JOIN THE JAM

THEME: EXCITE

Can you feel it? Spring is in the air as people and pets venture once more into the big wide world. As we break the shackles of Winter, why hold our thrills 'til Summer? The world could use some positivity. It's time to get excited.

Twists? Turns? Triumphs? Tumbles? Pulp? Punch? Spills? Thrills? Stunts? Surprises?

Rule of cool? Epic moments? Cold opens? Hot exits?

How can you get people hyped? Add a good surprise? Build the energy in the room? How can we bring this feeling from a controlled digital media experience to something manual, analog?

You have to follow the theme if you submit old, already published work.

You don't have to follow the theme if this jam is a helpful excuse to make something new, but it's still recommended. 

I will host new themed jams every month, so at least try for something new that fits; there will be more opportunities for other projects!

WHAT IS ALLOWED?

• Tabletop RPGs, analog games, short stories, poetry, drawings, digital art, music, zines. Anything besides a videogame.
• New works are encouraged; old works are allowed, if they contribute to the theme of the community experience.
• All levels of experience, quality, scope, and media are welcome. But with all things, you need less than you think. It's okay. 
• I personally recommend a one-page zine: small enough to write, rewrite, scrap, forget, write and polish again to good-enough completion in a month of casual work.
• Unfinished content. It's okay. Learning to love the process is the point. We all run out of time sometimes. Learn and move on.
• As many submissions as you want. Let your creativity be the guide.

WHAT IS NOT ALLOWED?

• Endorsed bigotry. Intentional critiques and deconstructions are permitted; art may get serious, but evil deserves no serious recognition.
• AI-generated content. The purpose of these jams are to practice creation.
• Videogames and code. This is about analog content, and the human discussion that goes into it.

IS IT RANKED OR JUDGED?

Ratings are enabled with two categories: overall enjoyment, and the theme of the month.

There are no judges, rankings, or prizes. The voting means nothing at all, unless you find meaning in it.

This is just a way to encourage you to look at what other people made, and finding the courage to have your work seen by others. We'll practice being brave together.

GET FEATURED!

Going forward, I would like to use FEYPOP to celebrate more creative and fantastical works. Whether it's long-form videos, short-form videos, podcasts, or articles is not yet decided. If you give consent at submission, I may pick your work to explore in future content. While being featured is not guaranteed, I believe there is beauty, wonder, and inspiration in seeing the process of how art is designed, however small. That's worth celebrating. Anyone can design. Let's show how.

Overview

In Fall 2024, I conducted a user research initiative to explore an emerging opportunity in the tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) industry. With the launch of a disappointing new Dungeons & Dragons edition, I asked: could a smaller, story-driven game meet the unmet needs of a neglected audience segment? My research led to a validated niche, defined product values, and successful marketing tests that now shape my upcoming game, LOOM.

🧭 Problem

The tabletop RPG market is saturated, dominated by D&D. But dissatisfaction was growing—players were vocal about its shortcomings, yet solutions and preferences seemed contradictory.

Challenge:
Identify an underserved audience within the TTRPG space and determine what kind of game would truly meet their needs.

🔍 Research Process

1. Audience Segmentation

I began by investigating D&D’s own research (2024 Dungeon Master's Guide), which outlines nine player archetypes. I focused on the Storyteller—a user driven by narrative, emotional arcs, and meaning-making.

2. User Interviews & Persona Creation

I interviewed five players who fit the Storyteller profile, learning:

• Many enjoyed mechanical systems—but only when mechanics supported narrative momentum.

• Rules often felt intrusive or obstructive when they dictated outcomes that broke story logic.

• The desire was not fewer rules, but empowering ones.

This led to the creation of a Storyteller persona that guided further development.

3. Comparative Product Analysis

To quantify vague labels like “story-rich” and “rules-lite,” I:

• Collected acclaimed indie games aligned with narrativist values.

• Broke each down into feature sets and design traits.

• Created a framework to score games on a Story/Rules scale.

• Returned to my users to validate criteria through feedback and ratings.

This framework became a comparative map of design patterns that resonate with narrativist players.

🧪 Prototype & Validation

4. Concept Testing via Marketing

To test demand and refine messaging, I built a fake product campaign for LOOM:

• Designed a webpage and fake cover.

• Created two posts for my 19k-follower TikTok audience:

  • A stylized ad (high-fantasy scrapbook visual identity)

  • A casual video discussing the game’s premise and appeal

This let me:

• A/B test tone and format

• Control for familiarity bias

• Track signups and conversions via the webpage

5. Metrics & Results

• 📢 Ad Video: 41 likes / 763 views = 5.37% engagement

• 💬 Narrative Post: 158 likes / 1263 views = 12.5% engagement

• 🧭 Website: 4 signups / 67 views = 5.97% conversion

All exceeded benchmarks for marketing content and demonstrated strong intent among viewers.

💡 Outcome & Impact

• Validated a strong niche in narrative-focused, emotionally resonant TTRPGs.

• Identified core product values for the LOOM system: rules that empower story, low barriers to entry, and a welcoming tone for casual players.

• Informed product decisions across multiple small game releases (Imagine, Sevens) and the upcoming LOOM release.

• Aligned with real-world industry trends (e.g. Wanderhome acquisition shortly after).

🛠️ Tools & Skills Demonstrated

• User Interviews & Persona Development

• Competitive Analysis & Feature Mapping

• UX Research Strategy

• Content Testing & A/B Validation

• Brand Framing & Messaging

• Data-Driven Decision Making

• Community Engagement & Signal Tracking

Overview

As project manager and lead researcher for Charming Folks, a fantasy romance visual novel, I led a cross-disciplinary team to develop characters and themes players would actually love. By combining live user feedback with large-scale fandom trend analysis, we created a data-backed, emotionally resonant cast—delivered on schedule, with 90% internal satisfaction in testing.

🎯 Problem

Visual novels live or die on character appeal. But personal taste is subjective, and our small indie team couldn’t afford to waste time on content that didn’t land.

Challenge:
Define a scope-friendly cast and game theme with a high likelihood of audience connection—before full development began.

🔍 Research Strategy

1. Live Character Testing

We began with twelve sketched character concepts from our writers and artists. I organized a public “playtest” feedback event where:

• Participants rated each character from 1–7 (interest level)

• Open-ended comments were collected on appeal and tone

This gave us direct player sentiment data for early visual and personality cues.

2. Fandom Trend Analysis

To go beyond our existing circle and explore broader tastes:

• I compiled a list of popular video games with romantic companions from the past 15 years

• For each, I scraped fanfiction databases to find characters with the most stories written about them (a high-signal indicator of fan investment)

• I created a spreadsheet of 100+ characters with game, name, and popularity rank

Using AI, I generated standardized descriptions for each character to:

• Normalize tone and length

• Create clean data for text analysis

From these, I generated a word cloud of dominant traits across the most beloved characters in fandom, revealing high-frequency emotional tones, aesthetics, and archetypes (e.g. “mysterious,” “wounded,” “gentle,” “clever”).

3. Market Validation via Steam Tag Data

To ensure the game would also match monetizable genres, I:

• Pulled the top 500 trending Steam tags

• Analyzed them by median price per game

• Filtered for narrative and cozy vibes that aligned with both our values and target players

💡 Synthesis & Design

I led a group affinity mapping session with our team to align on:

• Top character traits and archetypes by player desire

• Design patterns from successful games

• Scope constraints and dev capacity

Together, we decided on a story-rich, cozy fantasy romance featuring three central characters:

• A charming, mysterious jester

• A strong, rugged hunter

• A moody, bookish cleric

Each was designed with intentional androgyny, supporting both romantic and platonic routes to maximize emotional inclusivity.

📅 Outcome

• 🎯 Character set locked before asset production began

• 🛠️ No major pivots or late-stage cuts during dev cycle

• ✅ 90% internal satisfaction in final playtesting

• ⏰ Project completed on time and fully scoped

This research foundation directly contributed to smooth development, clear character writing, and strong team alignment throughout.

🛠️ Tools & Skills Demonstrated

• Mixed-Method User Research (Quant + Qual)

• Trend Analysis & Secondary Data Mining

• Affinity Mapping & Team Facilitation

• Project Management & Scope Planning

• AI-Assisted Synthesis for UX

• Inclusive Character Design Strategy

• Product-Market Fit Framing

Overview

Wallflower is a digital toolkit for anxiety relief, targeting panic recovery, social anxiety, and confidence-building. Mid-project, I stepped up to lead both user research and UI design. By adopting an agile UX cycle and letting go of personal creative attachments, I helped the team pivot from overstimulating minigames to a calm, accessible app—with a 27% reduction in user-reported stress at launch.

🎯 Problem

Our team originally pitched Wallflower as a joyful “toybox” of minigames, puzzles, and playful nature animations to support anxious users. As a game designer, I joined the team excited to build those playful tools.

But early research challenged our assumptions.

Challenge:
Could we rethink Wallflower from a stimulating experience into a truly calming one—without losing appeal or accessibility?

🧭 My Role

Originally brought on for user research, I pivoted into lead UX designer mid-production, taking over both research and UI design responsibilities due to team bandwidth issues.

🔍 Research Process

1. Audience Definition

We focused on three high-need contexts:

• Panic attack recovery

• Social anxiety in daily life

• Confidence building

Our user group was primarily college students navigating stress, identity, and emotional overwhelm—especially during high-pressure times like finals.

2. Biweekly UX Testing Loop

To manage scope and ensure quality:

• I ran one-on-one usability tests every two weeks with ~5 users

• Synthesized findings into a prioritized UX change proposal

• Presented to stakeholders for feedback and approval

• Implemented updates in Figma prototypes for dev hand-off

This became our core agile loop: research → recommend → iterate → build.

3. Emotional Safety Redesign

Early tests revealed that our toybox pitch—while creative—was overstimulating for anxious users. Many reported:

• Decision fatigue

• Confusion around navigation

• Frustration with “cheerful” feedback loops during distress

This was a major turning point for me. As a game designer, I had to kill my darlings—cutting interactive features I loved—in order to respect user needs.

4. Key UX Pivots

• Replaced saturated colors and microanimations with flat, neutral visuals

• Prioritized low-effort content like guided meditations, affirmations, soft sounds, and journaling

• Simplified flows to support users under high emotional load

• Introduced emotional valence charts to track user mood across sessions

This was a moment of real growth: I learned to value effectiveness over novelty, and led our team toward calm by letting go of drama.

🧪 Final Validation

I proposed and ran a real-world A/B test to evaluate impact during finals season:

• Initial survey: All users rated resting anxiety levels

• Split into test group (with app access) and control group (no app)

• After two weeks, follow-up survey measured change in anxiety

Results:

• 🎯 Test group reported 27% lower stress levels than control

• ✅ We verified not just usability—but emotional impact

• 🎓 This went above standard student project scope, but we felt it was ethically necessary to validate our work

💡 Outcome

• Re-scoped Wallflower from toybox to toolkit

• Designed and validated a calm-centered UX strategy

• Completed on time despite major mid-project role pivot

• Delivered a functioning app that measurably helped users cope with anxiety

🛠️ Tools & Skills Demonstrated

• UX Research & Usability Testing

• Agile Sprint Planning

• UI Design & Prototyping (Figma)

• Accessibility & Cognitive Load Reduction

• Emotional Valence Mapping

• A/B Testing & Experimental Design

• UX Strategy & Scope Pivoting

• Cross-functional Communication & Management