Lap Dogs: Racing Game!

CATEGORY

TIMELINE

6 months

INDUSTRY

Blockchain Games

TOOLS

Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Unreal Engine

CONTEXT

Lapdogs is a family-friendly, arcade-style racing game where players race as Shiboshis; cute, customizable characters inspired by Shiba dog breed. Each race is fast-paced and ability-driven, combining skill, strategy, and playful chaos. Players choose from four distinct character classes: Good Boi, Zoomy Boi, Chonky Boi, and Cool Boi. Each offering unique abilities that influence racing style and tactics.

Lapdogs is a family-friendly, arcade-style racing game where players race as Shiboshis; cute, customizable characters inspired by Shiba dog breed. Each race is fast-paced and ability-driven, combining skill, strategy, and playful chaos. Players choose from four distinct character classes: Good Boi, Zoomy Boi, Chonky Boi, and Cool Boi. Each offering unique abilities that influence racing style and tactics.

Lapdogs is a family-friendly, arcade-style racing game where players race as Shiboshis; cute, customizable characters inspired by Shiba dog breed. Each race is fast-paced and ability-driven, combining skill, strategy, and playful chaos. Players choose from four distinct character classes: Good Boi, Zoomy Boi, Chonky Boi, and Cool Boi. Each offering unique abilities that influence racing style and tactics.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

I led all UI/UX design efforts across the game, focusing on clarity, accessibility, and player engagement. Scope of work: ✏︎ Designed UI/UX for Quick Play and Tournament Mode ✏︎ Created all in-game menus, HUD, and gameplay UI ✏︎ Designed visual UI assets used during gameplay ✏︎ Collaborated closely with developers to ensure designs were feasible and performant My goal was to make a complex ability-driven racing experience feel intuitive, readable, and fun for players of all ages.

Systems Overview:

Core Gameplay Goals: ★ Win races by strategically using abilities and track pickups ★ Progress characters through rewards, upgrades, and quests Key Systems Designed: ★ Character Classes — Four classes with distinct abilities and play styles ★ Abilities & Pickups — Skill-based power-ups and on-track items ★ Progression System — XP and Kibble used to unlock classes, abilities, and cosmetics ★ Matchmaking — Hidden MMR system for balanced competition ★ Game Modes — Quick Play (casual) and Tournament Mode (competitive) ★ Live Engagement — Daily and weekly quests to encourage repeat play Players compete in Grand Prix–style events, earn rewards, level up, and unlock new Shiboshis and abilities as they progress.

Outcome & Learnings:

Although Lapdogs was tested but not released due to technical constraints and timeline limitations, the project provided strong real-world production experience. 💡 Key takeaways ⬇︎ ★ Balancing creativity with feasibility: Learned to adapt design ideas to technical constraints without losing core intent ★ Server-side awareness: Gained insight into how UI and gameplay systems can impact performance and scalability ★ Iterative collaboration: Early and frequent alignment with engineers helped surface constraints and refine designs faster This project strengthened my ability to design production-ready UI/UX within real development limitations while maintaining a playful, engaging player experience.