“I don’t feel engaged enough to stay in the game.”
From a playtest user
HOW IT STARTS
"Let's understand why the data looks off before we stop investing resources," the boss said.
Gather info
So which metrics need improvement?
What could be the reasons behind these declining metrics?
- Most players lose interest quickly because there's not much for them to do.
App Launch
Tutorial Complete
Pet Action
Pet Level Up
Drop-off
Drop-off
Drop-off
- Players tend to leave the game quickly, limiting us to show just a few ads per session.
- Consistent with user interviews, users show little interest in watching reward videos, leading to low revenue.
App Launch
Watch Ad Video
Watch Ad Video
OVERALL CONVERSION
Within a session, how many players would watch 2 reward videos.
<10%
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
In summary, we need to focus on extending session length and making reward videos more appealing to our players.
define needs
To better engage users, I need to clearly define who they are and what they need.
The 2 main users types we target for this game are Achievers and Socializers.
Levels, Trophies, Badges, Points, Leaderboard
Friends, Communities, Communication
Playtests also revealed users seek more achievement, socialization, and companionship.
“It would be fun if I could play with my friends, competing the pet's level, and checking the leaderboard”
Enjoy Socializing and Showing Off
Players don’t find a lot of motivations to stay in the game or continue levelling up their pets, unless they can somehow show off their pets, or playing with friends within a community.
“I don’t feel like I’m making progress. I’m just repeating these actions[feed/water/play].”
Lost Track of the Progress Easily
Players aren’t properly encouraged to raise their pets, or have clear goals for the next step. The way players can check their progress on pet’s/trainer’s level is also not intuitive.
“I think it would be more engaging if we can play with her [the pet].”
Need More Interaction with Pets
Players wish to have more interactions with the pet, like petting and showering the pet. They also like to do something with their pets, as they are really “sharing lives with the pets”.
strategy
I then collaborated with the PM to identify features that offer high value with less effort.
High Impact
More Resource
(Time, Dev, Speed)
(User Retention & Engagement)
Activities with pets
Building communities
We decided to focus on creating pet activities first, as they will spark conversations in communities.
design
So what activities should we include? What art styles and color schemes should we use?
I chose softer, less saturated colors to convey comfort and tranquility
4 lifestyle activities were selected to reflect the lives people usually like to share with their pets.
Meditation
Choose a session length
XP
+20
3 mins
+5
XP
+50
15 mins
+8
Meditation
Choose your soundscape
Meditation
Breath in / out
PAUSE
12:15
Meditation
OK!
12:15
Good Job!
Rewards
You and Bubu are less stressed now
XP
+50
+8
EXIT
RESUME
Are you sure you want to exit?
12:15
You will lose your progress
Meditation
Meditation
Napping
Bathtime
Walking
Walking
Select an exercise
XP
+20
15 mins Walking
+5
XP
+50
15 mins Jogging
+8
Walking
I’M READY
Walking
2345
Steps in total
Steps/Min
12
PAUSE
12:15
Walking
Are you sure you want to exit?
12:15
You will lose your progress
EXIT
RESUME
Walking
OK!
Well Done!
Rewards
You and Bubu are less stressed now
XP
+50
+8
Napping
Choose your sleep aids
Napping
Choose a session length
00
02
03
04
33
01
Hour
29
28
31
32
27
30
Min
Your timer will go off at
4:30 PM
Rewards
XP
+50
+8
START
Napping
1:19:53
4:30 PM
Napping
Time to get up!
I’M UP
Napping
OK!
Well Rest!
Rewards
You and Bubu are now well rested!
XP
+50
+8
Bathtime
Ready to give your pet a sparkling bath?
I’M READY
Bathtime
Step 1/3
Grab the showerhead
Wet your pet
Bathtime
Step 2/3
Grab the shampoo
Lather with shampoo
Bathtime
Step 3/3
Rinse and dry with hairdryer
Rinse and dry
Bathtime
NICE!
Awesome!
Rewards
Bubu looks sparkling now!
XP
+50
+8
To enhance visibility and accessibility, I also designed an activity center to feature all activities.
results
Ad revenue increased by extending session length and offering more RV opportunities.
Feature Launched ✅
1/22 - 1/28
1/29 - 2/4
2/5 - 2/11
2/12 - 2/18
2/19 - 2/25
2/26 - 3/4
Ad revenue
50%
in Ad Revenue per DAU
225%
in Reward Video Conversion Rate
17%
in D1 Retention
237%
in RV impressions per DAU
40%
in Session Length
36%
in Lifetime value per user
Surveys also showed that users are excited to see how the community will evolve later.
Follow up
After launch, I reviewed data with DA and identified a pattern:
- Only players who engaged with activities stayed longer and watched more ads.
- How can we boost player engagement with activities?
- Research results point to the main screen layout as a possible issue.
33%
in Session Length
42%
in Ad Revenue per DAU
90%
in Activities Visibility
I will talk more about how I redesign the main screen at the portfolio walkthrough.
learnings
When I proactively act on potential in a project, I achieve good results.
The ability to analyze data and identify patterns is crucial for tracking my design’s performance and spotting areas for improvement.
Check out more projects
Healthcare Benchmarking Tool That Raised Renewals
Designed a intuitive system that drove 70% contract renewals and converted 66% of hesitant clients.
View More →
Making City Exploration Inclusive for Blind Users
Won top prize “People’s Choice” at HCDE Open House for an exploration app designed for low-vision users.
View More →
Enhanced Engagement and Reduced Drop-off Rate
Redesigned onboarding UX and drove a 73% boost in weekly active users and cut D1 drop-off by 68%.
View More →
“I don’t feel engaged enough to stay in the game.”
From a playtest user
HOW IT STARTS
"Let's understand why the data looks off before we stop investing resources," the boss said.
We have a lovely game that attracts many players, but unfortunately, most of them tend to drop off quickly. Our goal is to improve the game and ensure its long-term success.
Gather info
So which metrics need improvement?
After speaking with data analysts, I found that the Day 1 retention rate is low, which is a key metric for assessing the game's user engagement.
Additionally, its Ad revenue is significantly lower than our other games.
What could be the reasons behind these declining metrics?
I collaborated with data analysts to examine player behavior and key funnels that may impact D1 retention and ad revenue. From this, I identified 3 issues we can address to achieve greater results.
- Most players lose interest quickly because there's not much for them to do.
App Launch
Tutorial Complete
Pet Action
Pet Level Up
Drop-off
Drop-off
Drop-off
- Players tend to leave the game quickly, limiting us to show just a few ads per session.
- Consistent with user interviews, users show little interest in watching reward videos, leading to low revenue.
App Launch
Watch Ad Video
Watch Ad Video
OVERALL CONVERSION
Within a session, how many players would watch 2 reward videos.
<10%
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
In summary, we need to focus on extending session length and making reward videos more appealing to our players.
DEFINE needs
To better engage users, I need to clearly define who they are and what they need.
I conducted multiple playtest sessions, categorizing users based on their goals, needs, and expectations while playing the game.
The 2 main users types we target for this game are Achievers and Socializers.
Hyper-casual games attract players during their downtime. Our target users prefer simple rewards and will return often if they form stronger connections with the game.
Levels, Trophies, Badges, Points, Leaderboard
Friends, Communities, Communication
Playtests also revealed users seek more achievement, socialization, and companionship.
I conducted several playtests and gathered surveys from a larger group of players, summarizing 3 main needs from our users.
“It would be fun if I could play with my friends, competing the pet's level, and checking the leaderboard”
Enjoy Socializing and Showing Off
Players don’t find a lot of motivations to stay in the game or continue levelling up their pets, unless they can somehow show off their pets, or playing with friends within a community.
“I don’t feel like I’m making progress. I’m just repeating these actions[feed/water/play].”
Lost Track of the Progress Easily
Players aren’t properly encouraged to raise their pets, or have clear goals for the next step. The way players can check their progress on pet’s/trainer’s level is also not intuitive.
“I think it would be more engaging if we can play with her [the pet].”
Need More Interaction with Pets
Players wish to have more interactions with the pet, like petting and showering the pet. They also like to do something with their pets, as they are really “sharing lives with the pets”.
strategy
I then collaborated with the PM to identify features that offer high value with less effort.
While both features could help to improve metrics, with limited resources, we must consider implementation difficulty and which will have the greater impact.
High Impact
More Resource
(Time, Dev, Speed)
(User Retention & Engagement)
Activities with pets
Building communities
We decided to focus on creating pet activities first, as they will spark conversations in communities.
Given the tight timeline, we chose a solution that's easier for devs to implement while delivering immediate metric improvements.
Additionally, engaging users in pet activities is likely to drive more usage and sharing within communities.
design
So what activities should we include? What art styles and color schemes should we use?
By observing those around me and social media, I’ve noticed that people love sharing their lives with their pets and feel a sense of responsibility in caring for them.
I then created a mood board to explore art styles and colors that I believe would best fit this game.
I chose softer, less saturated colors to convey comfort and tranquility
As most of our target users are female and they usually use the app in leisure settings.
4 lifestyle activities were selected to reflect the lives people usually like to share with their pets.
Out of activities people can enjoy with their pets during leisure time, we selected 4 that may encourage user engagement, extend session time for more ads, and increase chances to watch reward videos.
Meditation
Choose a session length
XP
+20
3 mins
+5
XP
+50
15 mins
+8
Meditation
Choose your soundscape
Meditation
Breath in / out
PAUSE
12:15
Meditation
OK!
12:15
Good Job!
Rewards
You and Bubu are less stressed now
XP
+50
+8
EXIT
RESUME
Are you sure you want to exit?
12:15
You will lose your progress
Meditation
Meditation
Napping
Bathtime
Walking
Walking
Select an exercise
XP
+20
15 mins Walking
+5
XP
+50
15 mins Jogging
+8
Walking
I’M READY
Walking
2345
Steps in total
Steps/Min
12
PAUSE
12:15
Walking
Are you sure you want to exit?
12:15
You will lose your progress
EXIT
RESUME
Walking
OK!
Well Done!
Rewards
You and Bubu are less stressed now
XP
+50
+8
Napping
Choose your sleep aids
Napping
Choose a session length
00
02
03
04
33
01
Hour
29
28
31
32
27
30
Min
Your timer will go off at
4:30 PM
Rewards
XP
+50
+8
START
Napping
1:19:53
4:30 PM
Napping
Time to get up!
I’M UP
Napping
OK!
Well Rest!
Rewards
You and Bubu are now well rested!
XP
+50
+8
Bathtime
Ready to give your pet a sparkling bath?
I’M READY
Bathtime
Step 1/3
Grab the showerhead
Wet your pet
Bathtime
Step 2/3
Grab the shampoo
Lather with shampoo
Bathtime
Step 3/3
Rinse and dry with hairdryer
Rinse and dry
Bathtime
NICE!
Awesome!
Rewards
Bubu looks sparkling now!
XP
+50
+8
To enhance visibility and accessibility, I also designed an activity center to feature all activities.
Several small pet-interaction features were scattered across the interface, so I decided to create a centralized space to showcase and list them, making it easier for users to access and engage.
results
Ad revenue increased by extending session length and offering more RV opportunities.
After launching the activities, session length increased significantly, with users typically engaging in more than two activities per session.
More users are also returning after 1 day to explore additional activities with their pets.
Feature Launched ✅
1/22 - 1/28
1/29 - 2/4
2/5 - 2/11
2/12 - 2/18
2/19 - 2/25
2/26 - 3/4
Ad revenue
50%
in Ad Revenue per DAU
225%
in Reward Video Conversion Rate
17%
in D1 Retention
237%
in RV impressions per DAU
40%
in Session Length
36%
in Lifetime value per user
Surveys also showed that users are excited to see how the community will evolve later.
The activities established a foundation for the upcoming community feature, getting users ready to share their pets and compete in rankings.
Follow up
After launch, I reviewed data with DA and identified a pattern:
Only players who engaged with activities stayed longer and watched more ads.
The pattern I uncovered while reviewing data with analysts reveals a key opportunity: boosting engagement could drive even better results.
How can we boost player engagement with activities? Research results point to the main screen layout as a possible issue.
Many players who quickly glanced at the screen struggled to find the activity center, even when prompted during usability testing.
I will talk more about how I redesign the main screen at the portfolio walkthrough.
33%
in Session Length
42%
in Ad Revenue per DAU
90%
in Activities Visibility
learnings
When I proactively act on potential in a project, I achieve good results.
I took the initiative to take on this task and proactively communicated with the PM and DA. Through my design efforts, I helped save the game and turned it into one of the company’s top 5 highest-grossing games.
The ability to analyze data and identify patterns is crucial for tracking my design’s performance and spotting areas for improvement.
Since data analysts aren’t always available, I learned to analyze data myself and extract key insights. This ability has helped me in many projects and made my designs more convincing.
Check out more projects
Healthcare Benchmarking Tool That Raised Renewals
Designed a intuitive system that drove 70% of users with this feature renewed contracts, and 66% of hesitant clients were converted.
View More →
Making City Exploration Inclusive for Blind Users
Won top prize “People’s Choice” at HCDE Open House for an exploration app designed for low-vision users.
View More →
Enhanced Engagement and Reduced Drop-off Rate
Redesigned onboarding UX and drove a 73% boost in weekly active users and cut D1 drop-off by 68%.
View More →
“I don’t feel engaged enough to stay in the game.”
From a playtest user
HOW IT STARTS
"Let's understand why the data looks off before we stop investing resources," the boss said.
We have a lovely game that attracts many players, but unfortunately, most of them tend to drop off quickly. Our goal is to improve the game and ensure its long-term success.
Gather info
So which metrics need improvement?
After speaking with data analysts, I found that the Day 1 retention rate is low, which is a key metric for assessing the game's user engagement.
Additionally, its Ad revenue is significantly lower than our other games.
What could be the reasons behind these declining metrics?
I collaborated with data analysts to examine player behavior and key funnels that may impact D1 retention and ad revenue. From this, I identified 3 issues we can address to achieve greater results.
- Most players lose interest quickly because there's not much for them to do.
App Launch
Tutorial Complete
Pet Action
Pet Level Up
Drop-off
Drop-off
Drop-off
- Players tend to leave the game quickly, limiting us to show just a few ads per session.
- Consistent with user interviews, users show little interest in watching reward videos, leading to low revenue.
App Launch
Watch Ad Video
Watch Ad Video
OVERALL CONVERSION
Within a session, how many players would watch 2 reward videos.
<10%
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
In summary, we need to focus on extending session length and making reward videos more appealing to our players.
DEFINE needs
To better engage users, I need to clearly define who they are and what they need.
I conducted multiple playtest sessions, categorizing users based on their goals, needs, and expectations while playing the game.
The 2 main users types we target for this game are Achievers and Socializers.
Hyper-casual games attract players during their downtime. Our target users prefer simple rewards and will return often if they form stronger connections with the game.
Levels, Trophies, Badges, Points, Leaderboard
Friends, Communities, Communication
Playtests also revealed users seek more achievement, socialization, and companionship.
I conducted several playtests and gathered surveys from a larger group of players, summarizing 3 main needs from our users.
“It would be fun if I could play with my friends, competing the pet's level, and checking the leaderboard”
Enjoy Socializing and Showing Off
Players don’t find a lot of motivations to stay in the game or continue levelling up their pets, unless they can somehow show off their pets, or playing with friends within a community.
“I don’t feel like I’m making progress. I’m just repeating these actions[feed/water/play].”
Lost Track of the Progress Easily
Players aren’t properly encouraged to raise their pets, or have clear goals for the next step. The way players can check their progress on pet’s/trainer’s level is also not intuitive.
“I think it would be more engaging if we can play with her [the pet].”
Need More Interaction with Pets
Players wish to have more interactions with the pet, like petting and showering the pet. They also like to do something with their pets, as they are really “sharing lives with the pets”.
strategy
I then collaborated with the PM to identify features that offer high value with less effort.
While both features could help to improve metrics, with limited resources, we must consider implementation difficulty and which will have the greater impact.
High Impact
More Resource
(Time, Dev, Speed)
(User Retention & Engagement)
Activities with pets
Building communities
We decided to focus on creating pet activities first, as they will spark conversations in communities.
Given the tight timeline, we chose a solution that's easier for devs to implement while delivering immediate metric improvements.
Additionally, engaging users in pet activities is likely to drive more usage and sharing within communities.
design
So what activities should we include? What art styles and color schemes should we use?
By observing those around me and social media, I’ve noticed that people love sharing their lives with their pets and feel a sense of responsibility in caring for them.
I then created a mood board to explore art styles and colors that I believe would best fit this game.
I chose softer, less saturated colors to convey comfort and tranquility
As most of our target users are female and they usually use the app in leisure settings.
4 lifestyle activities were selected to reflect the lives people usually like to share with their pets.
Out of activities people can enjoy with their pets during leisure time, we selected 4 that may encourage user engagement, extend session time for more ads, and increase chances to watch reward videos.
Meditation
Choose a session length
XP
+20
3 mins
+5
XP
+50
15 mins
+8
Meditation
Choose your soundscape
Meditation
Breath in / out
PAUSE
12:15
Meditation
OK!
12:15
Good Job!
Rewards
You and Bubu are less stressed now
XP
+50
+8
EXIT
RESUME
Are you sure you want to exit?
12:15
You will lose your progress
Meditation
Meditation
Napping
Bathtime
Walking
Walking
Select an exercise
XP
+20
15 mins Walking
+5
XP
+50
15 mins Jogging
+8
Walking
I’M READY
Walking
2345
Steps in total
Steps/Min
12
PAUSE
12:15
Walking
Are you sure you want to exit?
12:15
You will lose your progress
EXIT
RESUME
Walking
OK!
Well Done!
Rewards
You and Bubu are less stressed now
XP
+50
+8
Napping
Choose your sleep aids
Napping
Choose a session length
00
02
03
04
33
01
Hour
29
28
31
32
27
30
Min
Your timer will go off at
4:30 PM
Rewards
XP
+50
+8
START
Napping
1:19:53
4:30 PM
Napping
Time to get up!
I’M UP
Napping
OK!
Well Rest!
Rewards
You and Bubu are now well rested!
XP
+50
+8
Bathtime
Ready to give your pet a sparkling bath?
I’M READY
Bathtime
Step 1/3
Grab the showerhead
Wet your pet
Bathtime
Step 2/3
Grab the shampoo
Lather with shampoo
Bathtime
Step 3/3
Rinse and dry with hairdryer
Rinse and dry
Bathtime
NICE!
Awesome!
Rewards
Bubu looks sparkling now!
XP
+50
+8
To enhance visibility and accessibility, I also designed an activity center to feature all activities.
Several small pet-interaction features were scattered across the interface, so I decided to create a centralized space to showcase and list them, making it easier for users to access and engage.
results
Ad revenue increased by extending session length and offering more RV opportunities.
After launching the activities, session length increased significantly, with users typically engaging in more than two activities per session.
More users are also returning after 1 day to explore additional activities with their pets.
Feature Launched ✅
1/22 - 1/28
1/29 - 2/4
2/5 - 2/11
2/12 - 2/18
2/19 - 2/25
2/26 - 3/4
Ad revenue
50%
in Ad Revenue per DAU
225%
in Reward Video Conversion Rate
17%
in D1 Retention
237%
in RV impressions per DAU
40%
in Session Length
36%
in Lifetime value per user
Surveys also showed that users are excited to see how the community will evolve later.
The activities established a foundation for the upcoming community feature, getting users ready to share their pets and compete in rankings.
Follow up
After launch, I reviewed data with DA and identified a pattern:
Only players who engaged with activities stayed longer and watched more ads.
The pattern I uncovered while reviewing data with analysts reveals a key opportunity: boosting engagement could drive even better results.
How can we boost player engagement with activities? Research results point to the main screen layout as a possible issue.
Many players who quickly glanced at the screen struggled to find the activity center, even when prompted during usability testing.
I will talk more about how I redesign the main screen at the portfolio walkthrough.
33%
in Session Length
42%
in Ad Revenue per DAU
90%
in Activities Visibility
learnings
When I proactively act on potential in a project, I achieve good results.
I took the initiative to take on this task and proactively communicated with the PM and DA. Through my design efforts, I helped save the game and turned it into one of the company’s top 5 highest-grossing games.
The ability to analyze data and identify patterns is crucial for tracking my design’s performance and spotting areas for improvement.
Since data analysts aren’t always available, I learned to analyze data myself and extract key insights. This ability has helped me in many projects and made my designs more convincing.
Check out more projects
Healthcare Benchmarking Tool That Raised Renewals
70% of users with this feature renewed contracts, and 66% of hesitant clients were converted.
View More →
Making City Exploration Inclusive for Blind Users
Won top prize “People’s Choice” at HCDE Open House for an exploration app designed for low-vision users.
View More →
Enhanced Engagement and Reduced Drop-off Rate
Redesigned onboarding UX and drove a 73% boost in weekly active users and cut D1 drop-off by 68%.
View More →