At the heart of design is the belief that things can be better
Who would you be if you could be anyone? What would you create if you could make anything? What if you had the tools to bring your imagination to life? Roblox citizens are answering these questions every day.
Some might mistake Roblox as purely a game platform. The truth is, our products and features form the foundation of the next digital revolution; an explosion of millions of user-created experiences connected by these pillars:
- Connection: A place where identity is formed and friendships are forged and strengthened
- Creation: The ability to build and share anything you can imagine
- Safety: Freedom to be yourself, safely
- Diversity: Diverse creators provide diverse experiences
- Economy: A system to reward others and to be rewarded for making things people love
- Ubiquity: A community that is available to anyone on any device, anywhere in the world.
The future of design is democratized
Design at Roblox has one mission: make it ridiculously easy for anyone, anywhere to create great things.
Design is often synonymous with taste-making. Some of the world’s greatest designers – Carol Shaw, James Dyson, Jony Ive – have not only created great products, but redefined entire industries. However, in a world where technology is an extension of us, designers must find ways to make everyone a part of the creation process.
Roblox’s aesthetic is driven by our community of over two million creators. A majority of player time is spent in games that are 100% created by our community. For our designers, the challenge is in creating a system that spurs creation itself. Instead of solving a narrowly-defined user problem, Roblox designers must approach their work from multiple perspectives: the player, the creator, the parent, the system. They must think about how to influence, rather than dictate.
We challenge ourselves to think in self-reinforcing systems. For example, a player discovers that the experience they love was created by someone just like them. This inspires that player to become the creator of the next great experience. This, in turn, inspires the next player.
Seeing yourself in Roblox is critical to our success.
Designing a safer, more inclusive future
Today’s generation of players don’t distinguish between digital and physical. Their lives are a series of interconnected online and offline experiences. We’re constantly learning from our community about how to build a place they want to be every day – a space where they can engage with a global community, and where they are safe and free to be themselves.
Designers have a critical role to play in ensuring that Roblox is a place where everyone can participate, regardless of income, gender, race, culture, sex, or age. The best way to do this is to bring the voice of the community into our decision-making process. Design cannot be dictated. It must be co-created.
Representation has never been more important, and the power of our collective action has never been greater. Aspiring creators – from Roblox players with great ideas to recent graduates considering a career in design – have the power to channel their passion into work that represents them, in turn creating a more inclusive community for everyone.
What will you create?
Design today carries significant responsibility. Designers are no longer just the taste-makers, but the enablers of connection, acceptance, and more. It’s never been a more exciting time to be a designer.
So…what will you create?