Professional Project · Kahoot! & DragonBox
Math Puzzle Game for Kids · Mobile & Web
Wash-Wash Operations turns arithmetic into a playful puzzle set in a world of hilariously dirty, magical monsters. Instead of rote memorization, kids build an intuitive grasp of numbers and operations: by choosing the right numbers and operations to complete each calculation, they wash the dirt off a monster and reveal its true personality. Clean monsters evolve and new ones unlock as players progress. The game works both for solo practice and as a live classroom game.
This was the first game I worked on at Kahoot! I came when the design was mostly done, but all the levels had to be made. I worked closely with the learning designer to make sure the levels were aligned with relevant math skills.
In Wash Wash Operations, we aimed to make math fun and enjoyable. The goal was not to add a gamification layer, but to select the questions types and the answers to make the levels interesting. We also played with types of exercises that kids are not used to practice, and that feel more free, like "Build a number bigger than 23", "Make an odd number". Many puzzles also have multiple solutions, to show math as something that can be explored and played with. Finally, there were "flex slots" where kids could drag around cards to change place value of the numbers.
Learn more on the official Wash-Wash Operations announcement.