Quacky
Designing a complete player experience around a modern virtual pet.
Roles
- [ Product Design ]
- [ Game UI ]
- [ Illustrations ]
- [ Brand Design ]
Overview
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Year
2026
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Duration
6 months
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Team
Solo project
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Built on
Electron app
Tools
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Figma
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Affinity Designer
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Reaper
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VS Code
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Cursor
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DaVinci Resolve
Responsibilities
- [ UX ]
- [ UI ]
- [ Pixel Art ]
- [ Animation ]
- [ Programming ]
- [ Brand Identity ]
- [ Steam Store ]
- [ Website ]
- [ Web apps ]
- [ Editorial Design ]
- [ Typography ]
- [ Audio ]
The Vision
The goal of this project was to create a virtual pet that felt calm and rewarding without relying on notifications or time pressure.
The experience should encourage players to check in because they wanted to, not because they felt obligated.
The Experience / Player Journey
- [ Discover ]
- ⟩⟩⟩
- [ Hatch Egg ]
- ⟩⟩⟩
- [ Take Care of Duck ]
- ⟩⟩⟩
- [ Unlock Activities for Ducks ]
- ⟩⟩⟩
- [ Unlock items ]
- ⟩⟩⟩
- [ Customize device ]
- ⟩⟩⟩
- [ Return daily ]
Interface Design
To reinforce the feeling of interacting with a dedicated virtual pet device, I established three principles that guided every interface decision:
Simple & Minimal
Only surface the information players need at that moment.
Low Cognitive Load
Reduce visual clutter and keep interactions predictable so the experience remains relaxing.
Hardware-Inspired Controls
Use tactile, button-like interactions that evoke the feel of a physical handheld device rather than a modern app.
Activities
Different activities to keep the duck entertained and engaged.
Notifications
A screen dedicated to inform players about new drops.
Customization
Players can customize their Waddlr Nano device to their liking.
Menus
A menu system that allows players to navigate the game and access different features.
Visual System
The visual language was designed to make the game feel like a cohesive physical device rather than a collection of independent screens. I established a shared pixel grid, typography, iconography, button language, and illustration rules that could be applied consistently across the game and its supporting experiences.
Logo
Typography
I slightly modified the fonts numbers to have number better readable in smaller sizes.
Iconography
Buttons
Pixel Grid System
All the illustrations; the frames, ducks and backgrounds are built on a 5px grid.
Duck sprites
Backgrounds
Frames
Companion Experiences
[ Duck-o-dex / Official Bird Watching Book ]
Problem
Players needed a way to remember which ducks they had already found.
Solution
Created an official in-universe bird watching guide.
[ User Manual ]
Instead of writing documentation, I designed an in-universe manual that became part of the brand.
[ Wallpaper Builder ]
Players wanted more ways to engage with their favorite ducks.
Solution
Interactive wallpaper generator.
When players reach age 5 with a duck they unlock an immersive “Free Range” view that will allow the duck to live on the wallpaper without a background or frame.
[ Mods ]
Players requested features for their special use cases.
Solution
QuackMarket Mods - Extra featuresets users can install as DLCs, tailored to different needs that are outside the scope of the regular featureset
Launch & Product Experience
The product experience extended beyond the game itself. I designed the Steam store presence, promotional assets, screenshots, trailer, branding, and supporting materials so the visual language remained consistent from first discovery through installation.
