MARVEL SNAP
(NDA PROTECTED)
ROLE
Product Design Intern
SKILLS
Interaction Design
Product Strategy
Prototyping
TIMELINE
3 Months
OVERVIEW
Worked on the user experience of Marvel-SNAP: the first ever fast paced mid-core CCG (collectible card game).
SUMMARY
Collaborated with designers, product managers and engineers to shape strategy, execution and product direction.
CURRENT SPACE
SNAP is one of a kind in the gaming industry.
Other trading card games often use 30–60 card decks, while SNAP's bite-sized play style revolutionized the typical pacing of the game-mode.
PROJECT 01
PROBLEM
Marvel SNAP is a collectible card game, with no way to show off your cards.
HYPOTHESES
Through self expression, SNAP can give more monetary value to cosmetic items, and drive further long term retention.
SOLUTIONS
CHANGE #1
CHANGE #2
CHANGE #3
DESIGNING AT LEVERAGE POINTS
Connecting the profile to existing social systems
BEFORE: 1 access point.
There was only currently one way to access SNAP's social system.
HOMEPAGE
ACCESS POINT #1
Alliances
Page
Member List
Alliance
Search
DECISION
POINT
View external
alliance?
User
Profile
Personal
Profile
AFTER: 4 extra access points.
Access the social features from further access points. Rather than adding features, the work focused on small structural shifts that amplified engagement across the broader social system.
ACCESS POINT #1
Alliances
Page
ACCESS POINT #2
End of
Game
ACCESS POINT #3
Profile
Picture
Personal
Profile
Member List
Alliance
Search
View external
alliance?
User
Profile
Personal
Profile
HOMEPAGE
DECISION
POINT
View external
alliance?
User
Profile
Personal
Profile
HOMEPAGE
PROJECT 02
CREATING THE UX FOR A BRAND NEW GAME-MODE.
SUMMARY
Owned and finalized the UX for an ongoing live-ops game mode after taking over the project workstream.
PROBLEM
Within 1 week post-events, daily active users declined by ~30%..
Player churn after events reduced monetization windows and weakened long-term retention.
CONSTRAINTS
6-week dev cap for V1 and had to re-use existing assets.
SOLUTION
A parallel engagment layer as an in-game event.
We introduced a time-limited mode that turns everyday play into shared progress, giving players a reason to return and stay engaged — without altering the main game they already know.
UX DESIGN
Location Blitz Event
STATUS: SHIPPED
CONTEXT
PROBLEM
SOLUTION
Hopped on during a transitionary period of UX task delegation, so my role was to iterate on the initial UX.
CORE GAMEPLAY UI
INITIAL UX
FINAL UX (LOFI)
PROJECT 03
FIRST TIME USER EXPERIENCE [FTUE] REVAMP
OVERVIEW
Led competitive analysis and shaped the early-game experience to reduce FTUE drop-off.
PROBLEM
The First-Time User Experience (FTUE) experienced significant drop-off during early sessions.
MY ROLE
I partnered with PMs to turn quantitative data into testable hypotheses, then used competitive analysis and flow mapping to clarify what to change in the FTUE.
HYPOTHESES
Progression and success wasn't defined enough for users.
RESEARCH
PLEASE REACH ME AT: joannaaabui@gmail.com
for further details about the FTUE revamp.
REFLECTIONS
Reference existing UX behaviors.
Take more initiative in understanding existing patterns and designs; knowledge compounds.
Jam often and iteratively!
More often than not, your team members (not necessarily a designer either) will have a differing opinion
than you, which helps to broaden your perspectives— and ultimately grow.
Growth is in the gap between the person you are now, and the person you want to be.
Don't look at the next immediate position, but rather, a couple
positions up. Position yourself for the future.