ICANDO App
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Genre
Educational
Android, iOS
Lead GD/ Product Manager
Creation, LiveOps
18 months
Discontinued, Removed
Platform
Role
Duration
Status
Project Type
When I joined ICANDO, I stepped into what would become the longest-running and most creatively fulfilling project of my career. We were a scrappy, passionate startup with a mission to create gamified learning experiences for kids. At the time, the app was already live on both the Play Store and App Store, but the company was ready for a major shift—from institutional and B2B-focused, to a product that felt more lively, intuitive, and consumer-friendly. The decision? Scrap the entire build—except for its educational content—and rebuild the product from the ground up.
As Lead Game Designer, I was responsible for setting the new design direction and leading a team of three talented junior designers. At the same time, I stepped into the role of Product Manager, coordinating tasks across departments—developers, artists, and designers—and planning each sprint hand-in-hand with our Programming and Art Directors.
Wearing Two Hats: Design and Product
One of my favorite contributions was reimagining the main menu. I pitched a more adventurous concept: a hot air balloon piloted by the player’s character, with a diegetic UI that blended seamlessly into the world. This idea became the visual and conceptual anchor for the rest of the redesign. Together with our Art Director, Enggar Adirasa, we brought this vision to life and extended it into a series of narrative-driven maps, each filled with themed mini-games.
Rough sketch of the main menu.
I’ve always believed that educational games benefit from a strong sense of narrative. So, I repurposed the old version’s boss characters into friendly NPCs, each guiding kids through different themed maps. Every completed level restored a broken object in the world, with dialogue-driven cutscenes woven throughout to maintain immersion and reward progress. I personally wrote all the character dialogue to ensure tone and continuity matched our new design goals.
To bring these characters to life, we committed to fully voicing the game in both English and Bahasa Indonesia. I had the opportunity to direct voice talents from around the world, helping shape their performances to fit our educational and emotional beats. Our composer, Farhan Sarasin, handled the game’s sound design and music with incredible finesse, delivering an audio experience that felt both high-quality and playful.
Building Worlds with Story and Sound
A National-Level Collaboration
In my second year with ICANDO, we began a significant partnership with Puspeka, a division under Indonesia’s Ministry of Education. They commissioned us to create a suite of digital content, including interactive comics, music videos, and mini-games. I spearheaded our communication with the ministry, ensuring our work met their expectations while staying true to our internal creative vision. Thanks to strong coordination across teams, we delivered every milestone on time and to spec.
Narrative from one of the characters.
