Woodoku
Woodoku is a calm and relaxing puzzle game where players clear as many tiles as possible on a Sudoku style grid.
I have been integral to Woodoku's development from day one, establishing the art direction, user flows, and animation style that define the game. Over the past four years, Woodoku has achieved runaway success, amassing over 450 million downloads, earning multiple front-page features on the iOS App Store, and even launching an ad campaign starring Steve Harvey.
Throughout its development, Woodoku has evolved with hundreds of feature additions, ranging from new game modes like the Daily Challenge and Journey live ops events to innovative gameplay mechanics such as Bubble and Mailbox tiles. I have overseen the vast majority of these features, working closely with game directors and developers, creating wireframes, mockups, and prototypes, animating concepts, and implementing them into the game engine.
Contributions
Art Direction
UI & UX
Unity Implementation
Animation
User Testing
Team management
Everything starts with an idea…and a lot of wireframes!
From the very beginning, Woodoku's success has been rooted in a data-driven approach to feature development. We closely analyse user data, studying how players interact with the game to create exciting new experiences based on these insights. Once an idea is approved, the next step is wireframing. I developed a comprehensive wireframing library for designers and product managers, which serves as the foundation for planning and executing our next big successful game feature.
Creating player moments through impactful animation
Animations play a key role in shaping memorable player experiences in our games. They create celebratory moments when players succeed and can influence their emotions, like increasing tension during a game loss. I spend considerable time fine-tuning these gameplay animations before they are implemented into the game. These animations help bring our ideas to life, serve as a bridge between artists and developers, and provide a clear guideline for QA engineers to test against.
Details win the day
Attention to detail and thoughtful craftsmanship are principles I constantly emphasise to the Woodoku team. Even when working on smaller elements, like the XP medals shown below, we put in as much care as possible. We start by designing in 2D, move to 3D modelling, create animated mockups to capture moments of celebration, and develop efficient technical art pipelines to make future updates easier. Every small detail counts, and contributes to a stronger and more satisfying overall experience.
Feeling flexible, from mockup to engine
Woodoku is played by millions of people daily on a wide range of devices, so it's essential to make sure the game looks great for everyone, whether they're on the latest high-end device or an ancient tablet. To achieve this, we design the game to be flexible and adaptable to different screen sizes. During the design phase, we pay close attention to how the UI will look and function once integrated and animated in the game engine, ensuring it works well for the largest possible audience. From Figma to Photoshop and finally to Unity, I am responsible for making sure Woodoku is visually appealing and accessible to its enormous fan base.
Woodoku in the wild!
Woodoku has been featured multiple times on the iOS App Store, including "Game of the Day" articles, "What We’re Playing" lists, and curated "Favorites" sections. The game also partnered with Steve Harvey for a series of TV ads and was showcased several times on the popular game show Pictionary. I play a key role in shaping Woodoku's branding, ensuring that the design and animations are central to these high-profile campaigns.
