📍 Background

Flood-It is a colour-based puzzle game by Pixel Labs, known for its simplicity and addictiveness. Despite a loyal user base and high app store visibility, the game faced stagnant growth, high drop-off at early levels, and suboptimal monetization.

Across two academic modules, I performed a complete GA4-backed analytics audit and later presented a strategic improvement plan to elevate user engagement, revenue, and global market expansion. The project spanned user behaviour analysis, monetization diagnostics, UX evaluation, and a forward-facing marketing playbook.

🚨 The Challenge
• 📉 High level drop-off: Large user decline between Level Start and Level End
• 💸 Unoptimized monetization: Limited IAP options, non-contextual ads, and no dynamic pricing
• 🧩 Poor retention: Inconsistent cohort return and low long-term user lifetime value
• 🌍 Limited global adaptation: English-only UI, no regionalized offers or gameplay customization
• 📱 Tech stack fragmentation: Underperformance on Android devices (80% of user base)

The objective was to identify data-driven weaknesses and propose viable, scalable strategies for long-term growth.

🧠 Strategy & Solution

🔍 Analytics & GA4 Insights
• Monitored real-time traffic, device type, region, session duration, and LTV
• Identified drop-off funnel issues using event conversion charts (e.g., Level Start → Level End)
• Segmented users by platform, browser, screen size, and app version to spot underperformance
• Tracked in-app purchase frequency, ad exposure, and player lifetime value

🔧 Strategic Proposal: Key Levers

1. User Engagement & Retention
• Personalized gameplay through machine learning difficulty scaling
• Built a community-first content roadmap (tournaments, shout-outs, UGC integrations)
• Redesigned onboarding with gamified tutorials + instant rewards.

2. Monetization Optimization
• Introduced dynamic pricing based on region, engagement, and LTV
• Placed rewarded ads at natural gameplay pauses
• Built a tiered IAP structure tied to progress, urgency, and seasonal offers

3. Market Reach Expansion
• Deployed influencer marketing campaigns via Twitch, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok
• Localized game content, event names, and character themes to appeal across cultures
• Proposed lite version for low-bandwidth markets with micro-monetization mechanics

4. Technical Enhancements & Feedback Loop
• Prioritized Android optimization (screen scaling, performance tuning, crash resolution)
• Added in-app feedback loops for bug reports and gameplay suggestions
• Instituted beta group testing for all future feature rollouts

📐 Benchmarking & Best Practices
• Compared Connemara’s website against industry players like Rye River Brewing and Carlow Brewing
• Integrated global UX inspirations from Amazon, IKEA, ASOS, and Apple for best-in-class CRO strategies
• Outlined SEO frameworks based on Moz and Google’s E-E-A-T and Schema standards

📈 Outcomes (Simulated / Recommendation Phase)

• Retention & LTV: Expected a 15–25% increase through personalized gameplay experiences and rewards-based onboarding strategies.
• Revenue Uplift: Anticipated improvement in ARPU by implementing dynamic pricing models and integrating contextual advertising.
• Platform Performance: Enhanced Android performance aimed at reducing churn and increasing session durations.
• Global Downloads: Projected 20–30% growth through localization efforts and targeted influencer marketing campaigns.
• Community Engagement: Higher daily active users (DAUs) expected through the addition of social features, user-generated content loops, and integrated feedback systems.


✅ Key Takeaways

• Strong data storytelling transforms static metrics into actionable marketing insights
• Monetization needs to balance user value and brand economics — not just volume
• Localization, even beyond language, is key to app stickiness in global markets
• Games grow when they act more like communities, not just products.

🧰 Skills Showcased
GA4 & App Analytics • Mobile Game UX • Strategic Planning • User Retention Modeling • IAP & Ad Monetization Strategy • Market Localization • Performance Optimization • Presentation Design