joana liu
work
fishbowl
me

An educational game and live experience bringing empathy through solidarity and curiosity

An educational game and live experience bringing empathy through solidarity and curiosity

GAME + DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT
sector
Education
role
Designer, 3D Modeler
team
Individual
tools
Unity Game Engine, Womp3D, Blender, Adobe Premiere Pro
sector
role
team
tools
Education
Designer
3D Modeler
Individual
Unity Game Engine
Womp 3D
Blender 3D
Adobe Premiere
OVERVIEW

What Happened



Over the span of 2 weeks, I researched, drafted, and produced a digital environment in Unity Game Engine, assembling and created models for the work.

The experience was shown at ⚲ The Frame in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

OVERVIEW

What Happened

Over the span of 2 weeks, I researched, drafted, and produced a digital environment in Unity Game Engine, assembling and created models for the work.

The experience was shown at ⚲ The Frame in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

CHALLENGE

How do we encourage an awareness for and understanding of women’s concerns? 

SOLUTioN

A game that empowers women’s thoughts, facilitating transparency and discussion.

INTRODUCING

A Desktop Game and Interactive Experience



Who in the world can know the mind of the woman? This game wields bias and curiosity to capture users' initial attention, rewarding exploration with discovery of women's personal narratives and concerns, resulting in an increased awareness for non-women, and an opportunity to see and feel in solidarity with other women.

INTRODUCING

A Desktop Game and Interactive Experience

Who in the world can know the mind of the woman? This game wields bias and curiosity to capture users' initial attention, rewarding exploration with discovery of women's personal narratives and concerns, resulting in an increased awareness for non-women, and an opportunity to see and feel in solidarity with other women.

First-Person Player Movement Guides
Open-World Navigation



First-Person Player Guides Open-World Navigation


Open-world exploration encourages the player to investigate their surroundings naturally, where curiosity leads to careful exploration, and is rewarded with snippets of personal narratives.
This gamification aspect facilitates a player’s desire to learn about different perspectives of their own accord.

Open-world exploration encourages the player to investigate their surroundings naturally, where curiosity leads to careful exploration, and is rewarded with snippets of personal narratives.
This gamification aspect facilitates a player’s desire to learn about different perspectives of their own accord.

Messages Connect Women and Encourage Others to Learn

Messages Connect Women + Encourage Others to Learn


A continuously updated body of messages are grouped in the world by theme.

Users can safely and anonymously share. As users walk through this living body of information, they witness the concerns that are naturally most common. As each message is deeply personal, many find validation and a sense of solidarity.

A continuously updated body of messages are grouped in the world by theme.

Users can safely and anonymously share. As users walk through this living body of information, they witness the concerns that are naturally most common. As each message is deeply personal, many find validation and a sense of solidarity.

Data Visualization Reinforces Audience-Determined Themes

Data Visualization Reinforces Audience-Determined Themes



Symbol acts as data points for each of the core themes found in user responses.
Familial topics are represented by a pillar, where the count of messages in that category is reflected by the count of pillars clustered together in the game, reinforcing the significance of more common issues.

Symbol acts as data points for each of the core themes found in user responses.
Familial topics are represented by a pillar, where the count of messages in that category is reflected by the count of pillars clustered together in the game, reinforcing the significance of more common issues.

APPROACH

Analyze women’s concerns



Analyze women’s concerns

Investigate women’s concerns in community to identify a primary issue of focus

Explore product formats



Condense research insights, reframe, and ideate product formats (app, website forum, plugin, etc)

Prototype




Sketching, pathfinding, and greyboxing worlds in Unity


Feedback and Iteration



Gather human insight on how direct features need to be to induce a different emotion in users

RESEARCH

Synthesizing 60 Survey Responses, Where Concerns Vary


Conducted a study through polling with responses exclusively from women, focusing on their everyday concerns to build a foundation rooted in real-world experiences. I then conducted a thematic analysis, distilling responses into 8 central categories.

Synthesizing 60 Survey Responses, Where Concerns Vary


Conducted a study through polling with responses exclusively from women, focusing on their everyday concerns to build a foundation rooted in real-world experiences.

ISSUE

Various concerns exist, without any central concept. Initially, I wasn't sure of how to aid the area of most need.

REFRAMED

I reoriented the focus of the product away from one specific theme, refining the project instead to focus on product formats that would facilitate the communication of all major themes, highlighting and validating the lives of those around me.

I reoriented the focus of the product away from one specific theme, instead focusing on product formats that would facilitate the communication of organic themes.

Market Comparison of Product Formats in Spaces for Highlighting Awareness


I conducted market research across apps, websites, and chatbots to identify a product format that would be suitable for synthesizing and displaying personal narratives, in the pursuit of highlighting and validating women’s responses.

Market Comparison of Product Formats in Spaces for Highlighting Awareness


I conducted market research to identify a product format that would be suitable for synthesizing and displaying personal narratives.

ISSUE

Overly educational spaces result in less genuine learning

REFRAMED

Based on market research, games offer a unique, enjoyable way to assert specific themes. Blending a typical game with aspects of open discussion forums allows one to introduce empathy to audiences without force, resulting in organic discovery and discussion that amplifies a more genuine awareness for women’s thoughts and concerns.

Games offer a unique, enjoyable way to assert specific themes. Blending a typical game with aspects of open discussion forums allows one to introduce empathy to audiences without force, resulting in organic discovery and discussion.

PROTOTYPING + VISUAL STYLE

Open World Exploration and Design


Explored materials through sketches and 3D programs, and greyboxed (low-fidelity prototyping) while navigating the balance between creating an intriguing space and one that initiates discussion.



PROTOTYPING + VISUAL STYLE

Open World Exploration and Design


Explored materials through sketches and 3D programs, and greyboxed (low-fidelity prototyping) while navigating the balance between creating an intriguing space and one that initiates discussion.


USER TESTING + INSIGHTS

User Feedback


I interviewed and had 3 users playtest to iterate on the initial prototype and its concepts. Users expressed 2 main concerns, synthesized below.

  • Visuals were too abstract, resulting in a world that did not convey enough familiarity for ease of exploration

  • The message's context was unclear

Iterating on the World's Emotional Tone


I shifted the design of the world towards more familiar rather than abstract motifs, while maintaining an aspect of mystery and viscerality through intestines.

I observed that users would become curious about landmarks like these and travel along them, providing an intuitive pseudo-path for exploration.


I crafted an introduction written ironically rather than as a typical instruction manual. With this, I solved the previous issue of a lack of context, and found that users were more likely to fully read and understand the game.

I shifted the design of the world towards more familiar rather than abstract motifs, while maintaining an aspect of mystery and viscerality through intestines.


  • Users would become curious about landmarks and travel along them, providing an intuitive pseudo-path for exploration.

  • Crafted an introduction written ironically rather than as a typical instruction manual. With this, I solved the previous issue of a lack of context, and found that users were more likely to fully read and understand the game.

REFLECTION

Adapting to a New Workflow in Two Weeks



Unity’s UI is complex, but it was an exciting challenge to learn to navigate the game engine.

I was initially unsure about user testing in a 3D game setting, as it differs from apps.

However, I realized the principles are inherently similar, and arranged the bounty of issues hierarchically to analyze which ones were most pressing to solve within the time constraints.

ⓒ 2025 joana liu
updated FEB 2026
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