UX for Google’s Wearable Games
Games with Google
As part of a long-term collaboration with Google, I led UX research and design efforts across over 10 games for the fitbit ace watch platform, specifically designed for children. The project posed a unique design challenge: creating engaging, intuitive gameplay for a small, wearable screen with limited input methods, including innovative use of the gyroscope and simplified touch interactions.
Each game required 90+ days of gameplay content, with tight 9-month development cycles and 2–3 titles in parallel at any given time. My role involved working end-to-end, from initial flow exploration and low-fidelity prototyping, through to regular internal and external playtesting, data analysis, and iterative refinement based on player insights, including live integration.
To support speed and consistency across titles, I developed a cross-disciplinary design workflow that aligned UX, UI, design, QA and engineering teams. This structure helped the team rapidly validate assumptions, reduce rework, and maintain a high standard of usability and engagement across all projects.
Our team’s work culminated in “Spirit Garden” and “Sproutling” being chosen as Google’s featured games for their 2024 announcement, a testament to the impact of thoughtful design in constrained, child-focused gaming environments.
UX Designer • UX Researcher • Playtests • Qualitative Data • Rapid Prototyping • FTUE Design • Flow Creation • Competitor Analysis • Personas
