Main Role: User Experience Researcher & Designer
Duration: 10 months
Team: Michele Pereira de Souza - Designer, Helen Armstrong - Chair
Deliverables: Complete literary and user research documentation in the shape of a thesis + Mockups & Prototypes.
Summary:
This project utilizes design research methodologies to analyze an existing problem (The high incidence of Emotion-Dysregulation* in boys), proposing the design of a mixed-reality game experience during father-son playtime.
The game's objective is to encourage a positive mindset towards vulnerability in boys ages 7 to 10, helping prevent the development of Emotion-Dysregulation, which can lead to Restrictive Emotionality* (RE) later in life.
The focus of this investigation relies on the research of context and its users. So first, I developed a thorough annotated bibliography on the topics of Gender identity development, Masculine gender norms of emotion expression, Emotion regulation & Restrictive Emotionality, Emotion dysregulation & Aggression, and Play. The outcome was a better understanding of how different emotions develop in a child, and the role parents play in allowing or restricting certain emotions in their boys based on gender norms.
Following, I laid out a receptivity framework to contextualize the current specific point of view of parent and the expected stage in which they would be after exposure and constant use.
Simultaneously, I conducted semi structured in-person interviews with a family councelor and a psychologist specialized in gender norms (2 each) to understand the family dinamics that usually take place when families look for help. I learned that father and son should be directly involved with the design solution to get better results, since fathers are the ones who tend to inforce negative notions of masculinity to boys at home. These interviews also allowed me to develop personas for the stakeholders involved. I had the specialists check my persona maps for accuracy. (Check spelling)
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Tactile Prototypes
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Tactile Prototypes
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Personas
Scenarios
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Initial Storyboards
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Initial Storyboards
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Refined prototype & Remote testing
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Refined prototype & Remote testing
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SPACESPACE
Testing had to be adapted to take into account a world changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. While most people were quarantined, I used the technology available to conduct testing in an efficient manner. Classmates, parents, and children played the game during video calls in which I acted behind the scenes, moving cards and showing animations. It gave users the sensation of playing a real digital game while allowing me to observe their reactions in real-time.
