Game Research Methods course, Game Design Master of Science Program, Full Sail University.
Rethinking How Madden Talks to Its Players: A New Theoretical Framework for Adaptive UI Design
If you have ever picked up Madden NFL for the first time and felt immediately overwhelmed by the wall of statistics, icons, and blinking indicators filling the screen, you are not alone, and according to a growing body of research, that experience is not a coincidence. It is a design problem. My research this term examines why the user interface (UI) in sports simulation games like Madden NFL 26 so frequently fails developing players, and what a more intelligent, adaptive approach to interface design could look like in practice.
The central product of this research is what I am calling the Adaptive Engagement Interface Model, or AEIM. The AEIM is a theoretical framework that argues for a UI architecture in sports video games that dynamically responds to individual player performance in real time. Rather than presenting every player, regardless of experience level, with the same dense informational environment, the AEIM proposes that the interface should simplify itself for new players and grow more sophisticated as those players demonstrate mastery. This idea draws on three major principles: progressive information disclosure, competence-responsive HUD scaling, and real-time feedback calibration.
Progressive information disclosure means the game should introduce UI elements gradually rather than all at once. A first-time player does not need a defensive coverage indicator in their first possession; they need to understand down and distance. Competence-responsive HUD scaling means the visual weight of interface elements should adjust based on how well the player is performing. Expert players benefit from a cleaner screen; developing players benefit from clearer visual cues. Real-time feedback calibration means the game should tailor the specificity of its feedback to the player's level. A novice who misses a field goal needs to know why; an experienced player often already knows.
These principles are grounded in decades of cognitive and psychological research. Cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1988) tells us that working memory has limits, and overwhelming players with information degrades both performance and enjoyment. Self-determination theory (Ryan et al., 2006) tells us that players stay engaged when they feel competent, autonomous, and connected. Flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) tells us that the optimal player experience occurs when challenge and skill are in balance. The AEIM applies all three of these frameworks to the UI layer of sports games, which has historically been neglected in adaptive design research.
Industry data makes the urgency of this work clear. Newzoo's (2023) global games market report and ESA's (2024) annual industry survey both point to early player attrition in sports games as a significant commercial and design challenge. Players are leaving within the first week, and confusion with the interface is one of the most commonly cited reasons. The AEIM is not proposing that developers build games from scratch; the telemetry infrastructure to support adaptive systems already exists. What is needed is a principled framework for applying that data to the interface itself, and that is exactly what the AEIM provides.
This research directly connects to my capstone project at Full Sail University, where I am conducting a UX study on how college-aged players interact with the Madden NFL 26 interface. The AEIM will serve as the theoretical foundation for that empirical work, which includes think-aloud protocol sessions and Likert-scale surveys administered in the Full Sail UX Lab. My long-term career goal is to work as a UX researcher in the games industry, and developing theoretically grounded models like the AEIM is central to that aspiration.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.
Entertainment Software Association. (2024). 2024 essential facts about the video game industry. https://www.theesa.com/resources/essential-facts-about-the-us-video-game-industry/
Newzoo. (2023). Global games market report 2023. https://newzoo.com/resources/trend-reports/newzoos-global-games-market-report-2023
Ryan, R. M., Rigby, C. S., & Przybylski, A. (2006). The motivational pull of video games: A self-determination theory approach. Motivation and Emotion, 30(4), 344–360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-006-9051-8
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4