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Client:

Adaki

Year:

2023–2025

Role:

Co-Founder

Skills:

Product/Motion/Game Design + NFT/Blockchain + Public speaking

Putting user experience at the forefront of NFT utility: the next generation of blockchain-powered idle gaming

Summary

Shortly after the release of the Adaki NFT collection, the original founder asked for support with his blockchain-based idle game. He needed a marketing manager, but the game also lacked clean UI and strong UX. Having already invested in the NFT collection myself, I saw the perfect opportunity to step in and help take the project to the next level.

Over a 12-month period, I led the creative, experiential and visual overhaul of the game while transforming its digital presence across social and web. During this time, the active player base grew from 20 to more than 80, social engagement increased by over 400%, the NFT floor price rose by 800%, and I added eight new, fully developed game mechanics to the dashboard experience.

Impact

The improvements set a new standard for idle games on Cardano. Competitors integrated similar features, the floor price rose substantially, and the player base continued to grow month on month.

400%

Increase in social engagement

80

Daily active users in the game

800%

Increase in NFT floor price

11

Feature complete game mechanics

Step 1

Kick off

The Challenge

When I joined Adaki, the underlying game concept had already been built and deployed. The challenge was to take that foundation and evolve it with a clear focus on user experience and clean UI. The NFT collection was out, but the original team had left, leaving just the founder and developer to keep the project alive. It wasn’t only the game that needed transformation. The branding and social media presence also required a full refresh to cut through in a crowded market.

The Concept

My plan was to bring tangible utility to NFT holders and set a new benchmark for user experience on the Cardano blockchain. This meant overhauling the brand, redesigning the game, and rethinking the social strategy to deliver a cohesive omnichannel experience. At the same time, I needed to introduce new game mechanics that would engage existing holders while attracting new ones. The solution was to keep a tight feedback loop with the community, test ideas early, and iterate quickly. This created a truly engaging way to give NFTs lasting value.

Considerations

Working with a new technology and a highly vocal audience meant I had to be deliberate in every decision. Key considerations included:

  • Ensuring all communications were legal in a semi-regulated market
  • Optimising design and development as a two-person team
  • Building lasting utility for an NFT project that had originally been released for free
  • Sustaining long-term engagement with the game in a fast-moving space
  • Competing with projects backed by much larger budgets

Step 2

Game Mechanics

The focus was on creating meaningful utility for the NFTs part of the project. After the initial purchase, we needed to create a clear path from the NFT sitting in the holders wallet through to an engaging experience where the holder returns to the game daily. We did this strategically through a series of core game mechanics.

Farming

Holders had three primary ways to put their NFTs to work:

  • Gathering: The simplest mechanic, sending NFTs out to gather resources over time. Specific traits offered bonus rewards.
  • Missions: A step up in complexity, requiring holders to assemble a team of NFTs with the right traits. The more aligned the traits, the higher the chance of success. Failed missions could return nothing, adding risk to the reward loop.
  • Dungeons: The most advanced mechanic, combining team selection with outfitting NFTs with tools and items to boost chances of success. Dungeons carried the biggest rewards and reinforced the value of building a diverse collection.

Commercial Goal: Drive interest in the NFT collection and boost secondary sales by rewarding holders for building groups of NFTs.

Kingdom

Kingdom progression gave holders a way to spend the rewards they earned from farming. With a clear locked progression tree, upgrades unlocked new features that expanded both gameplay and strategy.

  • Castle: The first unlock and foundation of progression. The Castle gave holders access to leaderboards and acted as the gateway to every other kingdom feature.
  • Gym: Available after upgrading the Castle to level 10. The Gym introduced NFT upgrades, letting holders strengthen their Adaki for bigger farming rewards. This created a strategic trade-off between investing in Adaki upgrades or advancing kingdom areas.
  • Market: Unlocked at Castle level 20. The Market allowed resource conversion, giving holders flexibility to trade resources for others or convert them into Ki Coins. This gave players the option to accelerate upgrades and reduced bottlenecks, though always with a cost.
  • Forge: Available at Castle level 30. The Forge allowed holders to craft new items from mission-specific resources, boosting their chances of success in missions and dungeons.
  • Workshop: The final unlock, achieved at Castle level 50. The Workshop focused on crafting tools for dungeon raids. By combining resources and forged materials, holders could prepare for the game’s ultimate challenges.

Commercial Goal: Create robust progression loops and drive secondary sales by making specific NFT traits more valuable for gameplay success.

Tavern, Bounty & My Adaki

To strengthen the link between gameplay and the secondary market, I integrated the jpg.store API directly into the dashboard. This allowed holders to expand their collection without leaving the game.

  • Tavern: A live window into the secondary market, making collection growth seamless.
  • Bounty: A daily incentive mechanic that spotlighted selected NFTs on the secondary market, adding in-game bonuses like resources or Ki Coins for their purchase. The bounty refreshed every 24 hours, creating daily retention loops.
  • My Adaki: A personal space for holders to showcase their collection, highlight a key NFT as their identity, and track achievements. This built pride of ownership and encouraged social sharing.

Other mechanics included daily reward chests, exclusive perks for OG Pass holders, Welcome reward packs, and leaderboard announcements that added status and visibility across the community.

Commercial Goal: Incentivise daily retention, drive secondary NFT sales, and encourage shareable in-game content.

Step 3

Design

Look & Feel

With the anime style a core part of the Adaki identity, the look and feel for the brand needed to take inspiration from the origin while remaining contemporary and western. This resulted in a blend between a Japanese and western bold aesthetic. Bold typography, manga style framed elements, blended with striking anime imagery and a sleek dark canvas to let the imagery tell the story.

The aesthetic was cohesive across all platforms with a focus where the content sat. Clean spacious UI for the game, with more intricate design for socials, acting as a scroll stopper for anyone encountering the brand in their feed

Why it mattered

These choices were not just about looks. The hybrid aesthetic cut through a crowded Web3 and gaming market. Clean UI lowered the barrier for new players. Social layouts did the reach work, pulling people into the world. Style served outcomes. It lifted retention and turned design into a real growth lever.

Step 4

Results

Over a two-year period, with no external funding, I delivered a robust idle gaming experience and built a tight-knit community of around 80 daily players and more than 500 NFT holders. With a considered omnichannel approach across the dashboard game, X and Discord, plus steady feature releases, the NFT floor price rose by 800 percent and social engagement increased 4x.

I was also invited to multiple X Spaces to represent the brand and our goals. I talked through the roadmap, the UX behind the game and how we approached utility. Those sessions brought in new holders and deepened trust with existing players.

Most importantly, I nurtured a loyal community that championed Adaki beyond expectations. They promoted the brand, engaged with our content and partnered with me on game design and feature testing. OG Pass holders showed up consistently and became the inner circle for Adaki’s next chapter.

Project

Up Next

Client:

Global Pharma Client (NDA)

Year:

2025

Skills:

Omnichannel Strategy + Product Design + LLMs + Public Speaking

Onboarding senior leadership of a global pharma company to omnichannel through a strategic in person experience

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