Project Overview
Together with Swing Dance Teacher and Game Designer Ron Smits I worked on "Shuffle 'n Swing -The pocket sized teaching and training game for Lindy Hoppers!". I advised on ways to honour the roots of Swing dance and conceptualised three distinct marketing campaigns.
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Context
I met Ron Smits as my dance teacher at Key Town Swing in Leiden in 2020. It took only a few conversations for us to find out that we both enjoyed combining our work and hobbies. For Ron, this meant inventing a fun, innovative card game to use during and after classes.​ For me, this meant consulting Ron during the realisation of his game idea in regards to UX and UI design, inclusive communication and personalised marketing campaigns.
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When Ron presented the first print of his game to me it was clear that he had a great idea, a full deck of cards with beautiful self-drawn designs, and the dedication to reach his sales goal on Kickstarter.
What he did not have was a manual, diverse representation in characters, Kickstarter marketing campaign ideas, and ways to honour the roots of lindy hop.
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​After this very first brainstorm session we decided to team up and together we ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, surpassed Ron's sales goal and sold out in less than one month.
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My key responsibilities
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Technical Writing
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Research
The history of Lindy Hop
I started by researching the history of Lindy Hop, to ensure that we would be able to represent characters in the game accurately and respectfully.
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Cultural exchange vs. appropriation
Another factor I wanted to ensure was a fair cultural exchange.
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Both in the USA, the country of origin of Lindy Hop, and in the Netherlands, where we were producing this game, an unfair cultural appropriation is taking place, where white, caucasian citizens have a lot of privilege, while black, indigenous, citizens of colour are suppressed.
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This imbalance of power made the creation and fair production of this game a challenge.​
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This understanding led me to further research organisations that supported the roots of Lindy Hop in the USA and people of colour in the Netherlands. I presented the organisations to Ron and we decided on how to support them through our Kickstarter campaign and personal donations (see 'D&I').

Game UX/UI
Technical writing
I proofread and edited all technical writing to ensure inclusive, clear, simple wording for readers of all levels.
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Slogan
I formulated the slogan for Shuffle 'n Swing based on the goal that one sentence would tell everyone what the product was about, whom it was for, and that it was easily transported. Since the title of the game was already a catchy wordplay, the slogan could be more practical.​

Manual
The goal for the game manual was players quickly understanding the rules and mechanics, visualize gameplay, and start playing without confusion.​
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Information architecture
The manual was organized step-by-step, which reduced cognitive load and ensured clarity during the initial stages of gameplay.
We wanted players to navigate through the manual in
the sequence they need while playing.
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User-centered design
Additionally, I requested an example including images, and a clear explanation of each card category for beginner level dancers and players.





Marketing
Kickstarter
Here you see the three Kickstarter campaigns I came up with:
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1) XXL-Deck
As the game was supposed to be a teaching aid for dance teachers, we offered the option to purchase XXL card decks for dance classes and group events. These cards were three times the size of the regular deck.
Purchased by 24% of all backers.
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2) VIP-Deck​
A special collectors item for any Swing dancer. We offered a limited amount of autographed VIP decks featuring well-known Swing dancers as characters on the cards of their choice. A number of famous Swing dancers from around the world agreed to participate in this campaign and sent us their photographs and signatures to be included in the game.
Purchased by 16% of all backers.
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3) Personalised Playcards​
75 backers could order their own unique and personalized deck, which included two cards with their own images on them, in the style of the game.​
Explanation-video
I helped to direct the explanation -video for the game, to which we invited a diverse group of dancers.​
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Usability
The video showed polished visuals, and included a clear narration spoken in English. The goal was to capture the attention of dancers of all levels across different social media channels and to make the learning of our game enjoyable. This helped us increase engagement with the Kickstarter.
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Accessibility & Inclusion
Some people learn better visually or aurally than through written content. Our explanation video could cater to these preferences, making the experience inclusive for diverse audiences.
Here you see a snapshot of me taking matters (a.k.a the camera) into my own hands during the promo-shoot.
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We wanted to show how the game could easily be used in the comfort of ones' living room during the lockdown to keep practicing in a fun and playful way with ones' dance partner.​
​Social Media
Finally, I advised Ron on how to organise the game's social media channels.
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A well-organized, visually appealing Instagram feed helped to enhance usability, engagement, and emotional connection to the game.
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Maintaining the game's color scheme, style, and theme helped build familiarity and trust with our game and brand.
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To reduce cognitive load and enable a quick scan of the feed, I advised to stick to a recurring sequence.
D&I
Ron hired me not only as a designer, but also as a communication specialist. My job was to ensure professional, clear and inclusive communication to our target audience and the general public.
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This included any and all written text on social media channels, the Kickstarter page, and direct emails and messages with people involved, backers, buyers and VIPs.
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'Our mission and commitment'
Here you see the screenshot of our mission and commitment statement that we published on Kickstarter.
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As mentioned earlier (see 'Research'), to take part in a fair cultural exchange, we chose two organisations in the USA and the Netherlands to support through our Kickstarter campaign and through personal donations:
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Frankie Manning Foundation
On Kickstarter we offered our ackers the option to honour the Swing legacy through donating to the Frankie Manning Foundation, initiated by the Black Lindy Hoppers Fund. The donations had no upper limit and were fully transferred to the Frankie Manning Foundation. Donating granted our backers the "Swing Like Frankie" card in their card deck.
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Omroep ZWART
At the time, a new Dutch TV program was announced called Omroep ZWART (transl. broadcaster BLACK). Aligned with our mission, the goal of the broadcaster was to create inclusive programs with new people, including those with different skin colors, preferences, origins, sexual orientations, backgrounds, or disabilities. We became paying members in support of the realisation of the program. Since Januaru 2022, Omroep ZWART is part of the Dutch public broadcasting system.

Personal Learning Outcomes
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Research and honour the history of your product (ignorance is not bliss)
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World champions are also just people who are excited to connect and share their passion with the world
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You don't need a big publisher to create and sell your own game
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Double predicted production time
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Avoid shipping around the holidays
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Teamwork makes the dream work
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It was a special honour to contribute to the realisation of a simple, self-made game that reached and excited people around the world within such a short amount of time. I loved how much music and dancing was involved in the process.