Context
Coffee Overflow was developed at the Apple Developer Academy in a five-person team. We used SCRUM to ship a game that had to feel tight in pacing, readable in mechanics, and memorable in personality.
Problem
Casual games compete on seconds of attention. The challenge was to deliver a clear core loop (stack → balance → risk) with distinct identity and escalating tension — without confusing players about why they lost or what to try next.
Solution
The player controls a barista stacking cups on a tray toward a Coffee Overflow moment — a nod to dev culture. Physics matter: each cup has weight, and placement shifts balance. Music accelerates as difficulty rises, tying rhythm, risk, and readability together.
My role & impact
I was UI/UX designer, responsible for how the game feels to pick up and how clearly its rules read on screen.
- Experience & identity: Defined the overall feel, humor, and visual language so the “neon rhythm” premise stays coherent from menu to game-over.
- Mechanics communication: Worked to make stacking, weight, and failure states understandable — players should sense risk before physics punishes them.
- Implementation support: Jumped into code where needed to keep UX decisions reflected in the build.
- AI upskilling: Shared practical AI knowledge with teammates so explorations stayed creative and grounded in the product’s tone and constraints.
Process & stack
- Design: Figma for flows and UI; Keynote for pitch and alignment.
- Collaboration: SCRUM, Airtable, Zoom — fast feedback on a timing-sensitive game.
- Development: Swift, SwiftUI, UIKit for parts of the stack that benefited from UIKit integration.