Lynn Zhang | Furry Kitten

Lynn Z

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About

Furry Kitten

Game Design for Depressed Female

Individual Project

Service Design & Game Design

2020.04 — 2021.5

Project Brief

Duration

Discipline

April 2020 — May 2021

Game Design, Female Care, Play Therapy

Overview

Problem

Goals

Furry Kitten focuses on depressed women of different ages in three scenarios: school, workplace, and home. It helps to relieve depression in daily life through play therapy.

Through research, women are far more likely to get depressed than men, and there are few games on the market for depression, let alone for women. There is a need for a platform that combines psychotherapy, diagnosis, communication, etc.

Identify the mechanisms of depression relief and treatment, to integrate games for better help in alleviating depression

Process

DISCOVER

DESIGN

DELIVER

KICK-OFF

Phenomenon

Depression, characterized by significant and persistent low mood as the main clinical feature, is the main type of mood disorder.

The total number of people who suffer from depression worldwide is over 350 million, of which about 95 million are in China.

The suicide rate of depression is 4.0~10.6 %, 36 times higher than that of the general population.

In China, 65% of women suffer from depression, and the figure is rising.

million

times

percent

Desktop Research

Women are

three times

more likely to suffer from depression than men. Due to an interplay of

internal and external causes

, women exhibit a higher incidence of depression during the following

four periods

External

Internal

Pressure

Pregnancy

International Relationships

High Sensitivity

Genetic Susceptibility

Physiological Particularity

Lack of Interest

Fear of Difficulty

Lack of Energy

Low Mood

13-14 Adolescence-

21-40 Workplace-

44-50 Menopause-

24-35 Pregnancy-

Damages of Depression

Field Research

I went to the Mental Health Center in Shanghai to investigate the needs of female patients.

I found that there were

very few depression clinics

in the hospital, and the appointment process was complicated. Even a month in advance, there may not be an appointment available.

I also conducted a quantitative survey of patients' needs.

Among a total of 40 depressed patients studied, 36 expressed a desire to try alternative and innovative therapies and described their needs. I categorized these needs.

Accept Defects

Private Treatment

Express True Emotion

Stable Relationship

Company

12/34

14/34

18/34

20/34

26/34

Marketing Research

Currently, there are three types of designs for depression:

Services, Tangible Products

, and

Virtual Products

Psychotherapy Services

the most common treatment

physical release to ease patients' stress

Available anytime, anywhere, more private

Tangible Products

Virtual Products

Side Effects

Uneven Quality

Illness Stigma

Not Professional Mostly

Cost of Money

Few

on the Market

Not the

Major Causes

Lack of Scientific Basis

Just a

Temporary Solution

Low

Outpatient Rate

DESIGN OPPORTUNITY

The solutions on the market are expensive, time-consuming, and inconvenient.

Concept

A lower cost and more private design should be designed for depressed patients to use anytime and anywhere to meet their psychological needs.

I designed a relaxing game for female depressed patients.

Case Study

Currently, there are two main types of games that can help treat people with depression. Only a few of the existing games are

specifically designed for depression and lack the science of play therapy

Visual Novel

Melee Game

Users experience the life state and behavior of depressed patients through the visual novel.

Depression is relieved by defeating the object that symbolizes negative emotions.

Game Therapy

Game therapy allows patients to present their true selves in a relaxed and egalitarian state and has a better intervention effect on social disorders.

Structural Therapy Theory

Humanistic

Psychoanalytic

reconstructing traumatic situations and eliminating or alleviating psychological confl- icts

, energy release can be achieved and help in learning interpersonal skills.

User-centered games create a friendly environme-nt where users are able to

arrange their game content

to find a sense of reality.

The game needs to provide users with the

oppo- rtunity to express

themselves and guide them subconsciously.

Game Design

World

Protagonist

Game Content

According to the four sensitive periods of women, the game is divided into three independent situational worlds——

School

Workplace

, and

Home

Cats tend to be more childlike than other animals in their close-set facial features, which tend to arouse women's love and acceptance.

According to the survey, women in first-tier cities prefer cats to other animals.

Cat's clean, elegant, gentle, and independent images matches that of a women.

Offline Tasks: These activities help treat depression and encourage users to socialize.

Visual Fiction: Users can experience daily animation.

Customization of Game Content

Game Flow

Initial Setting

Do the Task

Initial Setting

Get Companions

Exchange Cards

Scene Upgrade

Unlock Tasks

Get Credits

Function List

Settings

Main Body

Personal Center

Scene Settings

Diagnosis

Community

Game

Hierarchy of Needs

Effective Therapy

Social Demand

Amusement

Custom Setup

App Flow

Registration

Game

Community

Periodic Diagnosis

Character Design

I chose GARFIELD as the prototype. I also personified the character based on cats' movements.

Customized Complexion

Dynamic Personification

Players can set the complexion of their characters before entering the game.

The dynamics and emotions of the characters are personi- fied, which helps the player better integrate into the game.

App Display

Community

Diagnosis

Game

Furry Kitten creates a community where players can communicate with each other at “cat tea parties”.

During the game, the system will periodically conduct depression tests to adjust the game mode.

During the completion of a task, the interface will be animated accordingly.

Users can view the answer log and change their answers.

Game Interface

Campus

Workplace

Home

The dorm is one of the private spaces for students.

Every worker experiences the inevitable commute.

The kitchen is the regular activity area of housewives.

The campus café is a major social and leisure spot.

Networking with superiors at work is a crucial activity.

The living room is the main social place for housewives.

Test

Feedback

Optimization Scheme

If users don't want to do in-game tasks, do they need to be forced to stay on screen?

What if the user doesn't like cats?

Will the user experience be affected if the interface operation direction is not uniform?

Furry Kitten does not want to give the user a sense of compulsion. Users can choose not to complete the task immediately and instead switch to the auto-play mode.

According to the survey, two-thirds of women like or accept cats. Therefore, the design is based on and meets the preferences of the majority of women.

The use interface will be unified horizontally.

Iteration