Challenge
A struggle to manage emotions
Many children grapple with identifying their emotions, often leading to a sense of overwhelm that manifests in outbursts or tantrums. Soothing an upset child can be exceptionally demanding, amplifying stress for parents.
Solution
Design an interactive book series
Mivi, short for 'navigating me,' comprises interactive books and characters designed to assist children in navigating and comprehending their emotions. Through the interactive website, children can follow the storyline, applying characters' methods to manage emotions, fostering improved recognition and expression of feelings.
Tools
Procreate
Wix
Figma
role
UX/UI Design
UX Research
Interaction Design
Visual Design
timeline
June 2022- August 2022
Team
Solo Project
Discovery
In the digital age, children frequently indulge in YouTube or gaming on electronic devices. my research aligned with Nielsen's findings, revealing gaming as a predominant electronic activity. This insight steered the interactive design of Mivi's books, aiming to captivate and engage young minds.
During my research, I explored resources on children's emotional well-being and techniques for self-soothing. For example, some strategies I found to manage anger were:
Taking a deep breath - increases the supply of oxygen to the brain, slowing down heart rate and helping stimulate relaxation to reduce stress
Visualizing a quiet place - a cognitive tool utilizing imagination to achieve a more relaxed state of mind
Counting to 10 - shifts focus from anger-inducing situations
Example Book - I Won't Let My Anger Control Me!
Similar to a user flow, the brainstorm outlined the order of interactions in each book scene, guiding the reader through the narrative seamlessly.
To distribute the eBook, I exported the files from Procreate as a PDF and saved it to Google Drive. Subsequently, I shared the PDF link on Mivi's official Wix site, ensuring easy access and user-friendly navigation.
Tailored for a youthful audience, the design incorporated simplicity, vibrant colors, and captivating illustrations to enhance visual appeal.
Additionally, I fused a game-like experience with a traditional eBook, ensuring a more engaging and entertaining learning approach for children.
To facilitate user understanding, I incorporated a tutorial/instruction screen before readers delved into the interactive story.
style guide
Takeaways
Adapting and finding resources
Being my first UX/UI project, I found myself with a limited understanding of Figma and other essential design tools. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, I actively sought guidance from various sources, turning to YouTube and Google as valuable educational platforms.
Thinking in Multiple Perspectives
Cultivating a mindset that encompasses multiple perspectives, especially prioritizing the user's viewpoint over my own, emerged as a pivotal aspect of my role as a UX designer. This project prompted me to reconsider the simplicity of certain aspects from the user's standpoint, leading me to appreciate the importance of designing a product that resonates as user-friendly.
© Kaylie Lai 2023
klai.kaylie@gmail.com