healthYAY is an interactive installation prototype aimed at empowering young children to make healthy food choices.
This project includes an animated display that changes when a stuffed felt food item is placed on the wooden "plate".
Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Unity, Figma, Makey Makey circuitry, laser cut wood, and stuffed felt. 2021.
The Challenge
Design an interactive experience that excites and empowers young children to make healthy choices for themselves.
Ideation
Since this interactive installation is aimed at young children, I drew inspiration from bright colors, character design, and touchable materials.
User Research
Using insights from an interview with a 1st grade teacher and research on how kids learn through experiential learning, I created a persona and a user journey map for a child in my target age range.
User Flow, Site Map, Sketching, and Wireframing
I began my prototyping process of an interactive installation by planning out content.
The final design was modified to exclude the mat and running action from the installation so as not to complicate the interaction or detract from the main message.
I also opted to include an educational introduction before the cue to place the food choice on the plate.
Prototyping - Plate and Stuffed Felt Foods
To make the food and plate, I sketched out my concept, created the stuffed felt foods, lasercut the chipwood circles and rings to make the plate and stands, and covered specific parts in aluminum foil for conductivity.
Prototyping - Circuitry
I connected the two components with Makey Makey circuitry and used Unity to write code for the animations to switch with different key press inputs from the Makey Makey processor.
Prototyping - Animations
For the animations, I created wireframes and high fidelity mockups before animating the sequences in After Effects.
Final Prototype
The final prototype was tested by a 7 year old, and a 4 year old. The children understood how to interact with the installation without my interference and were engaged throughout their time with the prototype, which were the main things I was testing.
It was also shown and interacted with in the 1st Creative Tech Demo Day of Texas A&M's Institute of Applied Creativity.
What I Learned
The felt objects were a big hit with the children and the adults. Making them bright, plush, and inviting to interact with was a success as all participants were visibly excited to pick one to place on the plate, a feeling I connect to feeling empowered and comfortable.
The tomato was commonly mistaken for other fruits and vegetables. The colors of the foods could have been picked out better.
The user flow made sense to every participant, and they were engaged with the visuals and sound.
The foil covered rings of the "plate" were received negatively because participants felt like they might be shocked.
