Escape Room Digital Math Games

Lead Product Designer for an award-winning game-based learning system used across the Savvas digital curriculum

  • Gold — Horizon Interactive Awards, 2026
    Training / E-Learning & Games

  • GDUSA Digital Design Award, 2026

Role: Lead Product Designer
Platform: Web (Built in Unity)
Timeline: 6 months
Team: 2 senior product designers, lead illustrator, lead instructional designer, product management, and two in-house developers.
Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Firefly, Adobe Photoshop, Gemini

Overview

The Escape Room project aimed to enhance student engagement in digital math practice by introducing new, immersive, game-based learning experiences within Savvas’ existing platform.

Drawing on research from teachers and students, we designed a scalable Escape Room system featuring four unique themes and over 64 mini-games. The goal was to transform traditional digital practice into an experience that felt playful, motivating, and classroom-ready, while remaining aligned with curriculum standards.

I led UX and minigame visual design, defined the interaction model, and partnered closely with engineering to deliver a large-volume game system within a tight timeline.

Interactive Robot Gear Mini-Game for our University Lab theme

Petri Dish “Drag & Drop” Mini-Game for our University Lab Escape Room

Problem

Teacher research revealed that student engagement was the #1 concern, with over 60% of educators requesting digital math games to improve motivation and participation.

Existing digital practice experiences felt static and disconnected from how students engage with modern games. Teachers needed tools that could excite students while still supporting instructional goals.

Key challenges:

  • Low student engagement with current digital practice

  • Limited immersive or game-like experiences

  • Need for classroom-ready tools aligned to the curriculum

  • Large content requirements within a short timeline

My Role

As lead product designer, I was responsible for:

  • Defining the overall Escape Room UX and visual direction

  • Designing interaction patterns and game flow

  • Creating four themed environments

  • Developing a custom illustration system

  • Applying modern game UI trends (including dark mode)

  • Partnering with engineering on feasibility and implementation

  • Managing design handoff in Figma

  • Helping scope and prioritize 64 mini-games

Research & Insights

Inputs

  • Teacher feedback and engagement research

  • Student behavior observations

  • Platform requirements from engineering

Key Insights

  • Students respond strongly to immersive, narrative-driven experiences

  • Game-like interfaces increase motivation

  • Teachers need plug-and-play classroom tools

  • Replayability matters for sustained engagement

  • Visual polish directly impacts student excitement

Solution

Design Approach

We created a modular Escape Room system featuring four immersive themes, modern UI patterns, and custom illustrations to elevate emotional engagement while maintaining educational integrity.

The experience was designed to feel closer to entertainment gaming than traditional ed-tech—without compromising learning outcomes.

Core principles:

  • Immersion through themed environments

  • Clear progression and feedback loops

  • Visually engaging interfaces (including dark mode)

  • Scalable structure for rapid content production

  • Seamless integration within CEL

Key Features

  • Four unique Escape Room themes

  • 64 individual mini-games

  • Narrative-driven progression

  • Custom illustration system

  • Game UI patterns optimized for student engagement

Each game followed a consistent interaction model to ensure usability while allowing visual variety across themes.

Impact

  • Successfully launched four Escape Room themes

  • Delivered 64 mini-games in 6 months

  • Strong qualitative feedback from both teachers and students

  • Teachers expressed excitement to use the experience in classrooms

  • Demonstrated ability to design at scale under tight timelines

Reflection

This project highlighted the importance of balancing creativity with delivery realities.

  • Key learnings:

    • Designing for engagement requires emotional design, not just usability

    • Scalable systems are critical when producing large volumes of content

    • Early engineering collaboration enables faster execution