Immersive games for a design team

Challenge

I was asked to create and develop prototype “design play tools” for a client's design space. These tools needed to present user research insights in new, creative ways that had not been done before. My goal was to help the design team better understand their users and bring the customer's voice directly into their design process.

My approach

The project started with exploring how people manage their personal finances. I helped create a set of behavioral archetypes based on users' attitudes and actions toward money. This involved analyzing research data from a psychological perspective and then illustrating those insights in a clear, creative way.

Next, I focused on developing playful, interactive tools that could encourage group discussions and empathy within the design team. These tools aimed to remind the team about the real people behind the product, using non-traditional methods to share user research.

Outcome

I learned that the client's design team was actually a digital product development team working in an agile way. I used this understanding and reviewed their upcoming development backlog, which showed planned features in the format of user stories.

To connect with their workflow, I created a set of “Story Enriching” cards. These cards added more detail about the users behind each development story, helping the team deepen their understanding of who they were designing for. After presenting the idea, the client saw its value and planned to explore this tool further in their process.