Jaycee Masucci
Inclusion: N, O, V
Portfolio
Concept & Research
When we were first given this task, our group immediately gravitated toward the idea of diversity and inclusion. As designers, the value of variety and individualism is extremely prominent, and the idea of instilling these lessons into children from a young age was something we all felt extremely passionately about.
Our group chose to visit the Strong National Museum of Play to get a new perspective on how simple interactions could be utilized to create complex, meaningful experiences for children (and to have some fun). This ended up heavily inspiring our final interaction solution - a museum experience with a tablet that acted as a controller for a projection in front of the user. We felt this was immersive, playful, and would allow for the highest learning capacity.
N is for Nonbinary
For this solution, I wanted to communicate the idea that there are so many different ways of expression that lie outside of the perceived gender binary. The characters are all comprised of the same shapes to represent the unifying idea that we may look different, but we are all made of the same parts. The light blue is spread throughout, and is representative of features or accessories that may typically be associated with a gender binary.
The prism and light shining into it is a direct correlation to the spectrum of identity. In the interaction, I chose to emphasize this prism metaphor, and allow the full spectrum to be revealed when the prism has been filled with enough light.
O is for Open-minded
For this solution, I wanted to communicate the idea that we all have a different perspective. One is not more right than the other - they’re just different, and that’s okay. The different glasses are representative of the “different lenses” that we all view the world through. In the interaction, I further explored this idea by giving the user something to “focus” on. When no lenses are selected, the square displayed is just a square. Depending on which pair the user is wearing, the square animates into something different.
V is for Visiting
Through this illustration, I wanted to communicate the idea that we may all come from different places, but we should strive to share our cultures and truly make everyone feel accepted. I wanted to emphasize how different these two figures are, but still are welcoming toward each other. Through my interaction, the user can drag the slider to make the character reach higher toward the creature, and trigger the creature’s acceptance of their gift.
Takeaways
This project was an interesting challenge of communicating complex and serious topics in a way that was easily understood by young kids. I wanted to strongly abide by the idea that we learn best by playing (as depicted from the museum visit in my process) in an effort to both keep children engaged, and teach them something valuable that would stick. Considering the full picture of how interaction could be utilized to further enhance this understanding gave me a new perspective and appreciation on the integration of the various forms of creation.
Downloadable Assets
You may use the below assets created for this project provided via Figma as long as you give attribution, share your outcomes, and if your use is non-commercial in nature.
