StepUp
Tablet behavior-changing game for 10 - 14 years old to gain proper hygiene practices

StepUp transforms hygiene education into an interactive adventure. Designed for Android tablets, this engaging 3D game blends sports challenges and fantasy elements to teach students about handwashing, footwashing, and the importance of wearing shoes, supporting the World Shoe Fund's mission for healthier communities.

ROLES
UXUI Design
Graphic Design
Motion Graphics Design

TEAM
UXUI Designer/ Me
Narrative Designer/ Anna Kim
3D Artist/ Lawrence Luo
3D Artist/ Regina Xia
Producer/ Eva Chang
Programmer/ Tyler Yang

DURATION
14 Weeks
Client Project @ CMU ETC, World Shoe Fund

00
SNEAK PEAK

190

Students playtested the game

10%↑

Improvement in their hygiene awareness

Our team developed a transformative game aimed at teaching proper hygiene practices and beliefs to children aged 10 to 14. The deliverables included a 3D adventure game featuring three mini-games, which were designed for play on an Android tablet. We traveled to Ghana to test the game with 190 students, and we observed a 10% improvement in their hygiene awareness based on assessments conducted before and after the game.

As the UXUI designer on the team, I owned the UI design of the game and improved the game experience through brainstorming with teammates and running playtests with students, and also animated the hand-washing tutorial.

Mini 1 - Hygiene Jump Challenge

Mini 2 - Soap Surfing Challenge

Mini 3 - Shoe Dash Challenge

01
PROMPT FROM CLIENTS

Hygiene Hero Cup: Extending World Shoe Fund’s impact into the digital world

Our client is World Shoe Fund, a social enterprise investing in global health from the ground up. World Shoe Fund brings the Wash and Wear program to local communities in underserved areas. The program teaches them the proper way of handwashing and footwashing, and gives students free shoes to wear. Now, the World Shoe Fund is seeking to extend this impactful program and bring this mission to an exciting virtual world. This is where StepUp comes in with our “Hygiene Hero Cup” game, an extension of the existing wash-and-wear program.

02
APPROACH

Uncover design insights through research, interviews, and the transformational framework

Through research, we found there are several barriers preventing students from practicing good hygiene.

We connected with several SMEs, and through our interviews, we gained a deeper understanding of Africa’s environment, lifestyle, public health, and gaming culture. This knowledge helped us shape a more relevant and impactful game design.

Thanks to our client Cameron, she helped us conduct an interview with Rwandan students and teachers. We learned that students engage with platforms like YouTube and TikTok, enjoy playing football, and help with chores such as fetching water. While schools have hygiene clubs that teach hand washing, there is a significant need for additional resources.

These insights will guide our game design, allowing us to align with student interests and address the existing resource gaps, particularly in hygiene education.
Through the second-hand research as well as the interviews we conducted, we summarized the barriers and came up with the transformational goals.

Transformatioanl frameworks

  • Many students are unaware of the risks of poor hygiene and don’t recognize the long-term impact on their health.

  • Hygiene lessons often don’t align with the unique needs, environments, or daily realities of kids in underserved areas.

  • Without regular reminders or reinforcement at home or in school, hygiene education can easily fade from students’ priorities.

  • Students aged 10–14 are motivated by fun, achievement, and peer recognition; if hygiene education lacks challenges or rewards, it may fail to engage them.