ÜPP
Initial research at Rygaards International School combined extensive desk research with collaborative input from teachers, parents, and children to understand classroom dynamics and emotional development, where observations highlighted the crucial role of non-verbal communication in fostering engagement and friendships among students. The research led to prototyping a clip-on badge that could detect smiles and provide haptic feedback, allowing children to "feel" smiles without seeing them, which demonstrated their capacity to connect with emotions through subtle feedback and revealed their positive associations with smiles.
Building on these insights, the second prototype introduced tangible "smile tokens" that children could exchange, leading to natural conversations about acceptance and belonging. This physical representation of emotions proved valuable in helping children discuss difficult topics and showed teachers insights into classroom social dynamics.
The final development phase focused on integrating facial recognition and machine learning technology to create a more sophisticated, scalable solution while maintaining the playful, non-intrusive nature of earlier prototypes.
With support from Arunima Singh, Matt Visco, YeeMun Ooi,and Bjørns Internationale Skole
2017
My Role
Independent, Interaction Design Grad Project
The Challenge
With technology's growing presence in children's lives, there's an ongoing debate about its impact on social and emotional development. This project aimed to flip the narrative by exploring how technology could foster emotional awareness and inclusivity in classrooms. The core question: How might we tap into positive emotions to help 6-8 year olds discuss complex emotions around them?
Nurturing social empathy through playful technology
1. Assemble your ÜPP
2. Sync with the matching cloud
3. Place cloud in the jar
4. Smile :)
Where ÜPP landed
ÜPP emerged as a family of whimsical characters that children wear to "catch" smiles throughout their day. Each character connects to a matching cloud in a classroom display jar, which rises when smiles are detected. This visual representation helps students become more mindful of their surroundings and classmates' emotions. A companion app provides teachers with actionable insights about classroom dynamics and individual student engagement, enabling them to create a more inclusive learning environment. The system transforms technology from a potential barrier to emotional development into a tool for nurturing empathy and social awareness.
