Reusable Gamehub

First, I drew up a project plan that included all the essential components of the project. This included formulating the design challenge, an analysis of the client LiveWall, and a clear demarcation of the assignment, including requirements and scope. This gave me good insight into the time needed per phase and helped in choosing the right tools, such as Figma and Unity. For example, I quickly discovered how important gamification would be within this project.

Subsequently, I delved deeper into the project. I researched similar initiatives to see what did and did not work, and immersed myself in gamification through interviews and books such as Actionable Gamification. This is how I discovered how game elements like levels and progress bars can motivate users. I also conducted user research on the target groups of LiveWall and their partners, which allowed me to create focused personas as a basis for the concept.

After thorough research, I started working on the concept for a game hub. The idea: users can play games in between using an app, such as the one from Rituals. By logging in and playing daily, they earn points that can lead to discounts. This encourages more app usage and increases the likelihood of purchases. Moreover, games previously developed by LiveWall can be cleverly reused in the hub and remain for a longer period, which saves time and costs for both LiveWall and the client.

I ultimately chose a "pixel town" game hub to reinforce the playful character and because I had experience with pixel art—that made the process more efficient. I based the city design on a mood board with inspiration from various games and apps. Users could earn two types of points: to decorate the town or to receive discounts in the webshop. I also showed how the design could be easily adapted per brand or season, such as around holidays. Everything was ultimately documented in a style guide.

After several rounds of feedback with the client, I started creating a prototype in Figma. This tool saves a lot of time because you can design quickly without coding. I worked in short mini-sprints of one week per version, until both the client and the target audience were satisfied. Along the way, I regularly asked for feedback from colleagues to further improve the design.