Mattel: Barbie Life™
Mobile Game App,
IOS & Android
Barbie Life was a mobile game experience designed to extend the Barbie brand into an engaging digital environment where players could explore, customize, and interact with Barbie-inspired content. The project required balancing Mattel's iconic visual identity with intuitive mobile interactions that would resonate with a younger audience while meeting business and brand objectives.
Role & Contributions
Lead Interaction Designer, UXUI Designer, Visual Artist
I worked alongside the Creative Director from concept through production, helping shape the overall product vision and user experience. I was responsible for both the UX/UI design and creation of visual assets, ensuring a cohesive experience from wireframes to final implementation. My key responsibilities included:
Interaction design, UXUI Design, and Visual Direction
User flows, wireframing, and art asset creation
Requirements gathering and workshop facilitation
Pitch deck and proof-of-concept development
Quality assurance and design reviews
Mentoring and leading a junior designer
Collaboration with cross-functional and offshore development teams
The Challenge
The team needed to translate the Barbie brand into a mobile-first experience that felt playful, aspirational, and easy to navigate. The experience needed to support player engagement while maintaining consistency with Mattel's established brand guidelines.
The Process
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Working closely with product, engineering, creative leadership, and offshore teams, I helped facilitate workshops to define requirements, gameplay concepts, user journeys, and interaction opportunities.
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I developed user flows and interaction patterns that simplified gameplay navigation while creating moments of delight consistent with the Barbie brand.
Deliverables included:User journeys
Wireframes
Screen flows
Navigation structures
Interaction specifications
Visual design direction
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Throughout development, I partnered closely with engineering teams to ensure designs were implemented accurately. I conducted design reviews and quality checks, helping maintain consistency across the experience and supporting offshore teams during implementation.
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As Lead Interaction Designer, I served as a bridge between design and engineering. I also mentored another designer, providing guidance on interaction patterns, UX best practices, and production workflows.
Impact
Helped shape a mobile experience aligned with Mattel's global Barbie brand.
Contributed from early concept through production delivery.
Established interaction patterns and UX direction used throughout the product.
Improved collaboration with offshore teams through clear design documentation and reviews.
Ensured high-quality implementation through ongoing QA and design oversight.
Gained more opportunities from Mattel to build other apps.
