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LocalCatch — Facebook Messenger Game

Role: Lead Concept & Visual Designer
Team: Designer + Engineer collaboration
Category: Conversational UI & Game Experience

 

Overview

LocalCatch is a playful, location-aware game built on Facebook Messenger that encourages users to “catch” check-ins at nearby partner locations. Designed as a lightweight interactive experience, LocalCatch blends game mechanics, social interaction, and real-world context into a simple chat interface optimized for discovery and engagement.

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Design Challenge

Messenger bots operate within strict UI limitations — no native menus, limited input types, and a linear flow. The challenge was to design an experience that felt game-like and rewarding inside those constraints, using conversation mechanics, contextual triggers (like location), and clear visual cues that worked within Messenger’s interface.

I needed to make the game feel dynamic and fun, despite everything occurring through text bubbles and simple attachments.

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Approach & Visual System

I crafted LocalCatch by combining conversational UX design, game loop logic, and modular visual elements:

  • Playful interaction loops: Users received prompts and visual feedback (stickers, quick replies, simple graphics) as they moved between locations, creating a sense of progression within minimal UI.

  • Game mechanics mapped to chat flows: Actions like “search,” “catch,” and “reward” were expressed through Messenger’s quick replies and thread updates, reinforcing a simple yet satisfying game loop.

  • Contextual cues for location play: Visual indicators (iconography, badges) and text feedback communicated proximity and success states in a way that felt intuitive within the chat.

  • Modular content units: Response cards, reward stickers, and status prompts were designed as consistent visual components reusable across multiple states.

  • Collaborative execution: I led the concept and visual design while the engineering partner built the message handling, location triggers, and backend logic.

This combination created a lightweight but engaging game experience within a non-traditional UI environment.

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Outcome

LocalCatch successfully translated game concepts into a chat-first format, balancing mechanics, feedback loops, and visual personality within Messenger’s constraints. The project demonstrates:

  • Conversational game logic

  • Modular interaction design

  • Character and visual identity under technical limitations

  • Designer–engineer collaboration

LocalCatch is a strong example of how digital experiences can be playful and engaging even outside traditional app interfaces.

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Tools & Skills

Tools: Adobe Suite, Messenger Bot Tools, Prototyping Tools
Skills: Conversational UX, Game Loop Design, Modular Visual Systems, Interaction Design

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