What Types of Apps Can Be Made Using Unity’s UI System
Objective: To look at different types of apps that can be made using Unity’s UI system.
Previously I have only looked at using Unity to build fun, immersive games through gameplay with little focus on the UI side of things. It’s time to change this and spend a bit of time deep diving into the World of UI in Unity, and learn how to make a complete game just by using UI elements.
This new project is going to focus on:
- Sprite sheets
- Canvas Layouts, Canvas Scaler
- UI Rect Transform
- Texts & Images
- Using multiple Canvases
- UI Minimaps
- Designing a Main Menu
- Buttons
- Sliders (including how to make a Health/Loading/Charge bar)
- Scroll bar
- Input fields
- Drop down Menus
- PIN Pad
- Settings Menu
- Layout Groups
- UI Events
- Draggable objects
More so, which is the topic of this article, let’s take a look at some of the apps that could be designed using Unity’s UI System:
Hidden Object Games — In these UI based games, users are tasked with pressing on an image that matches
Jigsaw Puzzles — Utilising the UI components to drag, drop and rotate tile pieces into their matching slots.
Training Simulations — These apps are designed to help train users in machinery before stepping into a real one.
Augmented Reality (AR)— Pokemon GO, a revolutionary way to game on your mobile device.
Virtual Reality (VR) — There is a whole world of apps/games that are currently being designed with VR and one them is being able to rock climb with a headset, taking you to some of the most dangerous places in the World.
Interactive Product Configurators — Real Estate, Interior Design, Automotive Industry. Users are able to build a custom dream house, design the interior of the house by moving objects around a room and changing colors/lighting, and of course changing features on a car which shows you the end result.
Interactive Advertising — A really interesting space to keep an eye on, and in this example, Reebok installed a speedometer on the streets outside Stockholm Mall and tested passers by to see how they fast they were. If they were able to run faster than 10.5mph, they were rewarded with a new pair of sneakers.
Health and Fitness apps — With a swathe of applications out there, you can probably find something for any area of health and fitness you are looking for — Workouts, meditations, calorie counting, meal plans, step counters. This space has been established for some time and only continues to grow.
Educational apps — Schools are moving away from traditional textbooks and getting hands on for a more interactive approach to teaching kids.
Finance and Budget apps — There are even ways to keep track of and categorise your income/expenses to help manage your finances.
Travel and Tourism apps — Utilising AR & VR to create immersive experiences for potential customers.
