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Eduventure

An interactive game design that reimagines the daily commute to school and transforms it into an engaging and educational adventure for primary school children.

My roles
UX Research
Product Design
Story Telling
UX/UI Design
Tools
  • Figma
  • Adobe Photoshop
    Adobe Illustrator
    Unity
Context & Team
  • University Project
  • Adobe Illustrator
timeline
  • Mar - Jun 2024
    (4 Months)
Game screen from 'Eduventure' showing a cartoon pirate boy on a beach with different pirate hats
overview

Eduventure is an interactive story game, designed specifically for primary school children. The game is integrated into the concept of autonomous school buses, aiming to seamlessly incorporate educational technology into children’s daily routines. Our goal was to transform passive travel time into an engaging, age-appropriate learning experience, tailored to each year level.

My Contributions
  • Research: I helped conduct user studies with primary school children, gathered feedback, and translated insights into design requirements, while considering legal and contextual constraints.
  • UX Design: I designed the overall experience, including the game structure, interface, and user flow.
  • Interaction Design: I helped develop interaction concepts for both the shared main screen and the individual player interfaces, ensuring that they work seamlessly together.
  • Narrative: I created a consistent pirate-themed story that connects all mini-games and provides an immersive, cohesive experience.
The Problem
While the transition to autonomous school buses solves logistical problems, it creates a critical psychological void: the absence of a human supervisor. Without the natural authority of a driver, safety risks arise due to restlessness, feelings of anxiety among younger children, and widespread uncertainty among parents. The challenge was to develop a digital solution that not only entertains but also technologically replaces the social control and safety provided by an adult chaperone.

Process

Over a 12-week period, we followed the Human-Centered Design process to transform the autonomous school bus into an immersive educational game.

Context of use Requirements

We began by analyzing the "autonomous school bus" ecosystem. Since the bus operates without adult supervision, we examined the legal and ethical landscape. Based on these insights, we defined the core requirements for a safe, self-regulating space. This led to a specialized interior layout featuring a central table with integrated personal displays, specifically tailored to the ergonomic and social needs of primary school students.

Digital board summarizing legal and ethical research on autonomous vehicles, with a section on school busesPersona card of Zack Zocker, a 10-year-old boy doing homework on the bus. Lives in Gaimersheim, attends 4th grade, and has a 15-minute bus ride. Likes gaming and football. Finds little kids annoying, games too simple, and the bus like a kindergarten.Persona card of Sarah Spielkind, a 6-year-old girl smiling on the bus. Lives in Gaimersheim, attends 1st grade, and has a 15-minute bus ride. Enjoys horseback riding, drawing, ballet, and playing with friends. Worries about getting off the bus correctly, being bothered, and the bus not arriving.

Ideation & Design Solution

Using the Lotus Blossom Method, we moved beyond traditional interfaces to create a pirate-themed adventure story game. We developed a hybrid gameplay model: cooperative missions on a central "treasure" table and individual mini-games at each seat. To guide the young crew, we designed Henry the Parrot, a virtual mentor providing voice assistance to lower entry barriers.

Brainstorming board using the Lotus Blossom method to explore ideas for a child-friendly transportation service A concept showing five children playing Eduventure on a specially designed interactive table inside a bus. The central screen displays a lively pirate adventure, with individual sections allowing each child to control their game character.A grayscale flowchart with two horizontal flows: the top starts at 'Register NFC Card' including login and decisions with feedback loops; the bottom begins at 'End Game'.Three cartoon illustrations of Parrot Henry, a red macaw with blue tail feathers and yellow beak: sitting calmly, talking with wings partially spread, and flying with wings fully extended.

Evaluation

Validation was conducted in two cycles with primary school students. First, we used a paper prototype to test the story logic and pirate game mechanics. These insights were directly integrated into a functional Unity prototype, which we then evaluated using child-friendly NASA-TLX scales and the Short UEQ. This confirmed that our technical implementation in Unity ensures low cognitive workload and high engagement, keeping the "young crew" safe and focused during the ride.

Overhead view of a child’s hands arranging paper prototypes of a digital interface during user testing with children. One sheet shows a boat shape with buttons.

Result

We developed a functional MVP in Unity, demonstrating how a gamified environment can transform autonomous bus ride into a safe, educational and engaging experience.
A grid of five colorful communal screen designs on a light blue background: pirate-themed maze, spot-the-difference game with two pirate scenes, spyglass view of a beach, treasure map carved into rock with a torch symbol, and another pirate island maze view.A grid of six vibrant individual player screens on a light blue background: character selection with three circular options, island map with labeled locations, pirate boy with hats for customization, scroll with a riddle, detailed treasure map scroll, and a complex stone maze.
By merging educational games with a pirate adventure story and the support of Henry the Parrot as a virtual mentor, we successfully created a "young crew" mindset that promotes cooperation and learning without adult supervision. To ensure the experience is inclusive for all, the gameplay adapts to each child's age and grade level.

Reflection

This project highlighted the vital importance of child-centered design. Direct user testing with children proved invaluable, as their honest feedback challenged our assumptions and shaped a more intuitive experience. I realized that for younger users or those still developing reading skills, clear, multi-modal instructions (like voice and visuals) are not just a feature, but a necessity.One of the greatest challenges was balancing complexity: keeping the gameplay engaging enough to prevent boredom while ensuring it never became overwhelming. I also saw how a visually appealing, story-driven interface directly impacts both usability and the children's motivation to participate.

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Game screen from 'Eduventure' showing a cartoon pirate boy on a beach with different pirate hats
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Eduventure

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