UNICEF - Innovating for children in an urbanizing world

Partnering with the Office of Innovation to design for impact.

Complex social, economic and ecological problems facing children and young people cannot be solved from a single point of view, a singular knowledge domain or a monolithic approach.

UNICEF’s Innovation Nodes create transdisciplinary and collaborative spaces that focus on reflecting and generating novel wisdom in new and unknown areas of potential innovation for children.

I partnered with UNICEF to explore the potential of emerging technologies to improve the lives of vulnerable children using design.

The Challenge

To design microlearning experiences that encourage children’s curiosity and enable them to engage with complex concepts in biotechnology.

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

Co-creation with

11 children

across

6 countries

through conversations in

5 languauges

Facilitating storyboarding and card sorting activities helped showcase children’s learning process and raise awareness of their world.

Breaking insights down into opportunity areas.

BUILDING CONCEPTS

Concept 1 - Using AR

A physical card game that creates a tactile experience where children can learn with their peers. This will be accessible to children even when they don’t have internet or smartphones.

And secondly, a mobile application that allows for an immersive and in-depth micro learning experience using AR to help children learn complex concepts localized to their own context.

Research insights to concepts: AR game concept based on child’s quote “Vaccination is like boxers fighting the bad things in your body”

Concept 2 - Playfulness & Accessibility

The second concept/iteration was an effort to increase accessibility. Awareness is created through the card game and kickstarts the learning process. Then, the web app extends the learning. The web app allows for levels of difficulty to suit children who are in formal or informal education and with to various areas of interest.

INTRODUCING BIOTECHIES

This short video takes you through the entire experience through the story of Dalisay, a young girl with big dreams ✨

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PROTOTYPING, ITERATING & TESTING

Card Game Iterations

First round of testing with hand drawn sketches printed on paper prototypes.

Later rounds of testing using character based illustrations for increased interest and relatability in game play among children.

Web app iterations, user flows and use cases for android and web experiences

Execution

Each year, UNICEF delivers thousands of tons of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), for treating malnutrition in children under five. In 2021, 3.5 million RUTF cardboard boxes circulated the world. There is an opportunity here to recycle these boxes into relevant and fun toys.

Project Play is a UNICEF initiative that makes pre-printed and pre-cut toys onto RUTF cardboard packaging. This is where our inspiration stemmed from. We designed our entire game experience to be a part of these boxes and enable biotechnology to touch the lives of millions of children.

  • Presenting & facilitating a LIVE Q&A with the UNICEF's Office of Innovation global team

  • The team 🎉 L to R: Juanita Thota, Gunjan Alagh, Nikhila Isukapally, Ding Li

  • Initial brainstorming and gathering insights during the discovery phase of the project

  • Testing the card game with children and joining in because who can resist a card game?

  • Virtual storyboard co-creation activity with children from Myanmar

  • Setting up the cards and explaining game play before a testing session

  • The team along with Lumi, the UNICEF's Office of Innovation mascot

  • A candid shot of the team at our weekly meeting, most certainly fueled with laughter