Mini-Projects
This page features a series of mini-projects from my Master's program. Each button title represents the overarching topic or theme of the project, while the description beneath highlights the specific task or prompt that guided the work.
Video Game Design
Choose a video game and hybrid it with analog toys or technology to create an innovative product.
*A serious game is a game designed with the primary purpose of education, training, or solving real-world problems, rather than solely for entertainment.
Technology Applied to Games
Identify an educative target and develop a serious game concept.
Technologies for Play, Learning, and Inclusion
Create a concept for a universal toy (product).
*A universal toy is a plaything designed to be accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for children of all abilities, fostering equal play opportunities.
Product Design for Kids
Starting from observations, develop a toy concept inspired by the highlighted child-object interactions.
User Centered Design
Develop a concept using a user centered design approach.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math)
Build a simple video game using the P5.
Video Game Design
Task: Choose a video game and hybrid it with analog toys or technology to create an innovative product.
How?
What?
Why?
Integrating SSX Tricky with snowboarding so that users can feel as though they are inside a video game.
Teenagers will attach 2-4 sensors to their snowboard and gloves to track their position in 3D. Users earn points based on style, tricks, speed, technique, and more during each run. They can check their points on their phone or computer. Points transfer to the game for unlocking new boards and characters. Players can compete with friends for points over any timeframe. Snowboarders with headphones will hear when they enter "Tricky Mode." The companion app/website offers advice to improve technique or tricks based on collected data.
Merging real snowboarding with the fun of SSX Tricky
Huge market potential with over 7.61 million snowboarders in the U.S. and with 40% of them being under the age of 17
Technology Applied to Games
Task: Identify an educative target and develop a serious game concept.
U.S. Gun Control Serious Game
Goal: Educate people (likely students) on gun violence in America and the role of government in creating change.
Description: The game aims to help people understand gun violence in America. It showcases different statistics and how they change based on factors like location, demographics, and socioeconomic status. Players will explore how gun control laws are created and the challenges involved. They will also enact specific laws to see their effects on gun violence. This experience provides a clearer view of the gun violence issue in the U.S. and explores potential solutions and the difficulties in achieving them.
Example screenshots from gameplay
Technologies for Play, Learning, and Inclusion
Task: Create a concept for a universal toy.
Detective Mind: Unleash Your Potential
An ADHD detective game to help children improve skills in areas that are typically hindered by ADHD
An engaging and immersive detective-style educational computer game designed to help students with ADHD improve their task organization, concentration, and working memory skills. Players step into the shoes of a young detective and embark on a series of intriguing mysteries set in various environments. As they progress, the mysteries become more complex, gradually challenging and strengthening their cognitive abilities.
Learning Objectives
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Objective: Improve the ability to breakdown complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps
Gameplay: Encourage players to systematically approach mysteries by creating task lists and prioritizing actions to solve each case
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Objective: Increase the duration of focused attention on a single task or activity
Gameplay: Present challenges that require sustained attention and provide positive reinforcement for staying on task.
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Objective: Strengthen working memory capacity for holding and manipulating information.
Gameplay: Incorporate puzzles, clues, and information-gathering tasks that require players to remember and use details to solve mysteries.
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Objective: Develop and reinforce observation skills to identify relevant information.
Gameplay: Reward players for keen observation and through exploration of game environments, encouraging attention to detail.
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Objective: Foster analytical thinking and creative problem-solving abilities.
Gameplay: Present mysteries with multiple solutions or paths, encouraging players to think critically and adapt to different scenarios.
Example Game Enviornments
Haunted Mansion Mystery
Players are tasked with investigating a myserious mansion where strange occurences have been reported.
(solving puzzles, dechiphering cryptic messages, and gathering evidence while disctracted by ghosts)
The Time Travel Dilemma
Players find themselves in a time-travel adventure, attempting to prevent a historical catastrophe.
(Navigating historical periods, collecting clues, and making timeline-impacting decisions.)
The Space Station Emergency
Players are astronauts on a space station facing an emergency and must solve problems to survive.
(Managing time-sensitive tasks, repairing equipment, and making critical decisions while maintaining focus amid distractions)
Product Design for Kids
Task: Starting from observations, develop a toy concept inspired by the highlighted child-object interactions.
Squeeze N’ Spray
A spray toy to help kids in the bath while improving their fine motor skills and cause & effect understanding
Project Background
The objective of this project is to present a child aged 2 to 5 years with an ordinary object that is typically not considered a toy. I will observe how the child engages with this object and use these observations to create a toy inspired by their interactions.
User: Jonas, 2-year-old boy
Analysis: Jonas curiously explored the spray bottle, squeezing the trigger and delighting in the mist. He aimed it at himself, laughing and dancing as the water hit his face. He enjoyed watering plants, mimicking his mom and feeling grown-up. He was captivated by the water sloshing in the bottle, intrigued by its movement and flow.
Benefits: Through this play, Jonas is developing fine motor skills by coordinating both hands to operate the bottle and deepening his understanding of cause and effect.
Chosen Object: Spray Bottle
Child-Object Interaction Report
Stated Function: The spray bottle is made to hold and spray liquids easily. The trigger lets you pressurize and release water or other liquids as a fine mist. It's often used for cleaning solutions, watering plants, or other liquids that work well in mist form.
User Centered Design
Task: Develop a concept using a user centered design approach.
An Interactive & Modern Baseball Trophy
User Observation
Little League Baseball Ceremony
I observed little league players at their end-of-season reward ceremony.
Problem Noticed: Kids who got their trophy early lost interest quickly, while those who received it later stayed engaged.
Needs Emerged: Trophy the kids can play with & make a trophy more than just an object to put on a shelf.
Current Little League Trophy Issues:
- Single Function
- Doesn’t include any details about team or season
- They all look the same
- Sits on shelf until thrown away
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math
Task: Build a simple video game using P5.