Challenge
One of my earliest design and development projects and one I am very fond of. The problem space we set out to solve as educators, designers, and researchers was to engage and supplement the classroom experience targeting children ages 10-13.
Approach
As one of the original researchers and designers of the Reconstructors, my primary design role was to set the overall visual and interaction design patterns for the series. Considering the technology available and genre's popular of the time we chose an animated comic book panel style. The researches and educators liked the work I had done with the digital based comic cards on Marvel In Motion.
Rebecca created the illustrations of the characters found throughout the series. We focused on making sure the characters were diverse and inclusive and many of the themes focus on social justice and situations that middle school children and young adults may face as they grow up. Particularly the Reconstructor series “Nothing to Rave about” which focuses on club drugs, overdoses, date rape, and other potential dangers associated with recreational drug use.
In addition to the illustration and design of the first two adventures “Nothing to Rave About” and “Medical Mysteries I was the primary animator and Flash developer and technical architect.
Overall the project has been well received and the research has been presented in many publications.
This project also led me to develop a couple interactive kiosks for the Houston Children’s Museum.