Overview
Nix Hydra, creators of successful narrative-driven mobile experiences such as The Arcana, needed a solution that would enable writers and content creators to build interactive stories more efficiently while supporting the growing complexity of their content pipeline.
The challenge was significant: create a web-based platform that allowed both experienced and non-technical writers to author branching narratives while automatically translating those experiences into game-ready content for mobile applications.
The product needed to bridge creative storytelling, content management, collaboration, and technical implementation within a single ecosystem.
My role: Product Owner
As Product Owner, I represented the client's vision throughout the project and acted as the primary bridge between stakeholders and the development team.
My responsibilities included:
- Managing the product roadmap.
- Prioritizing features and development efforts.
- Aligning stakeholder expectations with product goals.
- Translating business requirements into actionable development initiatives.
- Facilitating communication between client and delivery teams.
My role: Senior UX Designer
Alongside product ownership responsibilities, I led discovery and UX activities across the project. This included:
- Stakeholder interviews.
- User research.
- Strategic workshops.
- Workflow definition.
- Information architecture.
- Wireframing and prototyping.
- User testing and validation.
Creating a New Product
The challenge was not simply improving an existing workflow—it was defining an entirely new approach to narrative content creation that could serve both technical and non-technical users.
Through discovery workshops and stakeholder interviews, I helped establish the product vision, user requirements, and strategic priorities that guided development.
Focus Areas:
- Product strategy.
- Discovery.
- Stakeholder alignment.
- Vision definition.
Designing a Visual Narrative Creation Platform
Interactive storytelling involves highly complex structures, including branching narratives, conditional paths, character routes, variables, and multiple outcomes.
One of the project's primary challenges was translating these systems into experiences that remained understandable and manageable for content creators.
I designed workflows and interfaces that helped writers visualize and manage narrative complexity without requiring deep technical expertise.
Focus Areas:
- Information architecture.
- Workflow design.
- Complexity reduction.
- Narrative systems.
Bridging Creative Workflows and Game Development
The platform needed to do more than help users write stories.
Content created within the tool ultimately needed to be transformed into playable experiences inside a game engine.
I worked on experiences that connected creative authoring workflows with technical implementation requirements, helping ensure that content could move efficiently from concept to production.
Featured Product Contributions
Narrative flow management
Every content creator could create several stories that will become playable visual stories in the mobile app. To make this process easy, we created a collection that can be managed.
For every story, there are a lot of branching possibilities, like character routes, decision paths, etc. We made a lot of user research to make this process easy to follow.
Real-Time Preview and Validation
We aimed for a direct translation to Unity with all the animation and interaction possibilities the engine allows. To achieve this, we translated very complex processes into an easy-to-follow user interface.
We even opened the possibility to modify the user interface the player will see on their mobile phone.
With preview and flowchart panels, validations, and code helpers, we wanted to create a writing experience that would feel natural for content creators.
Real-time code review: Considering the vast potential and power of this tool, we enhanced the code editor with a Live Preview, code review and validations, variables, and much more.
Asset and Content Management
Complex views: We allowed editors and writers to modify the views' layout. This enriched the possibilities when creating story branches and conditions.
Assets gallery: Every writer and editor could save and reuse assets. We added transition effects when changing backgrounds, animations for characters and assets, and much more.
OUTCOMES
Created a New Narrative Production Platform
Helped define and deliver a custom platform that enabled creators to build interactive mobile stories through an accessible visual workflow.
Reduced Technical Barriers for Content Creators
Allowed writers to focus on storytelling rather than underlying implementation complexity.
Connected Creative and Technical Pipelines
Supported a more efficient path from narrative creation to game-ready content.
Advanced the Client's Product Strategy
Delivered a solution that expanded Nix Hydra's content creation capabilities and supported long-term business objectives.
