Zynga, Head of Experience Design

Zynga is one of the largest developers of mobile games in the West with more than 183 million monthly active users playing its mobile games. Zynga's games have been downloaded over six billion times globally.

As Head of Experience Design:

⇢ Led UX/UI for 9 shipped games, including Zynga Poker (“App of the Year”)

⇢ Established Zynga’s Experience Design organization

⇢ Managed & led the 42-person creative org on the Mid-Core team

⇢ Conceived and designed features that exceeded $500M in revenue

COMPANY

Zynga

ROLE

Senior Creative Director

UX/UI Designer

DURATION

10 months

Zynga wanted a fresh take on the 'Ville' franchise, so we crafted a unique IP set on a remote tropical island. With a lean team of under 20 people and just twelve months to deliver, we focused on quality and efficiency. Our game topped the charts and exceeded all expectations.

Download the game here!

Goals

‣ Achieve 30k daily revenue.

‣ 12 month ship deadline.

‣ Develop a new UI design system using minimized graphics in order to keep the memory footprint small.

Results

‣ We shipped 2 months early, a rarity in gaming.

‣ Zynga’s 2nd most successful launch of 10 games (2016)

‣ Exceeded revenue targets by 25%

‣ 4.5+ rating on the App Store

‣ 2nd most popular gaming app

Company

Zynga

Role

Art Director

Duration

10 weeks

My first project at Zynga was to overhaul the outdated Texas Hold'em game, a buggy mobile version of the world’s most popular web poker game. With a small, scrappy team of 12 people and a tight 6-month deadline, I took the lead on design direction and crafted the majority of the design in a single weekend.

Goals

Redesign the existing app to with a refreshed visual style, while revamping the UX and adding key features.

We set a goal of launching in six months (!)

Process

Research

Since we had existing user data and were working on a redesign, we focused our research on analyzing App Store reviews and relying on our instincts. As a passionate poker player (both in live games and Zynga Poker) I had many ideas for improvements.

Design

I had one designer, one animator, and one production artist. We worked very closely with engineering and product, as one does, and worked quickly and iteratively.

Contributions

‣ I created a new visual design that modernized the app.

‣ Co-created a patented UX pattern that was copied by many other apps, including WSOP (World Series of Poker)

‣ DAU grew from 250k to 1M within a year after launch.

‣ Improved usability and fun, which increased our App Store ratings from 3.5 > 4.5

Results

‣ UK's top-grossing app of the year.

‣ Increased App Store ratings from 3.5 > 4.5

‣ Concurrent top grossing app on both App Store & Google Play Store

Other contributions

⇢ I was asked to co-lead the Zynga studio in Brighton, UK, but their game was canceled before I could move.

⇢ War of the Fallen mobile game

I led the art and UI/UX direction for this highly-rated collectable card game, overseeing a team in San Francisco as well as Beijing, China. View game trailer

⇢ FarmVille 3 mobile game (canceled)

I led the UI/UX on a new FarmVille game for two years. We had a thrilling "Country Fair" feature where you competed to earn the most money in a given time.

⇢ CityVille X mobile game (canceled)

I led the UI/UX for a year on a new game that allowed players to draw roads, with buildings that would adapt their lots size based on road angles.

⇢ I won a Zynga game pitch, and was the senior creative director for a Video Poker mobile game (canceled).

Art and/or creative director for other games:

… and I consulted on many more games!