Application Guide

How to Apply for Technical UI Designer

at Unknownworlds

🏢 About Unknownworlds

Unknownworlds is an independent game studio known for its deep, atmospheric titles like Subnautica and Natural Selection 2. They prioritize creative freedom and remote-first collaboration, making them an attractive home for developers who value autonomy and impact.

About This Role

As the Technical UI Designer, you will own the entire UI implementation pipeline—from wireframes to final polish—across all platforms. Your work directly shapes player experience through responsive animations, data-driven HUDs, and performant interfaces in Unreal Engine.

💡 A Day in the Life

Your morning might start with a standup with the UI/UX and engineering teams to align on a new HUD feature. You'll spend the afternoon prototyping a responsive action prompt in UMG, iterating on animation timing based on playtest feedback, and then profiling the UI to ensure it hits 60fps on console.

🚀 Application Tools

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Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who Unknownworlds Is Looking For

  • You have shipped at least one Unreal Engine title as a Technical UI Designer, with deep expertise in UMG, Blueprints, and Enhanced Input.
  • You understand Unreal UI architecture inside out: lifecycle events, state management, and performance optimization (draw calls, tick timing, etc.).
  • You can implement responsive, animated UI components like HUDs, health bars, and action prompts that react to gameplay events.
  • You thrive collaborating across disciplines (UI/UX, art, design, engineering) and can balance visual polish with platform performance targets.

📝 Tips for Applying to Unknownworlds

1

Highlight your shipped Unreal Engine title(s) prominently—mention the game and your specific UI contributions (e.g., 'Implemented inventory HUD and radial menu').

2

Showcase a portfolio or demo reel with real-time UI animations and data-driven components (e.g., health bars that animate based on damage). Avoid static mockups.

3

In your resume, quantify performance improvements: 'Reduced UI draw calls by 30% through batching and texture atlases.'

4

Mention experience with Enhanced Input and how you've used it for UI interactions (e.g., controller navigation, rebinding).

5

Tailor your cover letter to Unknownworlds' games—reference Subnautica's UI or Natural Selection 2's HUD and suggest how you'd improve them.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Emphasize your Unreal Engine expertise and shipped title(s) with specific UI features you owned.', "Show passion for Unknownworlds' games and how your UI skills could enhance player immersion (e.g., 'I'd love to refine the survival HUD for a future Subnautica title').", "Highlight your cross-disciplinary collaboration: how you've worked with designers and engineers to balance polish and performance.", 'Demonstrate your problem-solving with a specific UI challenge you overcame (e.g., optimizing a complex inventory screen for console).']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Play or re-play Unknownworlds' games (Subnautica, Natural Selection 2) and analyze their UI: what works, what could be improved?
  • → Research the company's development philosophy—they value player agency and immersion. Frame your UI ideas around enhancing those.
  • → Look at their job postings history; they often emphasize remote collaboration tools (Slack, Jira, Perforce). Be ready to discuss your remote workflow.
  • → Check their blog or dev diaries for insights into their tech stack and UI challenges they've faced.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk us through your process for implementing a data-driven health bar that reacts to damage events and status effects.
2 How do you profile and optimize UMG performance? Give an example of a performance bottleneck you solved.
3 Describe how you would implement a responsive radial menu that works with both mouse and controller (Enhanced Input).
4 How do you handle state management in Unreal UI? Explain your approach to managing UI states for a HUD with multiple overlapping panels.
5 Tell us about a time you had to compromise between visual polish and performance. What trade-offs did you make?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't submit a generic portfolio with only static UI mockups—they want to see interactive, animated implementations.
  • Avoid claiming Unreal expertise without a shipped title; they specifically require 5+ years and a shipped Unreal game.
  • Don't overlook performance optimization in your examples—mentioning draw calls, tick optimization, or texture budgets is crucial.
  • Don't ignore the 'Enhanced Input' requirement; if you haven't used it, learn the basics and mention it in your application.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Unknownworlds!

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