Overview
Sol Arena is a P2E on-chain snake game on Solana. I helped design Sol Arena’s end-to-end user journey across landing, onboarding, and mobile gameplay.
CLIENT
Sol Arena
YEAR
2025
ROLE
UX Lead
Product/UX Designer
KEY outcome
Connected acquisition to gameplay
Designed touch-first mobile gameplay
Ranked #15 on PlayToEarn
Challnege
Sol Arena had a strong game, but users dropped off before playing.
Without a clear landing page or onboarding flow, crypto-heavy login methods and limited mobile support made the first match difficult to reach.
Goal
Create a clear path from discovery to gameplay, helping both Web3 and mainstream players enter their first match faster.
Landing Experience
Turning curiosity into the first match.
The landing page needed to do more than introduce the game. I structured it to answer three questions quickly:
Can I play now?
What makes the game interesting?
Why should I start today?
Key Design Decision 01
Create a clear entry point
A prominent Play Now CTA gave users a direct path into the game from key moments across the page.
Key Design Decision 02
Let players explore
Character switching and feature highlights introduced the game’s visual world and mechanics through interaction.
Key Design Decision 02
Let players explore
Character switching and feature highlights introduced the game’s visual world and mechanics through interaction.
Key Design Decision 02
Let players explore
Character switching and feature highlights introduced the game’s visual world and mechanics through interaction.
Key Design Decision 03
A reason to start
The page closed with seasonal rewards and limited-time incentives, connecting interest with the play-to-earn loop.
First Game Onboarding
Getting players into the game before asking them to commit
The landing page brought users to the game, but
❌ the next screen introduced too many decisions at once
❌ wallet connection, character selection, and team setup appeared before players understood how the game worked.
The goal was to shorten the path to the first match, then introduce guidance, account setup, and rewards progressively.
Onboarding Research
What effective onboarding had in common
I reviewed onboarding across Web3 and mainstream games. Despite different mechanics, the strongest experiences followed the same principles:
Let players start quickly
Teach through gameplay
Delay account setup until value is clear
This shaped one direction: play first, explain progressively, and ask for commitment later.
Flow Strategy
Establish the journey for the first match
I mapped the full onboarding journey and moved nonessential steps until after gameplay. Instead of asking users to connect, customize, and learn upfront, the new flow guided them from guest play to their first match, then introduced rewards and account setup.
Play → Learn → Earn → Sign up → Return
Solution 01
Play first, explain progressively
Guidance appeared within the experience as users moved toward their first match. A skippable rules module gave players control over how much they wanted to learn before playing.
Solution 02
Make access feel familiar
Players could continue with social login while a non-custodial wallet was created in the background. Web3-native users could still connect an existing wallet directly.
Solution 03
Delay unnecessary decisions
Username creation and referral input were moved until after the first match, removing decisions that did not help users start playing.
Solution 04
Immediate rewards after gameplay
Rewards appeared after users had experienced the game, creating a reason to sign up and return without blocking the first match.
Final Experience
The first game became the onboarding.
The result was a clearer path from Landing page's Play Now button to the first match.
Mobile Experience - Adapting desktop gameplay for touch
Keep key actions within reach
Primary controls were positioned within natural thumb-reach areas, reducing grip changes and making repeated actions more comfortable.
Design for touch, not a cursor
I enlarged interactive areas and increased spacing between controls, making actions easier to select and reducing accidental taps during gameplay.
Match orientation to the task
Navigation, setup, and selection remained in portrait for one-handed use. Gameplay and results switched to landscape for greater control and visibility.
Outcome
One connected journey from first click to first match.
I connected the landing page, onboarding, and mobile gameplay into one consistent journey, helping players discover the game, enter their first match, and continue across devices. Sol Arena later ranked #15 among P2E games on PlayToEarn in January 2025.
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