BrickStories.
A cultural engagement app for South Asian immigrant families in the US, promoting proactive participation by 20% amongst kids in cultural practices through interactive storytelling and hands-on activities.
ROLE
Product Designer
TOOLS
Figma, Figjam, Adobe Illustrator, Google Surveys
DURATION
10 weeks
COLLABORATED WITH
Industry professionals, Parenting Counsellors
THE PROBLEM
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There are 14.9M South Asian immigrant families facing acculturation stress in the United States
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30% go through anxiety, while 45% are frustrated and 25% are depressed
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They often find it challenging to bridge the cultural differences, striving to educate their children about their cultural heritage while also embracing American culture. Also, with limited time, it's tough to actively participate in heritage-related activities.
How might we reduce lack of proactive participation in cultural practices caused due to interpersonal behavioral differences in South Asian immigrant families in United states reducing acculturation stress?
what
why
how
WHAT IS BRICKSTORIES?
LEARN
Explore diverse cultures and learn through the magic of storytelling
PLAY
Solve puzzles, and engage in real-time challenges to earn rewards
BUILD
Use your creativity to construct amazing structures inspired by stories
so how did this
turn to this?
INSIGHTS FROM 12 FAMILIES INTERVIEWED
Current scenario
12/12
12/12
7/12
9/12
10/12
8/12
3/12
8/12
5/12
attempt to use of mother tongue
seek participation in festive celebration
apply strict rules and restrictions
complain the distance to visit home country
enrolling cultural activities
faced hesitance to adapt to home culture
seek guidance from external sources
compare upbringing
try discussions
PROBLEM TREE ANALYSIS
Synthesizing the root causes and effects of stress caused to immigrant families
MAJOR STRESSORS OBSERVED
Limited community support
Limited family gatherings
limited access to cultural events
Hesitant to speak mother-tounge
Fear of exclusion
lack of physical exposure/connect
children being embarrassed
Unable to connect/witness live festivals
Perceived Coolness
Food and clothing choices
Effects
Lack of sense of belonging
10/12
Reduced cultural participation
8/12
Parent-Child clashes
8/12
GOALS
10/12
Pass down cultural traditions
+
8/12
Enhancing proactive participation
=
Building positive family relations
8/12
UNDERSTANDING CHALLENGES FACED BY FAMILIES
Why do we have to wear traditional clothes? Can't I just wear jeans to the the temple?
"
Lack of motivation
Our cultural events seem like a routine. Its always just about the religion and prayers. Can't we do something fun?
"
Limited enjoyable activities
If you cant wear that dress to the church, then it is not appropriate for a decent siting
"
Conflicting influences
I wish my children would engage more in our traditions, like they are engaged to their comics
"
Desire for active participation
IDENTITY DESIGN
food
language
art
festivals
architecture
bricks indicate unity and community, highlighting how each individual brick contributes to the larger cultural mosaic
vibrant colors and dynamic shapes reflects the richness and diversity of South Asian heritage
STYLE GUIDE
LETS IDEATE
PRIORITIZING AND CATEGORIZING USER NEEDS
By employing Kano framework, I effectively categorized and segregated the features of BrickStories. Kano analysis allowed me to understand the varying degrees of satisfaction each feature would bring to children, distinguishing between basic, performance, and excitement factors.
This approach enabled me to focus on developing features that not only meet user expectations but also deliver maximum value and satisfaction
APPLYING THE MOSCOW METHOD
To categorize requirements or features into the following four groups, allowing to focus on delivering the most critical requirements first and make informed decisions about what can be deferred
USER FLOW
Mapped out the navigational pathways and interactions within the app to ensure that users could easily access and engage with its features. This included determining the flow of actions, such as how users would move from one screen to another and what options they would have at each step
I carefully planned how the children would move through the app, ensuring they could find what they needed without any confusion. I also ensured the app would work well for all kids, including those needing extra help. I created a smooth experience that the children will love using by keeping things simple and organized.
WIREFRAMES
HOW THE APP WORKS
Brick Stories Onboarding
Introducing the features to the users
Preferences
Children can select their mascot (helping guide)for this journey
Home
Interactive word connection games and quizzes, designed to unlock new stories and earn bricks. Kids can apply newfound knowledge from the stories for engaging learning experiences
Storytelling
stories for children come to life with modern illustrations, fostering engagement and imagination
Unlock Stories
children embark on exciting adventures by completing daily tasks to unlock the next part of the story
Build your Cultural City
children can get creative by completing tasks to earn more bricks, allowing them to construct their unique cultural city. They can witness their city come to life as to they build and explore diverse cultural structures
Challenges to earn more bricks
Kids can engage in fun tasks like language learning or exploring art forms to earn rewards and unlock new adventures.
Your Journey
Track progress as you explore captivating stories and complete tasks. See how close you are to receiving your cultural brick set and continue your enriching adventure
User Profile
Personalized space to manage your BrickStories journey. Update your details, cherish memories, and view your subscription plan all in one place
WHAT DID TH KIDS THINK OF BRICKSTORIES?
The graph illustrates the users' perceptions of how easy and confident they felt while completing each task.
Avg Ease Score
Avg Confidence Score
Avg Success Score
90%
92.5%
100%
Users found the onboarding and the characters are a creative way to explain/practice the app features
Users thought the storytelling is engaging and appreciated the minimal content concept
Confused whether earned rewards is from building activities or from the physical brickset.
Memories section difficult to find as it was not mentioned anywhere
HOW LIKELY WOULD KIDS RECOMEND THIS APP TO THEIR FRIENDS?
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Achieving an NPS score of 60 for the BrickStories app is a testament to its impact and value for users.
​
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The positive feedback reflected a genuine appreciation for the app's ability to foster cultural exploration, particularly in the realm of South Asian heritage.
​
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Users found the concept valuable, indicating a strong affinity towards the app's mission to facilitate cultural learning
WHAT WAS CONFUSING?
Not sure if they could complete the task later or not
Added option to complete the task later
Participants thought an indicator for pending tasks will be helpful
Implemented a pending indicator in the upcoming stories section
Couldn't relate to memories, as it was never mentioned earlier
Call-out text when the user uploads the real time challenge picture stating that they can view it later in the memories section
Confusion whether the rewards are from physical brick set or virtual city
Reward section to be rewritten in a clear way
WHAT WOULD THE KIDS LIKE IN THE APP?
01
Preferred an option of social media
02
Wanted to
compete with their friends
03
More context on go-to-buddy,
as what will it help with
PROMOTIONS TO MAKE THIS IDEA WORK
In my promotional efforts for Brick Stories, I utilized Instagram and Facebook as key platforms to reach the target audience effectively. Through engaging posts, captivating visuals, and compelling messaging, I aimed to create awareness and generate interest in the cultural exploration platform.
Website Design
Instagram Ads
RISKY ASSUMPTION 1
2.35% of parents with children aged 6-15, who visit the website will be interested in subscribing to Brick Stories for their children
38
Unique Visitors
16
Subscribers
42.10%
Skin in the Game
LETS ROLEPLAY FOR 10 DAYS
-
To validate the engagement potential of Brick Stories, I initiated a Mechanical Turk experiment with 5 children from distinct cultural backgrounds.
​
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Each child received a pre-festival story ahead of a significant festival, accompanied by daily quizzes and real-time challenges via the app.
​
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Tasked with completing these activities, they were also prompted to capture and share images of their experiences.
STEP 1 -
Creating culture specific stories
STEP 2 -
Sending the participants daily story and quizzes
STEP 3 -
Participants engaging back by sending pictures of the completed tasks
RISKY ASSUMPTION 2
4/6 of beta kids will practice cultural activities through the Brick Stories app, by completing and clicking photos of more than 6 tasks.
6
Users Participating
72
Total Task Conducted
64
Tasks Completed
SO WERE THE KIDS EAGERLY WAITING FOR THEIR BRICKSETS?
After the children completed the stories and quizzes, I congratulated them on their achievements and rewarded them with their brick set, encouraging them to stay engaged and excited about their cultural exploration journey,
I asked if they were ready for more adventures and proposed the idea of diving into the next set of stories in the future to continue the excitement and keep the learning momentum going
It's very creative way especially in the week of Gudi Padwa. I was not bored at home and could learn and prepare for festivities
I think we actually need it in modern society, because people are forgetting that roots. It actually gave me an initiator to learn about my culture. So it's actually very nice. I like the concept of it a lot.
RISKY ASSUMPTION 3
4 out of 6 beta kids will choose to continue with the app and say yes to eagerly look forward to getting new sets as rewards
6/6