PUZZLE PANIC - CASE STUDY

Puzzle Panic UI/UX Architecture As the UI/UX lead for this project, the primary objective was establishing the art direction and executing the comprehensive UI/UX pipeline, progressing from initial user flows and wireframes to finalized, polished art assets.

• Comprehensive System Design: Developed and refined interfaces across the game's core loops, including the Home Screen HUD, pre-level booster selection popups, active match-3 puzzle gameplay boards, meta-progression Album collections, and social club leaderboards.

• Cross-Border Art Alignment: Collaborated closely with an international art team based in Japan to execute final polish passes on high-fidelity illustration key arts.

• Technical Engine Integration: Led the technical problem-solving required to seamlessly blend 2D UI components with active 3D character scenes directly within the Unity engine.

Feature Ownership & Mini-Game Concepts Taking full ownership of key gameplay features, this project involved developing features like "Bonus Round"—a broad category of interactive mini-games designed to trigger mid-puzzle to elevate player engagement. The scope required driving the feature from initial game design concepts through to comprehensive UX flows and wireframing for all feature states.

• End-to-End UX Flows: The sequence displays distinct structural states of the Bonus Round interface, mapping the user journey from an initial entry cost prompt ("Play 300") to a dynamic "Free Play!" state, and finally into the active gameplay board.

• Motion Graphics & Rapid Prototyping: To clearly communicate the intended Art Direction, high-fidelity mockups and motion animations were composited. The golden flash sequence illustrates how motion concepts are utilized to create excitement and seamlessly transition players between the entry screen and the interactive card-matching grid.

• Clear Reward Systems: The final panel showcases a highly legible match mini-game interface, utilizing clear checkmarks, tiered reward trackers, and vibrant iconography to instantly communicate player progress and earned collectibles.

LiveOps Event Ownership & Design This project highlights full end-to-end ownership over the creation, design, and integration of high-impact LiveOps features, utilizing the "Cycling Race" event as a prime example. Designed to boost engagement, the Cycling Race is a competitive social event where players participate in a timed race to finish puzzles as quickly as possible. This showcases the ability to guide a complex event feature from initial concept through to finalized in-game integration.

• Integrated Entry Points & HUD: The event maintains visibility without disrupting the core flow by nesting a compact race-tracking widget directly beneath the standard pre-level booster menu.

• Event Onboarding & Monetization: The dedicated entry screen pairs thematic character art with a highly visible "START" button, while smartly integrating a targeted banner directly into the interface to drive event-driven monetization. A streamlined tutorial overlay visually breaks down the core loop using clear iconography.

• Dynamic Social Leaderboards: Instead of a static text list, the competition screen visualizes the leaderboard as an active racetrack. Player avatars are placed on bicycles, offering immediate, exciting visual feedback on their competitive standing relative to the finish line and countdown timer.

LiveOps AI Production Pipeline At Limit Break, this project focused on taking full ownership over the design and execution of in-game sales and shop experiences. Leveraging my Creative Director experience, the primary objective was establishing scalable, AI-driven pipelines to dramatically streamline the production of documentation, concept art, production assets, and marketing materials for frequent LiveOps events.

• Art Style Benchmarking: I collaborated closely with the Art Director to establish specific techniques ensuring all generated assets strictly adhered to the game's core aesthetic and established character designs.

• Advanced AI Tool Integration: I created the visual benchmarks and integrated a robust suite of AI software into the production workflow, utilizing ChatGPT, Midjourney, Gemini, Nano Banana, ComfyUI, and Stable Diffusion to rapidly iterate from rough concepts to polished final art.

• Sales UI/UX Ownership: I designed the complete UI/UX and key art for dynamic monetization popups, such as the martial arts-themed "Knockout Deals!" and sci-fi themed Sales and Event screens. These interfaces pair high-fidelity character visuals with clear value propositions and distinct purchase buttons to drive sales conversions.

• Backend Engineering Collaboration: To simplify the creation process for future in-game events, I worked alongside backend engineers to design visual, node-based assembly tools. This system efficiently mapped modular UI components—such as the Sale Badge, Background, Key Art, Header, and HUD Images—into a repeatable, streamlined implementation pipeline.

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