Design Work Breakdowns
AKA: Case Studies , Deep Dives
I document because production moves fast and lessons get lost.
Future-me needs to remember why we made these choices.
Future teams need to understand what worked.
And you need to see how I think.
How I solve design problems, iterate on systems, and ship games.
These aren't polished portfolio pieces—they're honest breakdowns that show mechanical analysis, iterative problem-solving, and the thinking behind shipped work.
The mess, the pivots, and what I learned.
Filter : Category
Interaction Polish: From Playable to Shippable
Life is Strange: Double Exposure | Systematic UI/UX Polish
The Challenge: Late in production, player-facing interactions were inconsistent and confusing—UI clutter, misplaced prompts, and unclear verb usage were causing players to miss critical content and feel lost in progression. Playtest pain scores flagged these issues as blocking a shippable experience.
My Role: Contributed to a 3-person strike team tasked with polishing every interaction point in the game. Personally addressed ~400 of the ~1200 hotspots, establishing systematic standards for volume tuning, verb hierarchy, and UI behavior while mentoring junior contributors on best practices.
The Solution: Developed location-based workflow that built spatial intuition, created a three-tier proximity system (dot → dot+name → full UI) using breadcrumbing principles, and established consistent verb language ("Examine" for critical path, "Look" for optional). Iterated through extensive playtesting to tune each interaction's feel while documenting pipeline inefficiencies for future improvement.
Impact: Dramatically reduced playtest pain scores and hotspot-related bugs. The systematic approach created cohesive player guidance across the dual-timeline narrative. Documentation of workflow pain points positioned me to advocate successfully for pipeline improvements on the next project—hotspots now auto-create during script import, saving weeks of designer time.
Interactive Cinematic Design, Pt 2: The Ladder
The Expanse: A Telltale Series, Episode 1 | Design-Driven Prototyping
Part 2 of interactive cinematic design series: How a brief scripted moment became the proof-of-concept that validated the Point Targeting System (PTS) for narrative-driven gameplay
The Challenge: The PTS prototype worked technically but needed proof it could create compelling non-combat gameplay. A brief scripted moment—Drummer climbing a ladder after nearly being blasted off the ship—presented the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the system's narrative potential.
My Role: Championed turning this 3-4 line script moment into interactive gameplay. Led the prototyping effort, solving technical challenges (motion capture stitching, unusual spatial orientation, camera constraints) while designing the dodge sequence flow and establishing implementation patterns for future PTS moments.
The Solution: Built a high-stakes climbing sequence where players dodged falling debris using the PTS framework. Navigated scope concerns by keeping the design achievable while proving the system could deliver emotional tension without combat.
Impact: Became the definitive proof-of-concept that validated PTS for narrative-driven gameplay. The Ladder directly influenced the series's creative direction—Episode 5 featured heavy PTS usage throughout its runtime. The workflow and technical solutions established here became the template for all subsequent interactive moments.