CHALLENGE: Quizlet, with 60M monthly learners and over 700M study sets created, wanted to strengthen the motivational design of its platform to improve engagement and learning outcomes.

MY ROLE: Partnered with senior product leaders to audit existing gamification and motivational features, analyze competitors, and provide a strategic framework to guide future product decisions. I introduced the Self-Determination Motivation Continuum as a lens, which sparked new conversations around how features could support deeper, intrinsic engagement rather than short-term compliance.

IMPACT: Helped align Quizlet’s roadmap for gamification and its game portfolio with research-based motivational principles, ensuring new features were evaluated not just for fun but for their ability to drive meaningful learning.

CHALLENGE: EA/Maxis set out to extend The Sims into one of the first large-scale online social worlds — an ambitious experiment in turning a single-player life simulation into a persistent MMO.

MY ROLE: Contributed to design and production discussions with a strong player-first perspective, drawing on my earlier design and production experience across the Jane’s, EA Sports, and Tiger Woods franchises.

IMPACT:The Sims Online was featured on the cover of Newsweek, won multiple industry awards, and became a milestone in the evolution of online user-generated content and social play. My ringside seat to this experiment reinforced enduring lessons about community, motivation, and creativity that continue to inform my work as an Engagement Architect today.

CHALLENGE: Building on the runaway success of Diner Dash, PlayFirst needed to expand the franchise into sequels and new platforms, proving that casual downloadable games could become lasting brands rather than one-off hits.

MY ROLE: Co-designer of Diner Dash 2 during development, then Lead Designer of Diner Dash: Flo on the Go, which extended the franchise with new mechanics and storylines.

Line Producer for the franchise, overseeing development across PC downloadable, mobile, and console platforms.

Shaped design direction and production for Diner Dash: Hometown Hero, one of the first free-to-play and downloadable content games released in North America.

IMPACT: Diner Dash became one of the most successful casual game series of its era, achieving over 500 million downloads worldwide and generating $35M+ in early revenue. Flo in the Go was nominated for “Downloadable Game of the Year” at the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, cementing Diner Dash as one of the most recognizable and influential franchises in casual gaming.

CHALLENGE: Kinjo, an edtech startup leveraging Roblox to promote healthy learning through play, needed a way to evaluate the educational value of games and design engagement loops that resonated with kids and parents alike.

MY ROLE: Provided strategic guidance and gamified learning design. Helped the team build a system to assess 600+ top Roblox titles for learning potential, co-designed a 21st-century skills rubric, and developed an incentive-based reward system.

IMPACT: Kinjo saw measurable improvements in daily active users and a month-to-month reduction in cost of acquisition, validating the effectiveness of its learning-through-play approach.

CHALLENGE: EA Sports set out to grow the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series into a flagship sports franchise, introducing new courses, next-gen features, and innovative online play to capture both casual and competitive golf audiences.

MY ROLE: Contributed to design and pre-production of new golf experiences, launched and secured licensor approvals for a Pebble Beach Golf Links expansion, and coordinated live PGA Tour events tied to the pioneering Play With The Pros online system.

IMPACT: The Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise went on to sell over 25 million units worldwide and generate approximately $771 million in U.S. revenue during its run , cementing its place among EA Sports’ most successful sports game series. My contributions helped extend the brand with authentic content, new player experiences, and early experiments in online sports engagement.

CHALLENGE: WePlant set out to connect casual gaming with real-world climate action — an ambitious goal in a market that demanded both accessible gameplay and credible environmental impact. The challenge was to design a game that players would return to daily, while making their in-game progress translate into tangible ecological change.

MY ROLE: As design lead, I developed the core concept and creative IP vision, including character, world, and narrative design, for a Match-3 mobile game. The design linked in-game achievements (solving puzzles, nurturing environments) with real-world outcomes like tree-planting and wildlife rehabilitation. I also supported early partnership discussions with organizations such as WWF to ensure authenticity and impact.

IMPACT: The design positioned WePlant as a distinctive concept in the casual games space, showing how fun, habit-forming play could be tied to meaningful real-world outcomes. It stands as an early design exploration of how games can be structured to drive both engagement and social good.

CHALLENGE: Grockit set out to reinvent test prep by combining social learning with game-like experiences — a bold approach in a market dominated by traditional prep companies.

MY ROLE: Brought a game design lens to education, applying my background from video games to introduce mechanics that made test prep feel more interactive and motivating. I designed short-term feedback systems, competitive elements, and collaborative study experiences to encourage persistence and peer-to-peer learning. Grockit’s leadership explicitly sought “game design DNA,” and my role was to translate that into features learners could feel in real time.

IMPACT: Grockit captured 25% of the GMAT prep market in India and later was acquired by Kaplan. My design work helped solidify Grockit’s identity as one of the earliest innovators in social, gamified learning platforms.

CHALLENGE: NaturalMotion, best known for its animation technology and hit mobile titles, set out to expand into new genres. The team needed to design an original mobile game concept that would combine strong subject matter appeal with accessible mechanics and deep engagement systems.

MY ROLE: Co-designed an unannounced title alongside the lead designer, contributing to early concept design, paper prototypes, design documentation, and pitch decks. I brought in expertise from casual games and franchise-scale engagement, helping define mechanics around progression, economy design, and customization. I also introduced the team to phase-based design, building an ecosystem that tied together XP, points, and unlockables for long-term retention.

IMPACT: My contributions were part of NaturalMotion’s broader portfolio of design innovation that positioned it for its $900M acquisition by Zynga during my time there. The project demonstrated how mobile games could blend fast, one-handed accessibility with deeper economic and progression loops.

Challenge: Playdom was scaling rapidly in the social gaming space and needed experienced designers to strengthen engagement loops, economies, and player retention across multiple titles.

My Role:
Tiki Resort: Balanced resources and economies, designed leveling curves, priced virtual goods, and added new items. My work on engagement loops and content design helped raise DAU from 1M to 4M in just four weeks, largely through organic growth with little ad spend.

Cities of Love: Co-designed a city-building prototype set in Paris, where restoring romance gradually brought color back to the city. I worked on progression systems, NPC interactions, and narrative mechanics that tied economy design to emotional storytelling.

Impact: Tiki Resort achieved rapid organic growth, and my contributions across multiple projects reinforced Playdom’s reputation for innovative social games. The company was acquired by Disney for $563M during my time there, highlighting the value of its portfolio and growth potential.

CHALLENGE: Digital Chocolate set out to push the boundaries of what mobile games could be, experimenting with social connections, narrative play, and multiplayer experiences well before these approaches became mainstream.

MY ROLE: As Associate Creative Director, I helped define the creative direction of the studio and co-designed a range of innovative prototypes, including:

Message in a Garden, a social experience where players nurtured and shared virtual gardens with friends.

Message on an Island, a tropical island simulation built around continuous upgrades and idle play mechanics.

A story-driven racing game that wove narrative progression into competitive play.

I worked across teams to shape concepts, guide design vision, and prototype mechanics that connected players in new ways.

IMPACT: These projects helped position Digital Chocolate as a pioneer in mobile social gaming, demonstrating how small devices could deliver not just play, but connection. My leadership role at the studio solidified my reputation for bridging game design, player psychology, and innovative engagement models.

CHALLENGE: EA/Jane’s sought to bring historical authenticity to flight simulations while keeping missions exciting and accessible for players. Titles like WWII Fighters and Jane’s USAF needed to balance deep simulation with narrative engagement and player flow.

MY ROLE: Designed missions, campaigns, and scenario scripts for WWII Fighters, translating historical research into compelling, story-driven play experiences. On Jane’s USAF, advanced to Assistant Producer while contributing extensively to level and campaign design, ensuring progression and pacing delivered both authenticity and fun.

Impact: WWII Fighters was featured on the cover of Computer Games World and, along with Jane’s USAF, was a finalist for multiple “Simulation of the Year” awards. These projects gave me early, hands-on lessons in player motivation, flow, and mastery — lessons that became foundational to my later work as an Engagement Architect.