Rule 01
Teach by playing
The best tutorials are the ones nobody notices. I design flows that show people what to do instead of telling them, so nobody needs a manual.
About Mara Ellison
PressTapDownto read onStage 01
Player profile
Mara Ellison
Product Designer
Stats
- Class
- Product Designer
- Level
- 8 years shipping
- Base
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Status
- Open to freelance from November
Story
I'm Mara, a product designer in Lisbon. I design software the way a good game is designed: you pick it up, you get it straight away, and you want to come back tomorrow.
I started out building interactive campaigns for museums and festivals, took a note-taking app from first sketch to launch at Fieldnote, and now lead design for a live puzzle game played by two million people a month at Kiln Games.
I work close to the code. Most ideas become a clickable prototype within a day, and I stay with a feature until it's in people's hands, watching what changes and tuning from there.
Main quests
- Game UI
- Product design
- Prototyping
- Accessibility
Stage 02
House rules
Three things I bring to every project, whether it's a game shop or a settings screen.
- Rule 02
Prototype on day one
An idea isn't real until you can click it. I put rough prototypes in front of people early and let what they do decide what ships.
- Rule 03
Everyone gets to play
Keyboard support, readable contrast and motion you can switch off are part of the first sketch, not a fix at the end.
Stage 03
Achievements unlocked
A few results from the work in the résumé, counted the way games count them.
- Unlocked
2M
Players a month
On the live puzzle game I design at Kiln Games.
- Unlocked
+14%
Day-seven retention
After rebuilding onboarding and the in-game shop.
- Unlocked
4 min
To sell out
A festival ticketing flow built at Northlight Studio.
- Unlocked
300+
Teams on Loop Kit
My open-source kit of accessible components.
- Unlocked
40K
Surfers every morning
Checking the Tidepool forecast before they paddle out.
- Unlocked
48 h
To an audience award
Night Market, designed, drawn and coded for a game jam.
Continue?
Ready for player two?
Tell me about the game, app or idea you're working on. I read every message and reply within two working days.
