Paulina Hernández

Overview

This project started during the COVID-19 pandemic as an initiative from the Center for Research in Industrial Design (UNAM) to keep students connected through digital experiences.It aimed to design an immersive experience through an interactive game for the vocational guidance event “Al encuentro del mañana”.

  • Role
    Conceptual artist with a UX approach
    ‍    March - December 2021

ARCADI – Immersive experience design in an educational environment

Goal

To design an interactive narrative and characters that encourage playful exploration of the virtual university campus, promoting participant immersion through game-based activities.

Design process

Co-creation and Concept Development: I participated in collaborative sessions using the MIRO platform, applying Design Thinking methods to define the game’s narrative universe, its characters, and interaction mechanics.

Narrative Design and Game Structure:
※ Developed characters aligned with the game’s theme
※ Proposed narrative ideas linked to different campus areas, both inside and outside the central zone
※ Reviewed the latest version of ARCADI as a base for new proposals
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Iteration and Testing: I supported internal playtests to validate the clarity of the narrative flow and the immersive experience.

We decided to tell a story with the goal of creating an immersive experience for participants and giving them a reason to enjoy ARCADI.To develop the storyline and characters, we followed clear objectives based on the theme and genre of the game. Once the genre was defined, we started brainstorming ideas that would take place both around the main campus and outside of it, while also considering the first version of ARCADI during its initial stage. Image taken from ARCADI's Miro board.

For the character development, we set parameters to help guide their creation. For example, the villain had to be an alien with long, folded limbs, which would make it look out of place from our perspective as a society that has never seen extraterrestrials. The sidekick, on the other hand, had to be cute but also grumpy. Image taken from the ARCADI Miro board.

When presenting the rally on a digital platform like Miro —which is defined as a blank canvas— we carried out several tests to find the best way to interact within the board. Using the Earth seen from space as the main element, we explored different ways to place the secondary elements for interaction, keeping in mind how users usually move around in Miro by using the zoom in and zoom out tools. Image taken from the final report by Team ARCADI.

For the prototype used in "La 24. Exposición de orientación vocacional: Al encuentro del mañana"an immersive experience was offered during the rally activity. On the board, the elements were arranged in a horizontal hierarchy, so that participants could discover the rally objectives step by step while also becoming familiar with the Miro platform. Image taken from the Final Report by the ARCADI Team

Inside the board, there are mini-games and transparent panels with games designed by Andrea Castro Ramirez. She was inspired by science fiction ideas shown in movies, video games, books, TV shows, and more. Cool color palettes were used to help represent these future-like panels. Image taken from the final report by the ARCADI team.

Resultados

※ The story was well received during the national exhibition “Al encuentro del mañana” because of its ability to connect emotionally with participants.
※ A narrative version was developed that integrates the central campus space as the main setting of the game.
※ The foundation was set for future versions of the immersive environment “ARCADI”.

Paulina Hernández
paulina.hernandez.des@gmail.com