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Visual Novel UI Likes and Dislikes
🕑 Added 2025-08-05 17:07:42 +0000 UTCUpdate: This post isn't exactly meant to be what you want changed / like/dislike about -ExcA-. It's more about what User Interface designs you like/dislike in the visual novel medium overall.
Do you guys have any particular annoyances when it comes to user interface design for visual novels? Any certain things you like?
ExcA has a pretty basic UI, I think. I never really wanted anything overly complex, but sometimes it feels a bit bland too. As I plan for the future (it's been on my mind a lot lately), I have to think about things I would do differently in the next project.
So, tell me, what are some things you like/dislike seeing when it comes to interface design in a visual novel?
Feel free to offer examples!
(On top of that, know anyone that's great with UI design? Share their work!)
Comments
JP
Going to echo a lot of whats already been said: I would love a visual way to track how much Love & other stats I'm gaining. Only drawback is it might make the VN lean a little more into video game territory. I also would love a little like “?” Bubble to remind me of the question I’m answering whenever I’m prompted to respond. I find myself scrolling back pretty often, especially when it comes to my next UI need– A way to know what paths I’ve already taken. Maybe the button is shaded for options I’ve already chose or something, but if I’m trying to collect all the CGs, I have a hard time remembering some of the small things I’ve already done.
Angel Pitre
You know, I'd argue that lack of visual feedback when it pertains to encounters is a bit frustrating. Let me explain, a while back, I was playing a VN that has RPG elements and whenever there were encounters, it became increasingly distracting having to gage the results of whatever action was taken, whether that was dealing dmg or taking by reading through a block of text. Yes there was a visible health bar (and the text feedback was great but not enough). I feel like the visual feedback aspect of visual novels is an important part of the medium. That's partly why we play visual novels and not just read them, in my opinion. I did say partly, right? I also don't think the feedback has to be overly complicated either - in terms of design, I mean, not necessarily in terms of application. Like, for instance, in the case of the RPG encounter, maybe the screen briefly flashes red when getting hit/dealing dmg; or maybe the screen gets vignetted with some sort of color as a cue to let the player/reader know you're running low on health/energy whatever the case maybe), things of that nature. I know that's a very specific case regarding VN/RPG hybrids but it's what comes to mind right now because of the last VN I played. Bottom line is, lack of visual feedback in general can make the VN feel more like graphic novel and less of an interactive experience. And we do want the experience to be as immersive as possible!
