Connect & Pop

iOS game

Connect & Pop was a universal game for iOS devices, developed by TatLabs in 2012. Inspired by the classic strategic game Connect Four, Connect & Pop introduced a unique twist with its Pop version and offered 36 fun achievements. It was discontinued in 2016.

Role

UX/UI designer

Responsibility

Ownership of UX

A Case Study – Gamified Achievement System Design

Design an engaging achievement system by integrating enough fun and balanced challenges to increase gameplay retention.

Challenge

The challenge was to make the game different than the competition while increasing retention. Finding, designing, and creating achievements based on several factors, such as time of day, number of played games, and game mode, it was one addition towards that objective. During this process I drew inspiration from several sources, like comic books, and used my own gaming experience.

Use case

  • Collect achievements while playing.

Approach

  • Performed extensive research to identify potential achievements to differentiate Connect & Pop from competitors and increase retention.

  • Designed achievements icons from scratch to secure a unique design style that fits the look and feel of the game.

  • Used my experience of comic design to define fun achievements.

Impact

  • Game was marked as number #1 in Finland for a week and received excellent reviews.