Word Search Fun
Casual game design
ROLE
UX/UI Design
Visual Desing
Animation
Illustration
GOAL
A fully launched puzzle game combining research-driven product decisions, custom illustration, animation, UX/UI design and monetisation.
CHALLENGE
Create a puzzle experience that feels intuitive, engaging and rewarding, while maintaining a relaxing atmosphere and a strong visual identity.
Creating a product
Understanding the audience.
WordSearch is an Android puzzle game developed by Keesing Digital following extensive user research. Before moving into the final product, we explored different game concepts and visual directions to help define what would resonate most with our audience.
I was responsible for the UX and visual design of the game, as well as interaction animations and advertising assets.
Every visual asset was illustrated specifically for the product, creating a cohesive visual world from scratch.
Development journey
A research-driven process.
Before deciding which game to develop, we explored several concepts and tested them with our users.
We selected three game types—ColorLink, Parking Jam and WordSearch—and created three distinct visual directions for each one.
Each concept needed to be immediately recognisable while having a clearly differentiated visual identity.
To understand which concept resonated most with users, we created nine Google Ads campaigns featuring short animations.
Rather than sending users directly to an app store, each ad led to a customised landing page matching the visual style of the game they had interacted with. There, users could complete a short survey and share their feedback.
After analysing the results, WordSearch emerged as the clear favourite.
We then took the most popular visual direction and developed it into the final game.
Designing features
A game built for monetisation.
Once the interface was defined and development was underway in Unity, we started thinking beyond the core gameplay and designed the product’s monetisation system.
We knew the game would include ads, so we decided to give players the option to remove them.
Players could also receive daily rewards and purchase different packs to make their gameplay experience easier.
This meant designing an entire in-game store, including the purchase flow and payment experience, while keeping it consistent with the rest of the game.
Store assets
Launching the product.
To launch the game on the app stores, we needed a strong set of visual assets that could communicate the experience at a glance.
We created promotional images and animations that stayed closely connected to the game itself, showing players the different interactions available beyond simply finding words.
The goal was to make the store presence as engaging as the product and encourage users to download the game.
User acquisition
Google Ads.
We created a range of Google Ads to attract new players and showcase different aspects of the game. Each animation focused on a specific feature or interaction.
The result.
A fully launched puzzle game combining research-driven product decisions, custom illustration, animation, UX/UI design and monetisation.
What I learned
During the game’s beta phase, we noticed that a significant number of players were leaving shortly after completing the tutorial.
After analysing the behaviour and making adjustments to the onboarding experience, we were able to address the issue.
This reinforced an important lesson: there is little value in building a scalable product with extensive rewards, assets and features if users leave before they even start playing.
Metrics are essential for understanding what is happening within a product and identifying where the experience may be failing users.
Next steps
The next step would be to use behavioural data to identify the levels with the highest drop-off rates and investigate why players are leaving.
We could then run targeted tests to explore different solutions and improve player retention.
More Work
Agency Portfolio
Identity Brand & Campaigns
BRANDING / WEBSITES PACKAGING / ILLUSTRATION
