Hi, I’m Hillary.
I’m an Associate UI Director at EA, with 17+ years in design and more than a decade on The Sims.
I direct the visual experience of products and lead creative teams. I work with engineering and leadership on design decisions and the resources behind the work.
Outside of EA, I paint watercolors, create the Snarphs, and build my own websites. I love developing an idea from the first sketch through to the finished experience.
At EA today
I set the visual direction for products, guide UI design decisions, and represent the team’s needs in conversations with engineering and leadership.
I care about giving designers clear direction and room to contribute their own judgment. Listening to the team is part of making a sound decision.
My responsibilities also include resource planning, staffing and budget cases, and executive presentations. I represent the design team in technical evaluations and advocate for the player experience.
Much of my recent game work is under NDA. Reach out if you’d like to discuss my experience.
My work includes game UI, visual direction, and design systems, alongside my own watercolor and character projects.
Game UI and visual direction
On The Sims 4, I worked on CAS Stories, Cottage Living, and UI design for multiple other features. I also led the Main Menu redesign. Before that, I built The Sims Mobile’s UI system.
See my Sims workI’m still at EA, and much of my recent work is under NDA. Reach out if you’d like to hear more about my work and case studies. Let’s talk
My watercolor studio
Watercolor and web design
Hillcreates brings my watercolor work and web design together. I painted the room and designed the site around it.
See HillcreatesOriginal characters and coloring books
The Snarphs are my original characters. I’m developing their world through coloring books, stories, and a companion app. It’s a project I love taking from an initial drawing into something people can enjoy.
Meet my characters
Snarph Land
Design and development
I’m well versed in different AI models. I’ve trained LoRAs and built multiple apps, websites, and Figma plugins. I use AI to explore ideas, build prototypes, and work through the details of my own projects.
I set the direction and stay involved throughout. I review what comes back, give specific feedback, and refine the design, writing, and interactions. If something isn’t working, I’ll change the approach.
My websites and character projects give me room to experiment. I can test how something looks, how it moves, and how it feels to use. I enjoy seeing an idea become something I can click through, react to, and improve.
My experience
Hillary Proctor
Associate UI Director · Design Operations & AI Transformation
Redwood City, California
I’m an Associate UI Director with 17+ years in design and 12+ at Electronic Arts. I lead visual direction, creative teams, and AI initiatives, and work with leadership on staffing, budgets, and funding. I also design and build tools for designers.
Electronic Arts
March 2024 to present
Redwood City, California
Visual direction, design operations, and AI transformation.
Electronic Arts
March 2019 to March 2024
The Sims 4 & unannounced title
Electronic Arts
February 2014 to March 2019
The Sims Mobile
Led the visual experience, established the creative direction, and built a scalable UI system for The Sims brand on mobile. Designed and implemented UI hands on in a team of 5 UI and 4 UX designers.
TinyCo
2011 to 2013
UI design across Tiny Village, a top grossing App Store game in 2012, Tiny Zoo, and Tiny Castle.
Chriply
2011
UI and UX design across an ecommerce experience from beginning to end.
PEC, Inc.
2009 to 2011
Web and graphic design, including military language training UI.
UI and UX visual direction from initial concept through development. Creative team leadership, design critique and visual quality, brand translation, design systems, and cross functional partnerships. Player experience and accessibility research. Experience leading internal teams and working with global partners.
Resource planning, headcount requests, and budget cases. Executive presentations and approval documents. AI tool development and adoption, including custom LoRA training, Figma plugins, and tools for designers.
Unity, Unreal, and Perforce from years of working with them. Game UI technology including Flash/Scaleform, plus evaluation of Noesis and Coherent. Practical experience building with AI tools.
Figma, Adobe Suite, Sketch, Principal, Flinto, Miro, Jira, Asana, and Scrum/Agile.
Bryant & Stratton College
Interactive Media Design
Summa Cum Laude
Designer. Director. Maker.
I’m an Associate UI Director at Electronic Arts in Redwood City, California. I’ve spent 17+ years in design and more than a decade working on The Sims.
I started in web and graphic design, moved into game UI at TinyCo, and joined EA in 2014. My role has grown to include visual direction, creative leadership, and design operations. Working directly on design and implementation still informs how I lead.
At EA, I direct the visual experience of products, with a focus on UI, and lead creative teams. I work with engineering and leadership on design decisions, team resources, and staffing.
Outside of EA, I paint watercolors, create the Snarphs, and design and build my own websites. These projects give me space to develop my own ideas, from the artwork to the experience around it. And yes, the clay avatar is me, complete with glasses and a floral shirt.
Ask about my work, how I lead, or my own creative projects. Choose a question below, or type your own.
Answers written by me. This isn’t a live chat. Email me
Shipped games · UI systems · Creative direction
I joined EA in 2014 and worked on The Sims Mobile, then The Sims 4. My role grew from Senior UI Designer to Associate UI Director along the way.
Cottage Living capture: SnarkyWitch, Sims Community. Sims Mobile image: EA. Cottage Living sourceThe Sims Mobile source
I was a Senior Experience Designer from 2019 to 2024. I worked on CAS Stories, the world map and navigation UI, and multiple other features, and led the Main Menu redesign. On Cottage Living, I worked on the animal UI and the world map bubble with that little animated chicken.
I was also Visual Design Lead on an unannounced title, where I created the visual style from scratch and led feature pods.
From 2014 to 2019, I was a Senior UI Designer, then Lead UI Designer on The Sims Mobile. I set the creative direction and built its scalable UI system.
I designed and implemented the UI, working alongside UI and UX designers.
I’m still at EA, directing the visual experience of products and working with leadership on team resources and design decisions. Much of my recent game work is under NDA. Reach out if you’d like to hear more about my work and case studies.
