OLIVIA LAM
UI/UX | Product Design
Interaction
Motion Graphics
Branding
Typography | Print
Fine Arts

Growtopia-A Gamified Productivity Platform


A productivity platform that blends Pomodoro focus sessions with cozy gardening mechanics, turning tasks into progress and play.

View my game here! (Best viewed on laptop): 
https://growtopia-phz5.vercel.app/main.html?v=1




Role: Product Designer

Skills: UI/UX, Product Design, Systems Thinking, Game Design, AI image generation, AI animation generation, AI audio generation, Prompt Design

Software: Figma, Cursor, Midjourney, KlingAI, Suno

Timeline: 1 Month
Product Glimpse




My Role
I designed, developed, and deployed the project end-to-end, handling everything from concept and UI/UX to development and launch.
Problem & Goals Problem: Traditional productivity tools often feel rigid and uninspiring, which makes it difficult for people to stay engaged over time. While timers and task lists provide structure, they rarely offer the sense of quick progress and reward that keeps users motivated. 


Goal 1: Make Productivity Engaging

Turn focus and productive work into something fun, rewarding, and interactive. Provide quick feedback, visible progress, and rewarding completion.

Goal 2: Player Retention via Cozy Game Mechanics


Incorporate short reward loops, nurturing tasks, and playful progression inspired by games like Hay Day and Animal Crossing

Goal 3: Balance Productivity with Play
Blend structured focus with playful rewards, creating a system that builds consistency, motivation, and a sense of accomplishment.


Target Audience  
Maya

Background: An Overwhelmed College Student      

Quote: “I lose focus easily. I wish productivity felt less like a chore and more like a game.”

Pain Points: Procrastinates, finds timers rigid, gets demotivated.

Need: sQuick feedback, visible progress, structured focus tool that won’t be distracting.

Design Response: Pomodoro timer + garden growth loop.

Alex

Background: A Young Professional

Quote:“I need to get through long work sessions, but I burn out fast and lose track of tasks.”

Pain Points: Gets distracted, struggles to sustain attention, finds apps too plain.

Needs: Calm environment, motivating rewards, sense of accomplishment.

Design Response: Lo-fi soundtrack, calming visuals, day/night animation & weather integration. 

 
User Research
To understand why productivity apps often fail to keep users motivated, I looked at how playful, nurturing systems sustain engagement. Unlike rigid task-based tools, these systems create quick reward loops, visible progress, and immersive environments that encourage consistency over time. Drawing from these patterns, I explored how similar mechanics could reframe productivity as something more rewarding and enjoyable.
Design Process
Visual Research and Inspiration


  • Userflow




    Key Implementation Features
    Focus Mode    
    • Pomodoro timer + to-do
    • Custom AI-Generated lo-fi soundtrack
        Garden Mode    
    • Planting, tending, and harvesting system
    • Purchase items at the Garden shop
    • Harvest fruit for rewards
    Reward Loop
    • Quick progress feedback via visual plant growth
    • Earn money and rewards through successful growing and harvesting
        Environmental Integration    
    • Real-time weather reflected in-game
    • Weather simulator for different environmental conditions
        AI-Accelerated Workflow    
    • Asset generation, music creation, prototyping 
    • Shipped from concept → deploy in 1 month
        Deployment    
    • Designed, built and deployed working online game
    • End-to-end execution

    AI Workflow: Accelerating Design and DevelopmentI integrated AI tools throughout the design process to speed up iteration and expand creative exploration. 

    Asset Library: MidJourney





    Background Image and Animation: Midjourney & Kling AI



    Final Product and Special Game FeaturesFull Game Walkthrough (with audio)





    Focus Mode: timer, to-do list, lo-fi soundtrack
    Designed to support deep work sessions, Focus Mode combines a Pomodoro timer, to-do list, and an original set of AI-generated lo-fi tracks created specifically for the game.




    Garden Mode: Planting, Harvesting, Tending, Garden Shop
    Turn productivity into play by planting, tending, and harvesting crops. Completed tasks grow your garden, while the shop adds rewards and progression.




    Environmental Features: Real-time weather integration, Weather simulationThe game tracks the player’s location and mimics current weather conditions inside the game, creating a more immersive and personalized experience.



    Impact & OutcomeTakeaways: This project taught me how to balance ambition with usability, adapt quickly through iteration, and keep clarity and user experience at the core. Most importantly, it showed me that even solo projects can become proof-of-concept products when approached with structure, iteration, and focus.
    Timeline

    Completed and deployed in one month, demonstrating efficiency under tight deadlines.

    Design Cycle    

    Managed the entire design cycle: research, information architecture,  UI/UX, prototyping, and development.

    AI Acceleration    

    Leveraged AI tools to streamline workflows, explore creative directions, and facilitate execution.

    Initiative    

    Brought the project from concept to launch independently, showing adaptability and ownership.



    Thank You!
    oliviahylam@gmail.com