Heuristics for AI-Driven Graphical Asset Generation Tools in Game Design and Development Pipelines: A User-Centered Approach

Graphical assets play an important role in design and development of games. There is potential in the use of AI-driven generative tools to aid in creation of such assets, improving pipelines. However, there is little research to address how generative methods can fit into the wider pipeline, and no guidelines or heuristics for creating such tools. Hence, we conducted a user study with 16 game designers and developers to examine their behaviour and interaction with such tools. Findings highlight that early design stage is preferred by all participants. Designers and developers prioritise rapid variations over initial quality of assets. Results also strongly raised the need for better integration of such tools in existing design/development environments and pipelines, specifically regarding common data formats and output manipulability. Informed by these results, we provide a set of heuristics for creating tools that meet the expectations and needs of game designers and developers.