MetaSubway @Microsoft x Kunshan Gov.

Timeline

6 Months (Mar. - Aug. 2025)

Platform
Mobile

Collaborators
2 Designers

8 Developers, 2 PMs

My role

Lead Designer of Kunshan Metro’s 3D gamified experience, leading concept, environment design, AI gameplay, and UX/UI to transform commutes into engaging cultural journeys with local rewards.

THE VISION

Reinventing Commutes as Cultural Journeys

Strategic Collaboration

Partnered with Kunshan Lulutong Big Data Co. to reimagine Metro Line 11 as China's first cultural gamified transit system, blending:

- Virtual treasure hunts during physical rides

- NFT collectibles redeemable at 50+ local businesses

- AI-driven historical storytelling

Stakeholder Alignment

🏢

Goverment

Boost commerce through metro-adjacent activations

🛍️

Merchants

Affordable hyperlocal customer acquisition

🤩

Riders

Reliable navigation + contextual rewards

BOLD IDEA

A 3D gamified metro map where riders

🏴‍☠️ Hunt hidden treasures at stations.
🥇 Earn rewards by "crab fishing" during rides.

The process

Building a game is a little different with building an app

Visual Exploration

Painting Kunshan in 3D

How can we built a digital Kunshan while remaining its feature?

We reimagined Kunshan not just as a place, but as a living, breathing game IP—where centuries of tradition dance with tomorrow’s technology.

Our mission: Build a low-poly metaverse that breathes new life into history, while driving feet to physical shops, museums, and tea houses through playful discovery.

Start with the storyline

I led 3+ collaborative workshops with our PM and engineers. Together, we:

Crafted a unified narrative that blends Kunshan’s rich history with the imagination of modern youth: hidden within the busy Kunshan Metro Line 11 is a secret train to the metaverse. Rumor has it that lucky commuters occasionally board this special train, where daily stress dissolves into a world of fantasy, mystery, joy, and hidden treasures. Wait—what’s that magical ticket in your hand?
Defined a concept of “quantified aesthetics,” merging ancient elegance with the whimsical creativity of the digital age.

Sketching the Soul

Guided participants to define keywords representing their ideal utopia, then used AI to generate concept visuals and grouped them into four distinct styles.
Collaborated with the Kunshan government to vote for the most representative vision.

AI-generated scenes

AI-generated npc

Low-poly 3D vignettes

Key zones to gather early feedback—to convey the idea that this is a special train to the metaverse, we explored and experimented with two distinct visual styles.

Gamification Design

Bridging History, Commerce & Play

Framing the Research Questions

To ensure meaningful and sustainable engagement, we structured our approach around key research questions:

Systematic Framework: How to methodically design core loops and mechanics that align with user goals (efficient commute, cultural exploration) and business goals (commerce, cultural promotion)?
Intrinsic Motivation: How to avoid "gamification for gamification's sake" and ensure mechanics feel organically tied to Kunshan's identity and the physical transit experience?
Engagement & Retention: How to ensure the mechanics are inherently attractive, foster sustained participation, and encourage repeat usage?
Balancing Act: How to calibrate challenge to provide a rewarding sense of achievement within short commute windows, avoiding frustration?
Data-Driven Refinement: What key metrics (e.g., session time, retention, UGC, redemption rate) and tools will best measure success and guide ongoing optimization? (This directly informed Section 4)

Derived Design Principles

Answers to these questions crystallized into our core design principles:

Cultural Infusion First: Mechanics must stem from and actively reinforce Kunshan's unique heritage (e.g., Crab Fishing tied to local delicacy/rivers, Shen Wansan as guide, treasure themes from local legends).
Seamless Commute Integration: Gameplay should enhance, not disrupt, the core transit experience. Design for short bursts, passive discovery (location), and minimal initial friction.
Meaningful Rewards: Incentives must provide tangible local value (merchant discounts, exclusive cultural insights/access) beyond abstract points or badges.
Accessible & Delightful: Zero learning curve for core actions. Prioritize charm, intuitive feedback (haptics, visuals), and immediate fun. Depth exists for explorers.
Dynamic & Evolving: Actively prevent staleness through unpredictable events, layered progression, and evolving content to sustain long-term interest.

Signature Features

Treasure Hunt

Utilize precise station location data to initiate discovery of virtual "treasures" tied to local history/landmarks. Solves Discovery Incentive, Embodies Cultural Infusion & Seamless Integration.

AI Dialogue & Discovery

Interact with the Shen Wansan AI Companion. This conversational interface delivers rich lore, clues for future hunts, and unlocks coupons.

Conversational AI felt natural, personal, and culturally resonant.

Sample Player Path:
👨‍💼 “Why do crabs matter here?”
👘 “Child, these are no ordinary crustaceans—they’re vessels of Kunshan’s river memories. Catch seven golden ones, and you’ll see the truth behind the veil.”
(Unlracks 3D river heritage tour)

Crab Fishing Mini-Game

Triggered after collecting 5 treasures. A physics-based, skill-testing game offering direct rewards (virtual crabs). Physics and haptics create tangible feedback and delight. Embodies Cultural Infusion, Accessible & Delightful (core fun), Meaningful Rewards (source).

Iterative Refinement

From Flat to Flow

Our initial design hypotheses and prototypes were rigorously tested through user sessions and A/B testing. Key learnings drove targeted iterations, directly addressing challenges identified by our Gamification Design research questions and measured through our defined KPIs:

Design Challenges & Solutions

Flat Difficulty Curve

Week 1 crab catch rate: 82% → Week 4: 31%

Avg. session time ↑ 40%

Slow Pacing, Broken Flow

Player: "Treasure hunts feel like chores"

+62% Week 8 retention

Overly Complex Fishing Mechanics

Test: Users abandoned after mis-swipes

-78% misoperation rate

+210% senior user engagement

🚀 Launched Oct. 2024

500K+ downloads in 3 weeks

User Stats:
- Avg. session time: 8 minutes (vs. 45 sec for standard metro apps).
- 70% of riders played crab fishing weekly.

MetaSubway @Microsoft x Kunshan Gov.

Reinventing Commutes as Cultural Journeys

Strategic Collaboration

Partnered with Kunshan Lulutong Big Data Co. to reimagine Metro Line 11 as China's first cultural gamified transit system, blending:

- Virtual treasure hunts during physical rides

- NFT collectibles redeemable at 50+ local businesses

- AI-driven historical storytelling

Stakeholder Alignment

🏢

Goverment

🛍️

Merchants

🤩

Riders

A 3D gamified metro map where riders

Building a game is a little different with building an app

Painting Kunshan in 3D

How can we built a digital Kunshan while remaining its feature?

We reimagined Kunshan not just as a place, but as a living, breathing game IP—where centuries of tradition dance with tomorrow’s technology.

Our mission: Build a low-poly metaverse that breathes new life into history, while driving feet to physical shops, museums, and tea houses through playful discovery.

Start with the storyline

I led 3+ collaborative workshops with our PM and engineers. Together, we:

Defined a concept of “quantified aesthetics,” merging ancient elegance with the whimsical creativity of the digital age.

Sketching the Soul

Low-poly 3D vignettes

Key zones to gather early feedback—to convey the idea that this is a special train to the metaverse, we explored and experimented with two distinct visual styles.

Bridging History, Commerce & Play

Framing the Research Questions

To ensure meaningful and sustainable engagement, we structured our approach around key research questions:

Systematic Framework: How to methodically design core loops and mechanics that align with user goals (efficient commute, cultural exploration) and business goals (commerce, cultural promotion)?

Intrinsic Motivation: How to avoid "gamification for gamification's sake" and ensure mechanics feel organically tied to Kunshan's identity and the physical transit experience?

Engagement & Retention: How to ensure the mechanics are inherently attractive, foster sustained participation, and encourage repeat usage?

Balancing Act: How to calibrate challenge to provide a rewarding sense of achievement within short commute windows, avoiding frustration?

Data-Driven Refinement: What key metrics (e.g., session time, retention, UGC, redemption rate) and tools will best measure success and guide ongoing optimization? (This directly informed Section 4)

Derived Design Principles

Answers to these questions crystallized into our core design principles:

Cultural Infusion First: Mechanics must stem from and actively reinforce Kunshan's unique heritage (e.g., Crab Fishing tied to local delicacy/rivers, Shen Wansan as guide, treasure themes from local legends).

Seamless Commute Integration: Gameplay should enhance, not disrupt, the core transit experience. Design for short bursts, passive discovery (location), and minimal initial friction.

Meaningful Rewards: Incentives must provide tangible local value (merchant discounts, exclusive cultural insights/access) beyond abstract points or badges.

Accessible & Delightful: Zero learning curve for core actions. Prioritize charm, intuitive feedback (haptics, visuals), and immediate fun. Depth exists for explorers.

Dynamic & Evolving: Actively prevent staleness through unpredictable events, layered progression, and evolving content to sustain long-term interest.

Signature Features

Treasure Hunt

Utilize precise station location data to initiate discovery of virtual "treasures" tied to local history/landmarks. Solves Discovery Incentive, Embodies Cultural Infusion & Seamless Integration.

AI Dialogue & Discovery

Interact with the Shen Wansan AI Companion. This conversational interface delivers rich lore, clues for future hunts, and unlocks coupons.

Conversational AI felt natural, personal, and culturally resonant.

Sample Player Path:👨‍💼 “Why do crabs matter here?”👘 “Child, these are no ordinary crustaceans—they’re vessels of Kunshan’s river memories. Catch seven golden ones, and you’ll see the truth behind the veil.”(Unlracks 3D river heritage tour)

Crab Fishing Mini-Game

Triggered after collecting 5 treasures. A physics-based, skill-testing game offering direct rewards (virtual crabs). Physics and haptics create tangible feedback and delight. Embodies Cultural Infusion, Accessible & Delightful (core fun), Meaningful Rewards (source).

From Flat to Flow

Our initial design hypotheses and prototypes were rigorously tested through user sessions and A/B testing. Key learnings drove targeted iterations, directly addressing challenges identified by our Gamification Design research questions and measured through our defined KPIs:

Design Challenges & Solutions

Flat Difficulty Curve

Week 1 crab catch rate: 82% → Week 4: 31%

Avg. session time ↑ 40%

Slow Pacing, Broken Flow

Player: "Treasure hunts feel like chores"

+62% Week 8 retention

Overly Complex Fishing Mechanics

Test: Users abandoned after mis-swipes

-78% misoperation rate

+210% senior user engagement

🚀 Launched Oct. 2024

500K+ downloads in 3 weeks

User Stats:

Avg. session time: 8 minutes (vs. 45 sec for standard metro apps).

70% of riders played crab fishing weekly.

Press Buzz:"The metro app that makes commuting addictive." – TechNode

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Email

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WeChat

Sample Player Path:
👨‍💼 “Why do crabs matter here?”
👘 “Child, these are no ordinary crustaceans—they’re vessels of Kunshan’s river memories. Catch seven golden ones, and you’ll see the truth behind the veil.”
(Unlracks 3D river heritage tour)

Press Buzz:
"The metro app that makes commuting addictive." – TechNode