Destiny 2: Vault Updates

Destiny 2: Vault Rework

Introducing Sorting and Filtering Frameworks

Final Vault Iteration

Additional work materials available on request.

Introduction & Feature Goals

For years, the Destiny 2 community had expressed their frustrations with Vault inventory management - it lacked filters and the available sort options didn’t return meaningful or clear search results for hundreds of items.

The need for better management became even more apparent after The Edge of Fate’s release, which brought additional item characteristics that impacted the way players managed their equipment.

My team and I were to introduce a framework that allowed multi-filtering, with reworked sorting options.

Investigations & Outcomes

Vault Audits & Player Perspectives

So why had the Vault created years of frustration for players?

During a snack break, a colleague expressed similar pain points I found through social media and other forums:

‍“Sometimes I just want to see my weapons, and the sorting doesn't help me find the stuff I actually want. It's so tedious that I just leave stuff I don't use anymore.”

Parsing up to 700 items, including duplicates and variations.
Sorting limited to four options - Default, Quantity, Rarity, Newest.
Sorts didn’t cover the range of category-exclusive characteristics, or combinations.
Unclear feedback: “What does Sort by Default actually mean?”
Players resorted to creating their own inventory management.

Articulating Ideal Changes

Prioritize filter and sorts that fit existing characteristics, including stackable filter combinations.
Adjust UI to accommodate entry points to filter and sort, potential additional screens, and new selection interactions.
Clear labeling and state changes on UI components, including explanation of filter and sort functionalities.

Player Use Cases

With the proposed changes, I used two very simple player scenarios to guide future iterations and needs.

Proposed Filter and Sort Criteria

With consistent check-ins with investment design, I kept a live chart of the item characteristics that could be used as filters and sorts. This helped everyone stay on track and make any necessary changes due to constraints around scope and technical work.

After several drafts, I eventually landed on the final filters and sort proposals:

Referencing Existing Frameworks

Before jumping into wireframes, I reviewed Destiny 2 systems to check other places that used multi-filter methods and sorting.

The clearest samples were the Eververse Store and Fireteam Finder; after consulting with engineering and investment designers, it was clarified that these frameworks were possible to reuse in other spaces.

Finalizing UI and Visuals

It helped to have many eyes and feedback sessions, as feedback across multiple fields pinpointed problems with interactions, feedback states, state changes, and displays.

Because of the strong feedback-driven process, our technical, engineering, and visual teams were well-informed and led to smooth handoffs.

Our visual designer brought the Vault to life with updated layouts, new direct pagination, color language, and iconography:  

Conclusion

Learnings

It was crucial to consistently update the teams, which helped me learn about other disciplines and systems I hadn’t explored before.

Early alignment and keeping it consistent.
Knowing when the best decision is to backlog and train focus on the baseline MVP goals.
When in doubt, talk to others in the studio when research studies or testing can't be done.
Be more forthcoming about pushback and articulate why and how decisions help the player experience.

While the updates don’t cover every aspect of item characteristics, it was enough to give players better control when managing 1,000 items; and better yet, an in-game feature accessed within the same space.

Our hope is that the updates are a better, longer-term solution for an evolving game.