Palette Duel

Palette Duel is a color-matching game built in p5.js that explores how users perceive and interact with color through play. Coming from a UX design background, I’ve always been interested in how color theory shapes visual communication, which became the core motivation behind this project. I wanted to move beyond static design principles and instead create an experience where users actively engage with color in a dynamic and intuitive way. At the start of the process, I framed the project through a series of design questions: What is the player actually trying to understand or do? How can they learn the game without instructions? How should difficulty evolve? What makes this different from a basic color picker? and most importantly, how should the interaction feel? These questions guided both the conceptual and technical development of the game. Through iteration and research, I focused on making gameplay immediately understandable through visual cues rather than just relying on text. The structure of rounds became clearer and more interactive, allowing players to quickly grasp the objective. I also explored how to increase difficulty in a way that feels fair and engaging— such as getting rid of the colors overview on the slider, or incorporating RGB — while still maintaining transparency so players understand why they succeed or fail. Ultimately, this project taught me how small interaction details can shape user experience. Designing for clarity, responsiveness, and emotional feedback was just as important as the core mechanic itself.