01. Discovering the Problem Space
I don’t drive a car. I’ve primarily lived in cities where I could easily walk, take public transit, or even call an Uber. And I'm not an outlier. Gen-Z is less likely than previous generations to get behind a wheel, get a driver's license, or own a car.
So how can Honda provide lifetime value to Gen-Zs like myself?
Honda doesn't have to be just a car business; it can be a mobility business. As Honda looks into the future of serving Gen-Z customers, there’s an opportunity to advocate for Gen-Z to choose micro-mobility.
Problem Statement
02. Solving for Gen-Z
Choosing micro-mobility includes anything from riding a bike to a skateboard. I chose to focus specifically on walking as it promotes a sense of adventure and exploration that resonates with Gen-Z. Walking is also proven to reduce stress and is a more easily accessible mode of micro-mobility for Gen-Z.
Through desk research and interviews, I discovered that most of Gen-Z are gaming enthusiasts, whether they're playing NYT Connections every morning or watching streams. Gaming not only relieves stress but also fosters community and connection.
Wellness
Sustainability
Community
Our initial research indicated that promoting walking through play showed real promise in addressing Gen-Z's pain points. So now what?
Through both an exploration of Gen-Z values and conversations with Honda, we narrowed in on three goals to drive our design process: wellness, sustainability, and community.
Each goal also served as an entry point for our user personas, so we can center our users in every decision we make and understand their unique contexts.
03. Generating and Testing Solutions
After narrowing down from 100 to 10 ideas, we created storyboards to better understand where these games fit within our players’ lives. Do their step counts add up? Is it a more immersive experience? How do players feel after walking?
Multiple rounds of play-testing, co-design, and client alignment left us with three promising concepts. To determine which concept would best inspire micro-mobility behavior change, we set up a concept test.
How? We made three concept videos and tested them in an online survey of 80 participants as well as play-tested with 4 participants.
Out of Time
Froggy
It's OK to Judge
“It gives me an incentive to be healthy, while also seeing my actions reflected in the game world… fun correlation in my head between being healthy in life.”
"As someone who loves to walk, I love the incentive of unlocking new features with the more steps you take."
Tested Well with Gen-Z
Out of Time was overwhelmingly favored by both our online Gen-Z survey participants and in-person play-testers. A compelling narrative resonated deeply with our audience, which aligned with our earlier research findings.
Alignment with Goals
Participants connected their health with in-game actions, reinforcing wellness. The environment-focused narrative promoted sustainability, while multiplayer features highlighted the importance of community.
Sustained Enjoyment
While other concepts intrigued participants, they struggled to see long-term engagement. In contrast, Out of Time offered better long-term integration and consistent motivation to walk.
Hypothesis
04. The Solution
Out of Time lands you into a post-apocalyptic desolate universe. But by making critical decisions, solving problems, and collecting resources, you can rewrite the past and build a more hopeful future.
When building this prototype, I knew the focus had to be 1) a playable experience and 2) easily customizable for our upcoming diary study. So I used Figma's capabilities to design interactive choices and additional mini-games.
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Users sought real impact from their in-game choices, so I prioritized decision-making in gameplay. Making critical decisions in the game can not only build a more sustainable world for the fictional future but also in the real world we live in.
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Gen-Z's diverse lifestyles led us to design two walking modes: active (explorer) for immersive play and passive (survivor) for flexible resource gathering through step count.
We prioritized in-game health and mood to survive and unlock more story choices, aligning with Gen-Z's commitment to wellness and desire for autonomy within gameplay.
Recognizing Gen-Z's preference for interactivity, we enhanced the narrative with crafting, gardening, and mini-games —designed to enrich their experience and motivate them to keep walking.
05. Testing Behavior Change
While initial play-testing showed sustained engagement, we needed to test our hypothesis over time: Can the game encourage Gen-Z to walk more?
A habit isn’t formed in 5 days, but a short diary study allows us to observe emerging patterns while keeping participants engaged. It’s an effective approach to understanding how the game can drive lasting behavior change.
Duration
5 - 6 days
Participants Selected
11 participants between the ages of 20 - 27 who game weekly or daily. We also screened to include a diversity of: daily step count, walkability of neighborhood, and life context.
Study Tasks
🎮 Played the game
🚶 Walked outside
💬 Answered survey questions
Based on both qualitative and quantitative responses, participants ranged from being highly motivated to not being motivated at all. But even those who didn’t find the game motivating still identified aspects of the game that had the potential to motivate them further in the future.
63%
Of participants walked
more due to the game.
Yes, time was a clear limitation within the study, but our results proved that a future iteration of Out of Time could encourage Gen-Z to walk more. We also found that the narrative was the strongest motivator of the game.
By being a critical touchpoint in how Gen-Z experiences micro-mobility, Honda can better connect with its Gen-Z customers.
06. Wrap-Up
Emotional Design
This was the first time I really focused on how I wanted users to feel in the experience we were designing. For me, walking is meditative and tied to wellness, but that’s not how everyone sees it. I learned a lot about designing to inspire joy and a sense of freedom in how people interact with both walking and Honda. It was a big lesson in connecting the experience to their emotions.
Resolving Conflict
Working with a team of designers and researchers made it tough sometimes to align our ideas and make decisions. Through that process, I learned a lot about how to work with my team to reach consensus—and also when it’s important to speak up if I need to advocate for our users. Listening to my teammates and really understanding their perspective has been key to collaborating and finding even better solutions together.
Just Enough Fidelity
Designing games taught me just how much detail is actually needed to test a design and meet client needs. When I was testing interactive play and behavior change, it turned out that simple things like paper flashcards and a spooky Spotify playlist worked better than a polished Figma prototype.
