Tooltips For Maya

1. The Problem

The complexity gap.

The Context

Maya is the industry standard for 3D animation, but it is notoriously complex.

With the release of LookdevX, we introduced a powerful new way to handle materials using USD (Universal Scene Description).

The Friction

While powerful, LookdevX introduced new workflows and terms that alienated users familiar with the previous workflow.

2. Research

Tooltips aren't going to save a new user,
but they can give a regular Maya user the right context at the right time.

User Analysis

I bypassed my assumptions and went to our internal beta forum and Reddit.

I needed to understand:

1. How senior artists talk about materials.
2. How junior artists are using terminology.
3. If people are even widely talking about USD yet.

The Insight

Users didn't need textbook definitions (e.g., "This is a compound node").

They needed functional context (e.g., "Groups nodes together to simplify your graph").

3. Strategy & Implementation

Designing for Clarity.

Information Architecture

I audited every interactable element in the LookdevX interface. Working with the Product Owner, we established a Strategy:

• Obvious UI: Buttons that explain themselves (e.g., "Save") get no tooltips to reduce visual noise.‍
• Complex UI: Jargon-heavy elements get "helper" tooltips.

Collaboration & Engineering

I worked directly with the engineering team to implement. Our developers were also users of the product, and had additional feedback that we added.

I also ensured the tooltips aligned with the broader documentation I authored, creating a cohesive "help ecosystem" from the UI to the manual.

5. Impact

The Outcome

Since its release, the overall reception of LookdevX has been overwhelmingly positive. I am proud of the small part I had to play in bringing this feature to market.