Loop
For our capstone project at Berkeley’s Master of Information Management Systems, I led a team of four designers to develop a concept game called Loop, which raises awareness by engaging children in conversations about environmental topics and wildlife.
What I did: Design Direction, Project Management, Projection Mapping, Concept Development, Character Components & Design Systems
Loop was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2023 San Francisco Design Week.
Loop is an interactive game built upon the concept of “balance“. The decisions and actions we make every day may have an impact in the future. To have a healthy ecosystem, the most important thing is to maintain the ecological balance. Children learn through interacting with the projection mapping contents about the consequences of their actions.
From food waste to endangered species, our first challenge was to narrow down the game concept. We held multiple internal discussions to brainstorm and develop the idea.
Research
We interviewed two teachers specializing in early childhood education to learn about our target users, children aged 5-8.
Insights
The interviews revealed three themes that could help shape the game into a more engaging learning experience.
Creative
“Kids put their hearts into their drawings…if they can customize something specifically for them, they will feel attached.”
Interactive
“Children love anything where they are manipulating and touching things…it increases the depth of what they are experiencing.”
Collaborative
“Children can easily correlate their feelings with the environment. You’d have the whole class wanting to work together to win the game.”
Concept
Based on what we learned from children’s behaviors and preferences, I created three storyboards to outline the game flow.
The game was divided into three sections:
- Create Personal Creatures
- Interactions in Loopville
- Reflection Activities
Character Components & Design System
I developed a design system emphasizing bright colors and simple geometrical shapes to set the style direction of the entire game experience.
Final Design
“Loopville is a utopia in the deep forest, with thriving vegetation and pleasant weather. Brightly colored little creatures lived freely in this land until one day humans discovered it…”
See the game concept come to life in the video below.
Loop was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2023 San Francisco Design Week.