Introduction
TopSpin 2K25 marked the return of the TopSpin franchise after more than a decade, bringing modern tennis gameplay to a new generation of players across multiple platforms.
As UX Lead at Globant, I was responsible for leading the Globant UX/UI team embedded within the development effort, ensuring the successful delivery of player-facing experiences while aligning design, implementation, and production goals. My role combined hands-on UX leadership, technical oversight, stakeholder collaboration, and team development throughout the project's lifecycle.
My Role
I served as the primary point of coordination between UX designers, engineers, producers, and client stakeholders, helping translate product vision into scalable, production-ready player experiences. My responsibilities included:
UX Leadership:
- Leading and mentoring UX designers throughout development.
- Conducting design reviews and maintaining quality standards.
- Facilitating communication between internal and external stakeholders.
- Supporting planning, prioritization, and production activities.
- Driving alignment across multiple disciplines.
UX Ownership:
- End-to-end UX Design for game modes and featu.
- Supporting implementation quality and UX consistency.
- Defining and maintaining reusable UX patterns.
- Collaborating closely with engineering teams to ensure design intent was preserved through production.
- Helping establish scalable processes for UX delivery across the project.
When I joined the project, the Globant Team was facing a lack of direction and guidance. The participation of the Globant Team in the project dealt with problems such as undefined workflow, team collaboration, and communication with Production and Design.
FeatureDÂ UX Contributions
Battle Pass System
Challenge
TopSpin 2K25 required a modern seasonal progression system that aligned with player expectations while fitting naturally within a sports game ecosystem.
The challenge was balancing established Battle Pass conventions from other genres with the unique needs of a tennis-focused experience.
My Contribution
I owned the UX design of the Battle Pass system from concept through implementation support.
This included:
- Competitive research.
- Information architecture.
- User flows.
- Wireframes.
- Progression visualization.
- Reward presentation.
- Collaboration with Design and UI teams.
- Information architecture.
- User flows.
- Wireframes.
- Progression visualization.
- Reward presentation.
- Collaboration with Design and UI teams.
Key Decisions
A major design challenge was determining how players should navigate between active and historical seasons while maintaining clarity around progression and rewards.
I explored multiple approaches for season selection, reward hierarchy, and progression visibility before defining a flexible structure that supported:
- Multiple seasons
- Active season management
- Reward discovery
- Clear progression tracking
The design also needed to communicate reward ownership, rarity, progression state, and premium/free distinctions without overwhelming users.
Outcome
The final system aligned with contemporary industry standards while supporting TopSpin's product requirements and long-term content strategy.
User testing revealed no major usability issues, and player satisfaction scores exceeded 80%.
Pre-Match Experience
Challenge
The pre-match sequence needed to communicate key information such as players, venue, match conditions, and game mode while creating anticipation before gameplay.
My Contribution
I owned the UX design of the complete pre-match information flow.
The goal was not only to inform players but also to capture the atmosphere and presentation style of professional tennis broadcasts.
Key Decisions
I conducted research across sports titles and real-world tennis events to identify presentation techniques that could increase immersion without introducing unnecessary complexity.
This work influenced:
- Information hierarchy.
- Screen sequencing.
- Sponsor integration.
- Replay opportunities.
- Broadcast-inspired presentation patterns.
Outcome
The final flow successfully balanced clarity and presentation, creating a more engaging transition into gameplay while remaining production-friendly for implementation.
Additional UX Contributions
Beyond the Battle Pass and Pre-Match experiences, I contributed to several player-facing systems and flows, including:
- First-Time User Experience (FTUE)
- Player Creation
- Pause Menu
- Post-Match Flow
These initiatives focused on improving learnability, navigation efficiency, and overall player experience consistency throughout the game.
Leadership impact
Establishing a Scalable UX Delivery Pipeline
One of my primary responsibilities was helping create a reliable workflow between UX, UI Art, Engineering, and Production teams.
AAA game development often involves multiple parallel workstreams moving at different speeds. I worked to ensure that UX deliverables remained actionable, implementation-ready, and aligned with production requirements while reducing communication gaps between disciplines.
Focus Areas:
- Design-to-development collaboration
- Production efficiency
- Quality assurance
- Cross-functional alignment
Leading Cross-Functional Collaboration
As UX Tech Lead, a significant portion of my work involved aligning teams with different priorities and perspectives.
I regularly collaborated with designers, engineers, producers, UI artists, and client stakeholders to resolve implementation challenges, evaluate trade-offs, and maintain momentum throughout development.
Focus Areas:
- Stakeholder management.
- Cross-functional communication.
- Decision-making.
- Production support.
Leading the team
Beyond project delivery, I focused on strengthening team effectiveness and raising the quality bar across UX efforts.
My contributions included:
- Mentoring and supporting designers in their professional growth.
- Facilitating constructive design critiques and reviews.
- Promoting UX best practices across disciplines.
- Helping teams navigate production constraints while preserving player experience goals.
- Acting as a bridge between business, development, and UX objectives.
Contributed to the successful launch of TopSpin 2K25
Supported the delivery of a modern AAA sports title released across multiple platforms.
