INTERACTIVE MIND MEDICINE FOR KIDS
An online fun and interactive game to initiate conversations about mental health and introduce strategies for young children to improve their well-being and academic performance.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
This future-focused learning object was developed as part of a postgraduate assignment on emerging educational technologies. Using Adobe Aero and child-centred design principles, I created a playful, research-backed prototype that helps children explore emotional well-being and brain function through interactive animal characters and gamified activities.
The project merges instructional design, digital media, and augmented reality to demonstrate how abstract mental health concepts can be made accessible and engaging for young learners.
THE CHALLENGE
How can we make abstract neuroscience and well-being topics accessible, memorable, and emotionally safe for young learners?
The solution needed to balance engagement, developmental appropriateness, and research-driven design — while exploring future-focused technology.
"Introducing mental health education at an early age acts as a preventive measure against potential mental health issues." (Weare & Nind, 2011).
MY ROLE
The Tools: Adobe Aero, Illustrator, Photoshop, inDesign, AfterEffects to compile prototype object and gaming experience.
Skills: AR design, UI/UX, learning design, research synthesis, storytelling and scripting.
- ◦ Concept ideation & development
- ◦ UX and visual design for children
- ◦ AR design using Adobe Aero
- ◦ Research synthesis and academic justification
"Teachers are burning out and leaving the profession, and students are struggling with soaring rates of anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma."
www.mindfulschools.org
DESIGN APPROACH
Adobe Aero was strategically chosen to create an immersive AR experience where children can interact with animal-based brain metaphors, making complex concepts approachable and memorable.
AR increases spatial understanding, the brain and body are no longer abstract.
1. Research & Strategy
→ Learning Design Rationale
- Constructivist and experiential learning approaches
- Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) frameworks shaped the focus on emotional awareness and regulation.
- → Identified storytelling, metaphors, and play as effective teaching tools for mental health literacy.
- → Augmented reality supports embodied learning, turning complex topics into engaging, memorable experiences.
“Design was grounded in constructivist theory and socio-emotional learning literature to support safe, contextualised learning.”
2. Animal-Brain Metaphors
- Developed a cast of animated animal characters to represent brain regions:
- 🐘 The Elephant: (limbic system/emotional responses fight/flight)
- 🐶 Tony the Dog: (amygdala/emotions)
- 🦉 Tilly the Owl: (problem solving/movement)
- 🐭 Minnie the mouse: (brain stem/vital life functions)
- These metaphors made the autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation tangible and relatable for young learners.
3. Interactive AR Experience using (Adobe Aero)
→ Children could use a tablet or phone to trigger scenes where animals appear in the classroom or home environment.
→ Tapped, moved, and explored characters to unlock stories or regulate breathing exercises.
- → Used sound, movement, and speech cues to increase immersion.
4. Gamified Learning Activities
→ Created simple, browser-based games where students “sort thoughts,” “feed focus,” and “calm their brain pet”.
→ Emphasised autonomy, safe exploration, and constructive feedback.
5. Prototype & Testing
→ Designed key AR scenes in Aero and demonstrated interaction in a guided walkthrough of object.
→ Presented the project in a pitch format, with annotated design reflections tied to academic literature.
→ Educator feedback focused on clarity, creativity, and educational value.
6. Instructional Design Justification
- → Constructivist and experiential learning approaches.
- → Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) frameworks shaped the focus on emotional awareness and regulation.
Adobe Aero platform – Simulation of Brain Game video
PROJECT OUTCOMES
Received a High Distinction for innovative use of emerging tech in learning design.
"From a pedagogical perspective, I like how much scope an object like this has for student learning. I imagine a potential library of different environments for learners to explore individually, as well as in pairs/teams, and follow-up activities for them to reflect or engage with.
Do keep exploring AR, it's still a very new field and lots of opportunities to be an educational leader in this technology.
Great work on this assignment!"
Lecturer: John Vulic
PROJECT REFLECTION
→ Reflected on the importance of ethical storytelling and co-design when developing for vulnerable learners.
→ This project taught me how to integrate emerging technologies into learning experiences meaningfully, especially when designing for sensitive topics. It refined my skills in research-driven storytelling, multimodal design, and ethical experience crafting — skills I wish to continue using in my learning and digital design work.
DIGITAL CHECKLIST TO SUPPORT STUDENTS
This project focused on creating a digital checklist system to help students manage their professional placements in the sports and exercise industry.
The tool aimed to track weekly tasks, meeting deadlines, and staying on top of assessment requirements throughout their internship.
THE PROBLEM
Students often find it challenging to manage multiple responsibilities during internships. With varying deadlines and tasks each week, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and miss important submissions. A simple digital solution is needed.
THE BRIEF
Create a user-friendly digital checklist designed within LMS (Canvas), offering clear weekly deliverables, visual task tracking, and direct links to essential resources. Use HP5 if possible.
KEY FEATURES TO INCLUDE
- ◦ Progress Tracker: A simple dashboard for monitoring weekly tasks and milestones.
- ◦ Resume Functionality: Students can return at any time and continue where they left off.
- ◦ Weekly Checklist: Clear task lists with due dates and submission links.
- ◦ Assessment Summary: All criteria and deadlines presented in one place.
- ◦ Checkbox Interface: Visual indicators for completed and pending tasks.
- ◦ Low-Tech Design: Built with accessibility and ease of use in mind.
1. Extract all relevant tasks from the manual
PROCESS & DEVELOPMENT
1. Manual Review: Started by extracting essential weekly tasks from the existing student manual.
2. Wire-framing: Created a layout pairing each task with instructions, deadlines, and links.
- 3. Tool Testing: Explored H5P and Canvas tools in a test environment (Canvas sandpit).
Created an itemised list of each task with instructions, deadlines and links
TESTED APPROACHES
To bring the concept to life, I explored both H5P and Canvas tools, testing checklist functionalities in a dedicated Canvas sandpit. This hands-on exploration helped determine which platform offered the best balance of usability and functionality.
THREE APPROACHES TESTED
- →1. ❌ H5P Documentation Template: Basic but not interactive enough Offered a static list with limited interactivity. Ultimately discarded due to its lack of ease of use.
- →2. ❌ Canvas Module Checklist: Functional but clunky to navigate.
- Provided collapsible content but required excessive clicking and navigation between tasks, which could overwhelm users.
- →3. ✅ Canvas Quizzes + HTML5: Allowed expandable, scrollable checklists with clean layout.
- Best Outcome: Quiz option in Canvas modules, utilising H5P snippets for cleaner presentation, reflects a balance between functionality and user experience.
- Enabled a clean, scrollable checklist with expandable content. This solution offered clarity, interactivity, and ease of use—making it the final choice.
3. Final object uses Canvas Quiz integrated with HTML5
LEARNING DESIGN FOUNDATIONS
- → Universal Design for Learning: Prioritised accessibility and clarity.
- → Experiential Learning: Encouraged learning through real-world
- tasks and reflection.
- → Cognitive Load Theory: Focused on reducing unnecessary complexity.
- → Design Principles: Fundamental visual guidelines to shape clarity & usability.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
→ The main challenge was finding a perfect solution within the existing tools’ limitations.
→ No solution achieved 100% alignment with the desired outcomes.
→ However, the Canvas quiz model was selected for its clarity and simplicity, balancing cognitive load and usability.
- Testing prototypes with users highlighted the importance of iterative design and trade-offs in achieving practical solutions which ultimately was the solution taken.
"Your work demonstrates a thoughtful approach to helping students track progress and manage deadlines effectively."
Lecturers: John Vulic and Clair Seldon @UTS Sydney
MAKING DESIGN MAKE SENSE
More educators are using tools like Canva to create learning materials, however many don’t have a background in design.
This can lead to content that looks passable but doesn’t always get the message across.
Without a basic understanding of Design Principles, it’s harder to make content that’s clear, engaging, and accessible for all learners.
THE GOAL
THE APPROACH
Design principles like contrast, hierarchy, and alignment can be hard to grasp through static images or text.
Animation allowed me to show how these principles work, rather than just describe them.
This project set out to bridge that gap by demystifying design principles for non-designers. The aim: to create a resource that not only explains six essential design principles, but also shows them in action—through movement, storytelling, and accessibility-first design.
Final Static Storyboard frames before animating in After Effects
THE PROCESS
1. Focused Content Selection
- I began by identifying six core principles to cover. Keeping it to a focused list ensured the resource remained approachable and didn’t overwhelm learners.
- 2. Storyboarding for Clarity and Inclusion
- I sketched out each scene using simple, universal shapes and a considered colour palette, following Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines to maximise cultural accessibility and inclusivity.
- 3. Voice & Motion
- After scripting and recording a voiceover to guide the experience, I created the visual assets in Adobe Photoshop and brought everything to life in After Effects—timing motion, voice, and transitions to reinforce each concept.
infographic animation
KEY FEATURES
WHY ANIMATED VISUALS
Movement helps make abstract ideas easier to understand.
◦ Scaffolded Learning Structure
Each principle builds on the last, guiding the viewer through in a clear, structured way.
◦ Culturally Inclusive Design
Visuals were designed with (UDL) in mind, to avoid cultural bias and work for a broad range of learners.
◦ Accessibility at the Core
- A full text version was created for screen readers and learners with hearing impairments.