What is Beat ​The Bomb?

Beat The Bomb is an immersive, team-based gaming experience where players ​work together to disarm a paint bomb by completing various high-tech challenges. ​It’s got elements of escape rooms, video games, and live-action entertainment.

It's challenging, exciting, and really, really, really fun.

Since its launch, it has become a go-to spot for team-building events, parties, and ​more. It's been featured all over the place, from Good Morning America to Real ​Housewives of Atlanta.

What I Did

I led the design of both individual components, and the overall experience. This ​involved a bit of everything, from designing and prototyping the games to ​coordinating playtests and testing phases with volunteers.

I worked closely with game designers, programmers, and hardware specialists who ​handled things like lasers, Arduinos, sensors, and other physical aspects of the ​experience.

While everyone (including myself) was working on their areas of expertise, I was ​making sure that it would all work together to create a cohesive experience for ​players.

Prototyping & UI Animation

I specialized in bringing new concepts and game elements to life for rapid testing & ​improvements.

Initial Concept & Outline

Preliminary Prototypes

Functional Prototypes for Playtesting & Feedback

The Real Deal.

Leading Design & ​Development Operations

I created processes to make sure that development stayed on track, and that the ​members of our team, and their individual projects worked together to create an ​amazing start-to-finish experience.

I created standardized templates and processes to submit, test, and review new ​game components or updates

I worked with our team to outline and track the progress of individual mini-games ​within the physical space, and how they would work together to create a more ​cohesive experience.

Qualitative Research Studies

I led all research efforts to test and improve the experience as efficiently as possible. ​Mostly, I was standardizing the recruitment process for playtesters, and ​designing/facilitating interviews afterwards to get valuable feedback from players.

I created processes to recruit testers, facilitate playtests, and collect feedback on ​the experience efficiently

Some of our most important metrics revolved around how challenging and fun it ​was compared to player’s prior expectations

Biggest Product Challenge

Unlike typical UX projects focused on usability and functionality, this project was all ​about making something fun and immersive for players.

It was a new kind of challenge to balance the game’s difficulty, pace, and timing - ​all while making sure it was exciting and engaging throughout.

Lessons Learned

The biggest lesson I learned was how even the smallest interaction details can make or ​break the experience.

Minor adjustments to animations, interactions, and game pacing had a big impact on ​the overall experience. These small tweaks helped turn the game from a disjointed ​"bunch" of mini-games into a smooth, fast-paced, and cohesive experience for ​players.

I’m most proud of

I’m most proud of seeing Beat The Bomb evolve from a rough prototype in a rented ​warehouse in Brooklyn to a polished, massively popular experience.

We started with a very basic setup, and through many iterations and improvements, ​we created something that people love. Many elements from our original version are ​still in use today and creating memorable experiences for people everyday.