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Leveraging psychological principles to design a practical solution.
To support Quality Education. A United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal.
Research revealed two key insights:
1. Children are spending less time in natural environments.
2. Teachers face challenges with limited resources and lack the confidence to effectively integrate technology into engaging outdoor education lessons.
Teachers face the daily challenge of teaching children about nature.
Often without the necessary resources to engage them effectively in the lessons.
A 2D environmental education game was introduced to the curriculum.
Designed to be used in the classroom, helping teachers and parents overcome some of the barriers in modern education while engaging children and sparking their interest in nature.
Teachers empowered to teach their outdoor education lessons in a new and modern way.
Thus creating a lasting impact on students' engagement and overall learning.
The students could continue their learning in the game with friends outside of the classroom, engaging in a fun and interactive way that kept them connected to both each other and nature.
The information regarding the learning topics was initially too complex and not user-friendly, which detracted from the enjoyment of the game.
To address this, the information on the plants was simplified, using clear and straightforward language with realistic and applicable details.
This adjustment helped maintain the educational value while ensuring the game remained engaging and accessible for the users.
The lack of choices with the 'given' character left participants feeling disconnected and robotic.
To address this, more personalized features were added, such as customizable glasses, hats, and other accessories, allowing children to create characters they could better relate to.
This enhancement helped foster a stronger emotional connection to the game, making the experience feel more engaging and interactive for the users.
A key challenge was creating a solution that addressed the educational problem while remaining practical and impactful for users. With diverse ideas from the team, we collaborated to evaluate, refine, and align concepts with our goals.
This iterative process helped shape the final product’s features, ensuring it effectively enhanced educational outcomes.
As the project manager, I guided the team through research, set clear responsibilities, managed deadlines, and addressed challenges.
I created a practical timeline that balanced task complexity with team members’ other commitments, ensuring steady progress while fostering collaboration and flexibility.
As the sole designer, I faced the challenge of making key design decisions that aligned with research findings and the team’s ideas. Defining a visual style, choosing between 2D and 3D, and selecting a color palette required balancing creativity, usability, and practicality.
Thoughtful research, iteration, and alignment with project goals ensured the design supported the game’s purpose and enhanced the user experience.
During usability testing, ethical constraints limited testing to adults, such as teachers and parents, providing valuable insights but missing the critical perspectives of children, the primary users. Without their input, we couldn’t fully assess how they would interact with or enjoy the game.
Future efforts will focus on obtaining permissions and ethical approvals to include children in testing, ensuring the design truly meets their needs and provides an engaging experience.
Balancing innovative design ideas with practical constraints taught me the importance of adapting strategies based on research findings, team input, and external limitations.
Flexibility was crucial in responding to unexpected challenges, such as ethical testing restrictions, while ensuring that the core goals of user satisfaction and project success remained at the forefront.
Open, transparent communication within the team was essential for aligning on goals, managing tasks, and maintaining progress.
Regular updates, feedback loops, and check-ins fostered collaboration, ensuring everyone was on the same page and contributing to a unified vision despite differing schedules and expertise.
Leading with empathy helped me understand the individual needs of team members and their external commitments.
By providing a flexible, supportive environment, I was able to maintain motivation, build trust, and ensure the team could work effectively without compromising personal well-being.
Strategic planning of timelines and resources ensured that the project met deadlines without sacrificing quality.
By breaking the project into manageable phases, accommodating team availability, and adjusting as needed, I could balance efficiency with creativity, keeping the project on track while respecting each team member’s capacity.
Through usability testing and ongoing iterations, I learned that design is an evolving process.
Regular feedback from both users and team members enabled continuous improvements, ensuring that each version of the design better met user needs and was closer to the final, polished solution.
In future projects or iterations of this work, I would prioritize more time for thorough initial research, focusing on real user interviews with teachers, parents, and children. Gathering first-hand feedback instead of relying solely on secondary research would provide deeper insights into users' actual challenges, ensuring design decisions are grounded in their needs.
This approach would lead to more effective solutions and a truly user-centered product.
For future projects, I would adopt a more focused approach by prioritizing one or two core functionalities at the outset. By dedicating time to thoroughly research and refine a key feature, we could ensure it is fully developed and user-centered before expanding to additional features.
This approach would prevent the project from becoming overwhelmed by too many elements and allow for a polished, seamless application. Gradually introducing new features as the project evolves would maintain quality and enhance user satisfaction throughout the process.
In future projects, I would prioritize securing ethical approval early to conduct thorough research and usability testing with all relevant user groups. This would allow me to gather accurate, comprehensive feedback directly from the target audience, providing a deeper understanding of the product’s functionality and real-world application.
Taking this proactive approach would ensure the design aligns with user needs from the start, enabling more informed and impactful decisions throughout the project.
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