MLB Diamond INC (working title) , 2025 Forte Labs | Mobile
Senior UI / UX Designer
Magmic began development of Baseball Manager in 2023 with a tentative publishing deal through Forte Labs and Nexon. When Forte broke the contract, the project lost funding and was eventually shelved despite being ~97% complete. Before the layoff, our team was actively pursuing new publishing opportunities and adapting the product to remain viable.
My Role & Responsibilities
As Senior Lead UI/UX Designer, I collaborated directly with the Chief Product Officer and Art Director, working as a full-stack designer across concept, UX, and visual implementation. My responsibilities included:
Pitching game feature concepts and setting the visual tone/aesthetic direction.
Creating wireframes, user flows, and prototypes with the Lead Programmer to validate mechanics.
Designing and implementing UI in Unity builds.
Leading and mentoring junior staff on UI art direction.
Partnering with the Lead Animator to lock down a cohesive “retro-arcade” visual identity.
Producing detailed storyboards and rough animations to reduce iteration time.
Conducting user testing with interactive prototypes and surveys, analyzing feedback, and presenting consolidated findings with design recommendations to stakeholders and clients.
UX Challenges
Diverse target groups: The UX had to balance the needs of four audiences: management-sim players, hardcore MLB fans, collectors of sports memorabilia, and casual mobile gamers.
NFT player cards: Designing an intuitive, mobile-friendly interface to present collectible/NFT baseball cards with complete stats while maintaining legibility and clarity.
User retention: Early A/B testing showed players were overwhelmed by complex, esoteric systems. I led redesigns to streamline onboarding and core loops, improving clarity and engagement.
Licensing pivot: When Magmic lost MLB database access, I co-led a pivot to illustrated fictional players. I developed a workflow combining AI image generation, Photoshop repaints, and Blender touchups—allowing a small team to efficiently convert hundreds of assets and keep the IP alive.
Process & Key Contributions
Discovery & Alignment: Onboarding by compiling management’s feedback and creating new user flows/personas aligned with updated goals.
Arcade-inspired direction: Proposed and implemented a “retro late 90s / early 2000s Japanese arcade vibe” to create a sense of quick, rewarding gameplay.
Feature design: Pitched, designed, and prototyped multiple mini-games that boosted retention in testing.
Systems redesign: Overhauled the calendar, pre-game matchup, and post-game flows—drawing on my experience with AAA sports franchises (NBA2K, NHL2K).
Collaboration: Worked hands-on with engineering, animation, and art teams to ensure feasibility, consistency, and a unified vision.
Outcome & Impact
+20% user retention improvement in late-stage testing compared to pre-redesign builds.
Positive reception from potential investors, including SKALE, due to streamlined gameplay and retro-inspired aesthetics.
Created a sustainable workflow for asset conversion that enabled Magmic to salvage the IP and continue funding discussions post-license loss.
Positioned the game for a publishing deal at 97% completion before the project was paused due to funding challenges.
