Zinnia
UI/UX, 3D Design, website design, Service Design
This project aim is to make plant care a delightful and educational journey for children, fostering a love for nature and storytelling in the early stages of their lives.
What’s The Problem?
Not many resources specifically for neurodivergent children that are playful, fun and engaging.
The Goal
To create a plant care kit designed specifically for neurodivergent children and providing information of neurodiversity through plant care in a fun and interactive way.
I chose the name 'Zinnia' based from the actual flower zinnia for my brand.
This flower grows best in warm, sunny places.
In my research, I also found it can also grow in space, showing that plants thrive with care even in tough conditions. Therefore this is why its called Zinnia to reflects this idea.
By giving it a simple illustrative logo design , based around terrariums with the dome like shape it created a playful and welcoming design for 'Zinnia
I ensured the colours and fonts were suitable for neurodivergent children by picking muted colours and easy-to-read fonts. Using gentle yet playful colours strike a balance between engagement and comfort.
This creates a cohesive visual identity which is then later on applied to the website and app for Zinnia as well as social media.
The main purpose of the app is that its both an educational and interactive way for children to learn more about plant care and neurodiversity by growing their own virtual plant which is influenced by real-time weather conditions and the child's interactions in AR.
With this app, it emphasis the importance of nurture and creating the right conditions for neurodivergent children to grow, similar to plants growing in space, through looking after a virtual plant.
Click below to see how the 3d model becomes an interactive part in play and learning for children.
It includes features such as plant customisation and learning more about plants that children unlock through the app.
To go into more detail, I decided to use the off white and blue as icon designs for the app as the colours was a good contrast to each other but also created a cohesive design.
To make certain information stand out, I used the yellow as a visual cue so it would catch children attention for important information . I also used the yellow for designs such as buttons and arrows.
I also thought about how to make interactive design playful and fun for children which included designs such as making the sun a navigation bar and how the colours change position when selected. Click on the button to see the app prototype.
I also created a characetrs that the child can choose before they start playing with the game. This astronaut character is meant to be a guide and buddy for the child rather than a self insert so they feel like somenone is teaching them about neurodiversity through interesting afcts about plants growing in space. In order to keep children engaged with the app, they have a daily log which the astronaut can leave fun facts for them, making it intereactive.
furthermore to make it accessible for a child who may struggle with reading, there is also a audio option where the child can read and listen at the same time, which provides more options for learning.
By using the yellow to highlight information while the child is listening to the audio tracks can allow children to read and listen at the same time.
I made a character for kids to pick in the game. The astronaut helps them learn about neurodiversity with cool facts on plants in space. Kids can stay interested by checking a daily log for fun facts from the astronaut.
furthermore to make it accessible for a child who may struggle with reading, there is also a audio option where the child can read and listen at the same time, which provides more options for learning.
By using the yellow to highlight the information while the child is listening to the audio tracks can allow children to read and listen at the same time.
