WordaLike
web app Word Game & Content management system
Responsive Web App Game & Custom CMS
Year
2024-2025
Tools
Figma, Firebase, Postman
Deliverables
Game design documentation
Interactive prototypes
User testing reports
Product Team
My Team
1 Designer
2 Developers
My Role
Game Creator
UI Designer
Product Manager
Research
15 user interviews
22 monitored alpha tests
1,187 screen recorded sessions
Summary
I took a game I’ve been playing in my head since high school and turned it into a web app for others to enjoy as a daily word game. Users traverse from a given start word to a target word via their synonyms, and synonyms of those synonyms, etc., until the target word is reached.
Problem
Many people who enjoy word games:
a) are hesitant to play games that require spelling.
b) struggle to remember synonyms without being presented with options.
c) are hesitant to start because they can’t easily envision a route from the start word to the target word.
Research & Process
In light of these challenges, I conducted some proof of concept tests to observe and better understand user pain points. Two methods were used- I gave one completely unaided spoken synonym path challenge, and one with subjects clicking through a digital thesaurus; each after receiving start/ target words from me.
Key Insight Users struggle to feel a sense of progress between a given start/target word pair in both scenarios.
Key Insight Users may sometimes hit a sticking point where frustration peaks and they need help to continue.
Key Insight Users are less frustrated when presented with the synonyms in the digital version, but conversely less deliberative in choosing synonyms.
This all pointed to the need for accessible gameplay, clear progress indicators, and assistance features to maintain engagement.
Solution
- admin panel/database- I designed a three-page admin panel to a) edit a database of ~22,000 words and their synonyms, b) compare words by various attributes to pair for the daily game, and c) view & adjust the line-up of daily pairings. I then designed a workflow system to manage database state transitions and allow for continual editing while maintaining an uninterrupted live product environment.
- bi-directionality- I edited the database for accuracy, ensuring that if word A is a synonym of word B, word B must be a synonym of word A; users can now start from either direction by swapping the given start/ target words.
- thesaurus- I present the user with synonym choices in-app in the style of a thesaurus, with all synonyms laid out by meaning group; no spelling required.
- hot/cold indicators- I ran a Breadth-First Search algorithm on the database to ascertain all fastest possible paths between any two words; I then implemented hot/cold indicators to inform a user if a selection brings them closer to or further from the target word.
- steps to target- users are informed at each step just how far from the target their choice has brought them. This keeps user expectations aligned with their current state of progress.
- hints- I added 2 different types of assists that a user can opt to use to help finish the game. This is a trade-off for an increased step count to balance fairness and keep game integrity intact.
- friend's path- unique 'share codes' are now generated for each user, so that they can share their results with friends. The recipient can only view it in-line with her own post-game score, after completing the day's game for herself.
Results
WordaLike underwent UI & feature set refinement throughout 1,187 screen recorded alpha tests, and has recently been released into beta, now available publicly at wordalike.com/play.