Role Converter
This is an immersive application-integrated tool that uses Augmented Reality technique to enhance the experiences of children in role playing games.
Role
UX Designer
Product Designer
Visual Designer
Project Type
Personal work
Tools
Xmind, Sketch，
Flow, Maya,
Illustrator, Photoshop
3D print,
Timeline
7 week ( Aug-Oct 2019)
Overview
Imitation is a primary means for children to understand the world. As important subjects of imitation, some doings of parents are often followed and repeated intensively by their children. These natural processes, if properly combined with care and conscious instruction by parents, will probably lead to great results for young children in their physiological development.
Researches show that pre-school children already see themselves as social members, and consequently desire to imitate some complicated social characters. This product is designed as an interactive tool, affording children the opportunities of creative role playing. Such interaction helps them cultivate favorable living habits and meanwhile transmits common knowledge to them, thereby playing a subtle and positive role in their growth.
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Inspiration
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Experiment on children's cognitive ability
Experimental practice:
First give the child two equal amounts of water (the shape of the cup is the same), then in the face of the child, pour the two glasses of water into a tall and thin container and another short and fat container， Ask the child which cup of water is more or same?
Experimental result:
Children under the age of 6 and under 7 years old only judge the amount of water based on the height of the water in the cup, regardless of the size of the cup. Children over the age of 6 and 7 can generally answer this question correctly.
Conslusion:
Children of younger age have limitations in the way they think about and understand the world.
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Research
Children's psychological needs at different stages
Children in the 3-6 age stage need parent to accompancy and guide.
Characteristics of children in different ages
Children in the first stage: a preliminary understanding of the world.
Children in the second stage: the expression of individual psychological activities through imitative behavior.
Children in the third stage: has the primary thinking logic ability.
Target User
Ages: 3 ~ 6 years old
1. Need parental guidance in life
2. Interested in the game
3. The best period for children to enhance their understanding through imitation
Children's educational toys research
1.Children can improve their ability in all aspects when using toys and playing games. Children's imagination can be improved through free painting.
2.Parents have more opportunities to participate in children's games during role-playing and reading picture books.
Toys are tools for children to know the world and are partners in their lives.
Definiation of children's role-playing game
Role-playing is an activity in which children imitate real life through imagination.
It provides children with the opportunity to imitate and reproduce the relationship between people and lay the foundation for their ability to form a good social interaction.
Role-playing content for children
1. The hypothesis of the game character
For example:
Playing a familiar character in life, such as mother, teacher, driver, chef, etc.
2. Imaginary of game material
Children often replace one item with another.
For example: Use a paper strip as a "noodle", use a small piece to make a piece of "rice", and use a popsicle stick as
a "chopstick". The same kind of item can serve different things in different games. For example, the plastic strip can be the "crutch" of the grandfather, the "rail" of the train, the
"syringe" of the nurse, or the "sticker" of the police.
3. A hypothetical game scenario (scenario conversion).
Young children often condense or convert game scenarios through one or several actions and imaginations.
For example: playing the doll house, ' mother ' touches the 'child' forehead, "Yah! The child has a fever, send it to the hospital." then he took the 'child' and returned back to the bed, indicating that the child had finished the needle.
Opportunity Area
Parents choose a picture book theme for children that needs
to think about and solve problems.
Parents accompany children to play the storyline
in the picture book.
Parents use subtle education to educate children
through role-playing games.
Game props
Roles
Game location
Play scene
Children's playmate selection
Play the game alone.
Play with parents.
Play with partners.
Conslusion:
Children like to play role-playing games with their parents. As they grow older, children choose to play the game alone longer.
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Design Process
brainstorming
Key words：Single game pattern, Family game pattern, personalized family documentary, painting, picture book material, AR technology, Interactive screen
Design definition
Single game pattern
Family game pattern
Interactive form
Source of game
material
Children interact with products
Children match game props by painting and observing.
This adds fun to playing the game alone.
Children interact with parents
The product use game script as a medium to generate a personalized family documentary.
This adds more possibilities for family.
Realization way
AR scanning: Choosing the
props and playing scenes
Interactive screen: Painting interface and Play interface
AR scanning: Choosing the
props and playing scenes
Interactive screen: Painting interface and Play interface
Educational picture books & cartoon section
Children's painting
content
Educational picture books & cartoon section
Children's painting
content
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System Overview
Functions
Single game pattern
Family game pattern
Technology
Experiments
Using Flow
Sketch
Structure and Size
Storyboard
How to operate the product according to different steps？
Single game pattern
Family game pattern
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Prototype
Printing product models by 3d printer. After that, I painted the model.
Details
-4-
Final Work
This is an immersive application-integrated tool that uses Augmented Reality technique to enhance the experiences of children in role playing games.
Individual mode：children are no longer limited to playing a stage property. Their imagination and ability to match things can be well trained.
Parent-child mode：breaks the limit of monotonous roles by offering interactive games to parents and children. To address this, parents may design a game theme in advance, and guide role playing of their children with a purpose in order to evaluate their behaviors or perception. More affective education may be incorporated in the games as well.
