mark name
ROLE
UI/UX DESIGNER
TEAMS
UX, PM, DEV, CONTENT
DURATION
13 WEEKS
PLATFORM
MOBILE, TABLET
After completing all Live Challenges, players often lack motivation to stay engaged until the next set becomes available.
PROBLEM DISCOVERY
Garden Joy is a home and garden design game where players complete decor Challenges inspired by real-world trends, seasons, and cultural moments.
The handcrafted approach keeps content curated and timely, but slows Challenge production, which limits engagement from top players who finish quickly and drive most revenue.
When they run out of content, they disengage, spend less, or leave the app entirely.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
We uncovered an untapped asset: thousands of past Challenges. Resurfacing them offers fresh, meaningful content to players with no added work for the content team.
We proposed a system called Plus Challenges that would:
Unlock a continuous stream of previously run Challenges
Personalize content per user, so only unseen Challenges would be served
Deliver Challenges dynamically once a player completed all live content
Instead of creating more Challenges, we created a system that made content feel infinite.
An early concept of the feature prioritizes Live Challenges, with older ones locked until current challenges are completed.
Why This Was Strategically Strong:
Scalable — it didn’t require new content to be produced
Engaging — players always had something new to do
Monetizable — these Challenges could include decor, bundles, and specialty items available for purchase
RESEARCH VALIDATION
We tested Plus Challenges with our most active players to validate appeal, clarity, and intent to play. We shared early mocks showing:
Feed placement – how Plus Challenges would appear alongside regular Challenges
Unlock condition – accessible only after completing all live Challenges
Player experience – replaying old-but-unseen Challenges with new rewards
Our goal: Would players actually want this? Would it motivate them to engage more?
The response confirmed strong appeal, especially from our core target group.
76% of capped players would complete all or most Plus Challenges
49% of near-capped players said the same, showing potential to drive completion
Even lower-engagement users responded positively, especially when framed as unlockable rewards
These insights validated our hypothesis and shaped critical refinements, emphasizing exclusivity, personalization, and feed hierarchy. With strong player signals, we confidently finalized the system and UX.
I explored ways to elevate the Challenge tile tag, making Plus Challenges feel more distinctive and premium.
I experimented with ways to make the locked Challenge tile feel exclusive yet approachable, ultimately landing on a light blur and keeping the Challenge details
The background gradient took a few tries to nail down. We ended up going with a bright purple (#AA9FE2) blending into the default navy blue (#4E5772) in our product, giving it a look that feels both consistent and premium.
FINALIZING THE UX
Plus Challenges were designed to feel like a natural extension of the Challenge feed, not a separate mode or gated feature. Key design choices:
• Unlocks after all Live Challenges, making it feel earned
• Placed below Live Challenges, visible but unobtrusive
• Differentiated through gradients, a “Plus” tag, and tailored microcopy
Live Challenges vs. Plus Challenges feed comparison.
Finalized locked state for Challenge tile, tags, gradient background, and animated sparkles.
We added subtle UX touches, like a one-time daily unlock animation, to make unlocking feel extra special.
These design decisions reinforced status and progression while staying clear and approachable for newer or casual players.
Plus Challenges introduced a new monetization strategy by featuring tailored bundles and specialty decor in the challenge feed, making monetization contextual and rewarding while unlocking a scalable revenue stream.
We’re surfacing in-game content relevant to Plus Challenges in the feed, allowing players to purchase items that were previously expired.
OUTCOME & STRATEGIC VALUE
Plus Challenges launched as one of Garden Joy’s most anticipated 2024 features and quickly proved its value. While exact metrics are confidential, post-launch data showed:
Strong ARPDAU (Average Revenue Per Daily Active User) gains among capped and near-capped players
Growth in daily active users, especially high-engagement cohorts
Higher content consumption without added production cost
The feature hit its core goals: monetization, engagement, and scalability, while enhancing the player experience.
We saw a strong positive response from the official Garden Joy community on Facebook.
REFLECTION & TAKEAWAYS
Plus Challenges wasn’t about new content. It was about building a scalable, personalized system that delivered ongoing value and aligned with the business.
Reusing assets and dynamic unlocking showed how systems thinking enables sustainable, high-impact solutions.
Strategic UX Requires Product Ownership. Balancing value, clarity, and business needs meant:
Rewarding power users without confusing new ones
Surfacing monetization without undermining trust
Keeping things simple while the system scaled in complexity
This project pushed me to think like a product owner, not just a designer, where success meant seamless coordination across systems, not just pixels.