usability.
Reward container and resource systems designed for Star Wars Rise to Power to support progression feedback and live service engagement loops.
Base management interface for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting strategic planning, construction systems, and mobile gameplay usability.
Fleet management interface for Star Wars Rise to Power focused on ship organization, tactical planning, and strategy gameplay readability.
Space combat gameplay interface for Star Wars Rise to Power designed to improve tactical readability and player feedback systems.
Confirmation dialog systems for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting player decisions and streamlined mobile interaction workflows.
Fleet control upgrade systems for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting ship progression, tactical customization, and strategic gameplay interactions.
Mobile strategy HUD systems for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting gameplay readability, navigation clarity, and scalable interface architecture.
Planetary base layout interface for Star Wars Rise to Power designed for strategic construction planning and mobile gameplay management.
Base construction systems for Star Wars Rise to Power focused on resource planning, strategic expansion, and gameplay usability.
Strategic base management interface for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting large scale mobile strategy gameplay interactions.
Fleet production interface for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting ship construction, tactical planning, and mobile strategy gameplay systems.
Capital ship construction systems for Star Wars Rise to Power focused on fleet progression and large scale strategy gameplay management.
Star Destroyer production interface for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting tactical fleet organization and scalable mobile strategy UX systems.
Guild and coalition management interface for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting multiplayer coordination and alliance based strategy gameplay.
Alliance management systems for Star Wars Rise to Power designed to improve multiplayer organization and social gameplay usability.
Coalition and guild interaction systems for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting player communication and large scale multiplayer coordination.
Guild member management interface for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting alliance visibility, player roles, and social gameplay systems.
Multiplayer alliance systems for Star Wars Rise to Power focused on player coordination, coalition management, and live service UX workflows.
Game UI iconography systems for Star Wars Rise to Power supporting mobile navigation clarity and consistent interaction design language.
Fleet combat overview interface for Star Wars Rise to Power designed to support tactical awareness and strategic gameplay readability.
FAQs
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Question: What is Star Wars: Rise to Power?
Answer: Star Wars: Rise to Power was a mobile strategy game developed by Electronic Arts (EA) in collaboration with Lucasfilm. Players could align with either the Empire or the New Republic, engage in base building, fleet management, and strategic warfare, and form alliances to gain control over the galaxy. The game entered a closed pre-alpha in late 2017, but it was never officially released.
Question: What was the focus of this project?
Answer: The project aimed to establish a high-quality UI/UX design that supported the game’s strategic mechanics and player interactions. This included developing intuitive navigation systems, fleet management interfaces, diplomacy mechanics, and interactive elements that enhanced gameplay usability while maintaining Star Wars’ visual identity.
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Question: What was the scope of the project?
Answer: The project covered the design and implementation of the game’s UI, ensuring that core strategy elements—such as fleet control, diplomacy, and base management—were visually and functionally accessible. It also involved prototyping, testing, and refining UI components to enhance player engagement.
Question: What was your role in the project?
Answer: As a Senior UX Designer, I was responsible for defining the UI/UX design for the game, creating high-fidelity concept interfaces, and ensuring usability, scalability, and brand consistency. I collaborated with Game Designers, UI Artists, Programmers, and QA to problem-solve, implement, and test interactive systems that aligned with the game’s strategic depth.
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Question: What were your primary responsibilities in the project?
Answer:
Establishing a cohesive UI design framework for the game’s strategic mechanics.
Creating high-quality UI concepts for fleet management, base building, and diplomacy.
Developing an intuitive navigation system to enhance player decision-making.
Collaborating with cross-functional teams to implement and refine UI interactions.
Structuring the game’s information architecture for a seamless user experience.
Testing and iterating UI components to ensure optimal usability and responsiveness.
Question: How did you contribute to the overall success of the project?
Answer: My work helped shape a cohesive and functional UI experience that supported the game’s strategic depth and player engagement. By creating a polished, intuitive interface, I contributed to a strong visual and interactive foundation that maintained brand consistency and usability within the Star Wars universe.
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