Moto Gametime
The Moto Gametime project at Motorola focused on enhancing the mobile gaming experience over two years. I led the initiative to position games not only as entertainment tools for gamers but also as a strategic channel for driving revenue. The platform supported both immersive gameplay and quick-access casual games. This dual approach helped serve diverse user needs while aligning with business growth goals.
Start here.
The Moto Gametime project began as a small initiative to improve the gaming experience on Motorola devices. Over time, it grew into a powerful platform that not only supported gamers with helpful tools but also created new opportunities for user engagement and revenue. What started with simple features became a central hub for both casual and dedicated gamers.
TL;DR
Goals
Turn Gametime into a revenue stream through integrated monetization strategies.
Own the product roadmap to ensure quality, data control, and flexibility.
Understand the full user journey to optimize monetization touchpoints and engagement.
Team
The team was cross-functional and distributed, with a project manager in China, six developers from India working in rotating sprints across multiple priorities, a UI designer focused on visuals, and a UX designer leading research, flow design, and user validation.
Results
💰 Unlocked a new revenue stream, generating $200K USD daily through the monetized hub.
📱 11 million users impacted, with 85% engagement and over 1% monetization rate.
⭐ Play Store rating increased from 3.6 to 4.0, reflecting improved user satisfaction and experience.
The discovery phase began with a collaborative workshop designed to align stakeholder knowledge and expectations. This session helped surface key challenges, user needs, and business goals, providing valuable insights that shaped the project’s direction with the outcomes:
Aligning partners while managing expectations and long-term strategic fit.
Securing data ownership to unlock insights and support continuous improvement.
Balancing revenue and UX, ensuring value for both users and the business.
Centralizing hub to create a scalable, integrated solution aligned with cross team and design consistency.
DISCOVERY WORKSHOP
DISCOVERY WORKSHOP
Gaming Toolkit
Gaming Toolkit
The gaming toolkit solution was first introduced on low tier devices with specific bloc calls and focus mode features, soon it evolved to high tier devices with customized panels and powerful tracking of CPU and GPU which was a high requested comment on Playstore, soon enough it catalysed the gaming users on Motorola devices preparing the Gametime team to stepup this experience.
User journey
As part of the Moto Gametime project, mapping the user journey was a key step in understanding how different types of gamers interacted with the platform. We identified key touchpoints—from game discovery and launch to in-game interactions and post-game feedback—to uncover pain points and opportunities for improvement.
This process helped us tailor features to specific user needs, whether for quick casual play or more immersive gaming sessions. By aligning the user journey with real behaviors and expectations, we were able to design a more intuitive and engaging experience.
Exploration and Analysis
With a well-defined problem, we moved into the exploration phase, which included benchmarking and competitor analysis.
This involved examining existing solutions within the market and analyzing direct and indirect competitors to gather insights.
We identified best practices, gaps in the market, and opportunities for differentiation. These insights helped set a strategic foundation and provided context for what users expect and where we could innovate.
Conceptualization and Ideation V.1
Establishing a dedicated hub within the Moto structure gave us full control of Gametime, allowing for faster decisions, consistent delivery, and stronger alignment. By following the Motorola Design System and partnering with game providers and ad networks, we created a seamless, monetized experience at scale.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Full ownership enabled faster decisions and cross-team alignment.
🎨 Design System use ensured consistency and reduced friction with developers.
💰 Strategic integrations unlocked new revenue while preserving UX quality.
Version 2.0
Gametime 2.0 was a significant step forward, especially with its personalized launch experience that boosted early engagement. However, usage declined over time, leading to a deeper investigation through qualitative research focused on navigation and user flow. This helped us identify what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve retention.
Key Takeaways:
🚀 Personalized entry point boosted initial user engagement.
📉 Drop in usage over time triggered deeper analysis.
🔍 Qualitative research revealed key friction points and retention opportunities.
Data-Driven Evaluation and Rethinking
Following implementation, we entered a data analysis phase to evaluate user interaction with the proposed solutions. Metrics revealed a noticeable drop in performance and engagement for one of the two directions.
This prompted a critical assessment and comparison of both approaches, leading to a thoughtful reconsideration of our initial assumptions. Rather than pushing forward with the underperforming option, we initiated a new research stage to understand the underlying issues more deeply. This step reinforced our commitment to evidence-based design and continuous improvement.
Fixed flow and new features
Fixed flow and new features
Monetization
As the project evolved, we took a broader approach by linking Gametime to a wider monetization ecosystem and cross-functional teams.
This shift expanded our focus beyond the hub, allowing us to view gaming as part of the broader device experience. By collaborating with marketing, commerce, and platform teams, we uncovered new opportunities—like discovery, notifications, and idle moments—to boost engagement and monetization.
Key Takeaways:
🌐 Broader perspective positioned gaming as part of the full device ecosystem.
🤝 Cross-team insights revealed new high-impact touchpoints.
📲 Moments like discovery & idle time were key to driving engagement.