We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Nalisha Chouraria about their original and creative Interactive Game design work. Nalisha Chouraria is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original interactive game works.
Nalisha Chouraria ("NC") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Curious Gastronaut Interactive Game. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
NC : Kids can be suspicious of new foods & often categorize them as 'yuck' even before trying. As a result, many foods remain unexplored and mealtimes can turn unpleasant or foster negative relationships with food. Kids use curiosity & play to explore the world so why not use it to explore the food world? By bringing play to the table, I wanted to inspire curiosity, reinvent how families eat & encourages playful exploration beyond the game.
NC : By bringing the endless benefits of play to the table, I wanted to inspire children and the inner child in every adult to be brave and inquisitvie to possibly be rewarded with a surprising discovery.
NC : To make it accessible to as many schools and families as possible.
NC : Five years. The project started in 2015 in Gothenburg, Sweden and finished in 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia.
NC : Curious Gastronaut is a culmination of my passion for food and play & my specialisation in Children's Design. It started out as a thesis project in design school and turned into a passion project.
NC : Using the power of play, I wanted to create excitement around food, encourage children and adults alike to step out of their comfort zone, and inspire them to be explorers of the world. I wanted to create a tool that children could use to create something of their own and be proud of.
NC : The recommended age is 5 years and above. However, it is for all children and the inner child in all of us. It has been thoughtfully designed to maintain open-endedness and inclusivity.
NC : Firstly, it encourages players to reimagine food & experiment from ground up rather than from existing recipes. Secondly, it's open-endedness allows for multi use, endless interpretations & high playability. Thirdly, it was designed to encourage play and exploration in everyday life, even beyond the game. Rather than creating something with the purpose of selling or to keep children occupied, it was important for me to create something with a high play value.
NC : I liked the idea of exploring the gastronomical world like an astronaut explores space - with curiosity, excitement and an open mind. Hence, the name Curious Gastronaut.
NC : Adobe Illustrator, Indesign & low-tech prototyping
NC : It infuses play with dining in a natural way without becoming a distraction. The prompts on the cards are whimsical & humorous, the visuals - gender neutral & simplistic but not childish, with the intention to stimulate the imagination and trigger joy & curiosity. It's open-endedness allows for multi use, endless interpretations & high playability.
NC : Although the project was solely designed by me, I met several play designers, pedagogists, educators, psychologists, parents and children, throughout the duration of the project without whom the project would not have been possible.
NC : I used exploratory research. My methodologies included surveys & secondary source research. Data collected informed research tools, namely participatory experiments (observed workshops & self-reported trials).
NC : The project was solely designed by me. However, it required all-round skills in design, illustration, writing and knowledge in play, child culture, food education, etc which I was able to build & improve through research & playtesting. Inspiring ongoing exploration while also motivating busy adults to play were additional challenges, which I overcame by introducing features like unlocking and journey maps, and by simplifying the gameplay into short, simple sessions. It took several iterations to make sure the players go from picking up the game to playing as soon as possible. Eco-friendly printing & manufacturing are goals I am currently working towards.
NC : I was very passionate about the idea and saw how greatly it impacted so many families. Through the competition, I was hoping to achieve visibility so many more can benefit from it.
NC : https://curiousgastronaut.com/
