To create a digital game designed to foster connection between children and caregivers. The project involves identifying a pressing social issue, conducting in-depth research, designing and prototyping a game, and iteratively testing the prototype with users. The game will be centered around a specific prompt that encourages shared experiences and learning. The team will develop a comprehensive brand identity for the intervention and prioritize user feedback to ensure the final product is relevant, engaging, and beneficial to the target audience. The resulting prototype aims to serve as a foundation for future development and implementation.

Initial research topic, Visual identity development, Game development & prototyping, Rationale, Reflection

Tangible information design solution (digital intervention)

Presentation

Mokie Munch is a space genre narrative-driven application that promotes and encourages young children to be adventurous in their eating habits. Healthy eating habits are nurtured from a young age and are foundational for a healthy relationship with food. During play testing with our subjects, it was interesting to note each child chose different avatars with which to interact.

Prototyping user testing taught us that how children relate to the world around them is unique. In our app, we first used words to describe the shape of a vegetable: smooth or rough. However, during play testing we saw the children weren’t sure when it came to broccoli, the stem was smooth but the top was rough. We realised experience is on a spectrum. This enabled us to iterate our concept to use sliders and icons in our app for the children to express their sensory experiences toward food. The sliders were ideal because they had no right or wrong answers. We also discovered our target audience of 6-8-year-olds related better to metaphors like broccoli described as shaped like a tree than comparing shapes to food like an apple as circular. User testing also showed buttons on the top of the iPad screen is harder to reach for children therefor we moved the buttons to the bottom of the screen so that the children will have them in easy access.

The application is easy to use, functioning similar to a traditional set of digital games. The intervention is visually appealing with a universal flat style with added gradients for visual intrigue, making it appropriate for a large audience. Families with children from age 6-8 have the autonomy to decide with which avatar they would like to taste new foods. Our app, Mokie Much is designed to help young children be adventurous eaters specifically targeting sensory aversion and the connection between child and caregiver. Play testing offered multiple insightful examples of this.

Facing the unknown is terrifying. For young children most foods are unknown. Facing the touch, taste, or smell of a new food is easily experienced as dis-pleasurable in some way and very uncomfortable for a child causing picky eating and stressful meal times. Our app therefor aims to help children naturally explore food through taking them through sensory explorative questions as well as rewarding adventurous eating with badges and prizes.

6-8-year-olds with their care givers, guardians and parents.

Children react better when they feel they have some control over a situation. By being able to pick their own characters the children feel they are in control which makes them want to continue with the game.

Children feel more confident in exploring and answering questions when there are no wrong answers. This empowers them to continue their exploration of not only the game, but of the foods themselves.

Children feel empathy towards the characters and are more willing to try foods when their alien tries it with them.

Narrative and achievement rewards motivate the children to want to continue on and try different foods.

All children perceive things differently, through the use of sliders they can indicate how they perceived the different foods in their own environments.

The game should make use of a 'scaffolding' of different difficulties and categories, as each child is different they find different things difficult.

• If a child feels forced to eat certain foods it creates a power struggle between parent and child which is likely to end in conflict.

• Children are more likely to try new foods if they have first explored them with their other senses (touch, smell, sight). Helping prepare meals might help them to feel more comfortable in trying them.

• By allowing children to make small decisions throughout the process they are more likely to feel in control of the situation and their emotions which then leads to a higher likelihood of them trying certain foods.

• Ages 5-7: Cutting with small knife, grating, measuring, rubbing in, beating and folding, greasing trays, peeling oranges or eggs, setting the table.

• Ages 8-11: Planning a meal, following a simple recipe, finding ingredients in cupboard or fridge, using a peeler, whisking, making salads, opening cans, start introducing heat.

• Picky eaters are "developmentally normal" and common for ages 2 - 5 however pickiness does still occur with children above this age group.

• By school age most children are getting over their fear of trying new foods and their need to overcome their need to constantly assert their independence

• Kids need to eat at least every 4 hours (3 meals and 2 snacks)

• Provide a variety of foods each meal

• Don't give too many options at mealtime.

• Offer new foods in small quantities.

• Include your child in food decisions and preparations(and if you can, grow some of the produce in the yard) - gives sense of control over diet and is more likely to eat something he/she chose or helped make.

• Make fun healthful treats together

• Teach kids about nutrition without lecturing (colour in food chart on fridge with requirements) eg. The oatmeal he eats will make him run and jump better at school today.

1. The regressor

2. The flavour hater

3. The guzzler

4. The super feeler

5. The gagger

6. The untouchable

An alien spaceship has crash-landed on Earth! The alien is lost and hungry. For them to go home to their family the alien's spaceship needs to be repaired. The only way to help them is to explore and try new foods. The more the children try, the quicker the spaceship is fixed. Along with the lost and hungry alien, the kids eat different foods from different food groups and answer some sensory questions, such as what the texture is, what does it smell like and what does it feel like. Once the kid has explored all the foods, the lost alien can return home safe and sound.

The illustrations below include inspiration from South Africa by including the Johannesburg skyline in the first illustration of the Fruit Garden, as well as the famous landmark Table Mountain in the second illustration of the Veggie Garden. The last illustration includes inspiration from the map of South Africa. By including these subtle clues of South Africa, the kids can gain a feeling of the land. Along with bright colours and the chosen monster, the vector illustrations come to life.

Through user testing we found that a slider system is more suited than giving the children multiple choice questions as they perceived the foods differently. They enjoyed being given the option to pick their own characters giving them the space to make their own decisions. The children enjoyed being in a position where they knew more about earth and the foods we have than the alien, this put them in a teaching position which made them more willing to explore these foods themselves. The children showed empathy towards the character and its story and was willing to try foods with the character when it felt scared to try the food on its own. Children really enjoyed the reward system and wanted to continue playing the game and try more foods after user testing was completed.