Digital Design @ Nintendo
Nintendo of America
2025
Overview
During the summer of 2025, I joined Nintendo of America's Digital Design team as a Digital Design Intern, working across UI, UX, visual design, and research on nintendo.com. Over ten weeks, I contributed to live projects spanning the design system, accessibility compliance, and product detail pages, wearing a different hat almost every day.
01 · Find Retailers
The Find Retailers feature, powered by the Wayvia API (previously PriceSpider), is one of the most trafficked interactions on nintendo.com, logging over 70,000 CTA clicks across all regions between March and June 2025. Despite this, the feature predated the current design system and wasn't meeting modern accessibility or visual standards. I audited the existing implementation across four regional sites, identified gaps in system compliance, and redesigned the component to align with current standards while preserving its core functionality.
02 · Accessibility and Focus States
Following an AIM Consulting accessibility audit, the team identified several usability challenges across critical user journeys on nintendo.com, particularly around keyboard navigation. I ran two focused design sprints to develop a keyboard focus state system that met WCAG standards while staying visually consistent with the existing design system. The final proposal was documented, reviewed, and shipped.
Try pressing TAB on nintendo.com!
03 · Play/Pause Centerstage
Nintendo.com's Centerstage hero module uses autoplay video to showcase new releases and promotions. The existing implementation lacked a visible play/pause control, creating an accessibility gap for users who prefer reduced motion. I designed a solution that introduces a persistent, system-compliant control without disrupting the visual language of the hero. It's now live across the site.
04 · NSO Classic Controllers
I designed the product detail pages for the Nintendo Switch Online Classic Controllers, including the NES, SNES, and N64 controller pages. Working within the existing design system, I adapted the PDP template to suit the specific context of subscription-bundled hardware, balancing marketing goals with clear product communication. All pages are live on nintendo.com.
Reflection
Working at Nintendo taught me that great design at scale is less about individual creativity and more about deep respect for systems, users, and collaboration. Every decision, from a focus ring color to a CTA label, carries weight when it ships to millions of people across dozens of regions. I came in as a designer and left as someone who genuinely understands what it means to design for people, not just screens.