Identity crisis
No unique world, no art direction, no reason to choose 1v1.LOL over Fortnite.
Case study
1v1.LOL — Full Game UX/UI Redesign
Redesigning a consumer mobile game for millions of daily players.
Game UX
FTUE
Progression Systems
Mobile
Player Research
80M+
Downloads
900K+
Daily users
+18%
D3 retention uplift
6
Designers led
Context
How this work happened
My role
Senior UX/UI Designer — Team Lead
Company
JustPlay.LOL (acquired by Playtika)
Team size
24-person studio
Timeline
2022–2023
Platforms
Mobile (iOS + Android), Web, PC
Tools
Figma, FullStory, player research sessions
Problem
“No identity. No depth. No hook.”
1v1.LOL had grown to 900K+ daily users as a Fortnite training tool — but not as a game worth playing on its own. Players had no reason to return.
Broken first match
Bots died automatically. Players “won” without earning it. D3 churn was almost inevitable.
No progression hook
Trophy Road had no meaningful rewards. Nothing created a reason to come back.
My role & leadership
From product direction to sprint-ready scope
What I owned
Full player-facing experience — FTUE, in-game HUD, game modes, Champions feature, progression systems (Trophy Road, Loadout, Events), overall visual rebrand. Collaborated with concept artists and the 3D environment team.
How I led
Translated product leadership’s direction into ten interconnected sprint work areas, prioritised by impact on D1 retention and long-term engagement metrics.
Process
Five beats from insight to live validation
01
Research
Nielsen Norman cycle, two overlapping segments (Entertainment 80%, Fortnite trainers 54%), observation plus competitive analysis across six mobile titles.
02
FTUE redesign
Bots that challenge, guided Loadout with tooltips, and HUD priority hierarchy so the first match isn’t overwhelming.
03
Champions feature
Distinct silhouettes and palettes plus parachute-drop loading so the product reads as its own game, not a clone.
04
Progression systems
Trophy Road tiers, rank-up beats, three-tier events, and GACHA surfaced on home for a coherent return loop.
05
Live testing
FullStory cohorts and D3 retention to validate every major change against real player behavior in production.
Key design decisions
Where judgment changed the trajectory
Bots that challenge vs. bots that die
Chosen: Bots challenge new players — same level entry, tuned to be beatable but not trivial.
Observation showed winning without earning it destroyed achievement. The first win had to feel earned.
Progressive HUD vs. full complexity from the start
Chosen: Progressive disclosure — priority hierarchy; less critical elements hidden until relevant.
Cognitive overload in the first match was a direct driver of D3 churn.
Champions as cosmetic vs. Champions as identity
Chosen: Full identity — silhouettes, palettes, home, Loadout, and loading experience.
Differentiation from Fortnite was the business problem. Skins wouldn’t solve it; a cast of characters would.
Visuals
Screens that shipped to millions of players
Outcomes
Retention, scale, and a game that finally felt its own
+18%
D3 retention uplift
Validated with live player cohorts.
900K+
Daily active users
At time of redesign.
80M+
Total downloads
Mobile, web, and PC.
6
Design areas owned
FTUE, HUD, Champions, Trophy Road, Events, Rebrand.
FTUE completion improved as players moved through the first match with less overwhelm. The events system drove measurable daily and weekly reactivation. Champions differentiated 1v1.LOL visually from Fortnite for the first time — a foundation for long-term brand memory, not just mechanics.
Reflection
What stuck after ship
“Game design is systems design.” Every screen is connected through economy, progression, and emotion. You can’t redesign the FTUE without thinking about Trophy Road.
“The first five minutes are everything.” New user experience is about earned trust. Every friction point removed was an investment in the player’s willingness to return.
“Research before pixels, always.” Watching real players revealed the gap between data (high D1 churn) and reality (they didn’t understand why they won). That observation drove every decision.