By Whose Design?: Digital Comics and User-Centred Research

In a world where AI, UGC, and immersive platforms are reshaping creativity, how do we build tools that empower rather than overwhelm? This talk explores how software design must evolve to meet the changing needs of digital creators, for example developers designing for MMO platforms such as Roblox. Drawing on insights from building GENERA STUDIO, a web-based platform for game-ready clothing design, Lili Eva Bartha shares how intuitive design, game mechanics, and immersive UX principles can be leveraged to radically simplify creative workflows. The session also highlights a key shift in the industry: solo developers and small indie studios are now capable of producing high-quality titles that once required large teams and expensive software licenses. This transformation is driven by more accessible, creator-friendly tools, and it marks a paradigm shift in who gets to participate in the future of game and digital content creation.

About the speaker:

Lili Eva Bartha is a researcher-turned-entrepreneur working at the intersection of emerging technologies, immersive experience design, and creative CAD tooling. With a background in mathematics and design, she has led academic research on future-facing software systems and participatory digital environments at institutions such as the Royal College of Art. Her work explores how design tools can be reimagined through intuitive interfaces, procedural logic, and game design principles, empowering users to create complex outputs without technical training. As Founder and CEO at GENERA LABS, she now leads the development of GENERA STUDIO: an award-winning browser-based platform that replaces traditional 3D CAD specialised in character clothing design, with a more accessible, playful, and user-centered design experience. Lili is passionate about creating interfaces that make creative expression more democratic in a time of accelerated technological change.