Pirate Island
Pioneering UX & Monetization in Voice Gaming
My Role & Expertise
"I designed and executed Pirate Island's UX and engagement strategy, shaping an immersive voice-first adventure. Collaborating with a professional writer, I structured the interactive storytelling to enhance player decision-making. I also developed the in-game economy, introducing monetisation through premium content and voice purchases. Additionally, I designed the multimodal game's UI and all game screens, ensuring a seamless and visually engaging experience that kept players returning."
1. THE CHALENGE
Overcoming the Barriers of a New Technology
When Pirate Island was developed, voice gaming was still emerging, with untapped potential and unique challenges. Unlike mobile or console games, voice-first experiences required entirely new design principles for seamless, intuitive interactions—without established best practices.
Beyond UX, Discoverability was a significant hurdle. Since voice games exist within the Amazon Alexa ecosystem, they lack traditional visibility and rely on direct searches or external marketing.
Despite this, voice gaming offered a rare opportunity to innovate—to craft an interactive adventure driven by speech and explore new monetization models in an underdeveloped market.
So I asked myself:
How do we make a voice game intuitive, even for first-time players?
Can monetization enhance gameplay without disrupting immersion?
2. THE IDEA
An Immersive, Monetizable and Shareable Voice Adventure
Pirate Island is an award-winning interactive adventure game in which players become the protagonists of a high-stakes treasure hunt.
Through voice commands, they navigate an open world filled with quests, allies, and adversaries, unlocking mini-games, rewards, and power-ups.
To enhance user experience and engagement, I designed a voice-first UX strategy that guides players through storytelling, decision-making, and gameplay mechanics, ensuring seamless onboarding for users unfamiliar with voice-first interactions.
To maximize monetization without disrupting engagement, the game introduces:
Gold Coins as in-game currency – Players earn and purchase coins to unlock new quests and power-ups.
Upgradable items & weapons – Users can buy better swords and special gear to advance in the game.
Mini-games & social features – Dice and card games with characters reward players with badges and challenge them to invite friends to compete.
Since Alexa lacks a traditional discovery mechanism, we needed an external marketing strategy to drive traffic to the game.
Social Media Engagement – Players were encouraged to share their achievements on social media, unlocking exclusive in-game badges when they invited friends to play.
Amazon Alexa Promotions – We leveraged seasonal promotions and partnerships to increase visibility within Amazon’s voice game offerings.
3. THE BUILD
UX & Monetization Strategy in Action
Designing for First-Time Voice Gamers
Developed an intuitive, tutorial-style onboarding that teaches players how to interact through voice while keeping the adventure immersive.
Monetization Embedded in Gameplay
Instead of intrusive ads, I introduced in-skill purchasing (ISP) seamlessly into the narrative, making buying Gold Coins a natural part of the adventure.
Expanding Reach & Engagement
Created bonus content, mini-games, and social challenges to extend player time in the game and encourage organic sharing.
Iterative Design for Retention
Released Pirate Island in seasons, similar to an on-demand series, keeping players invested in future content.
4. THE RESULT
An Award-Winning Voice Game
Winner of the Amazon Alexa Skill Challenge: In-Skill Purchasing & Melbourne International Games Week, the voice game is available in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Player Ratings - Over 50% of Five-Star Reviews – Players praised the engaging storytelling, character-driven adventure, and voice-based interactions.
Proven Engagement – Players returned for multiple sessions, progressing through the story and unlocking new content.
Successful Voice-First Monetization – Integrated in-skill purchases without disrupting immersion, providing a model for voice game monetization.
Scalable Game Design – The game structure allows for new seasons, extended narratives, and future monetization opportunities.
