Kaona
Empowering Health Literacy via a Tabletop RPG and Digital "DM", Inspired by Hawaiian Stories
Jan 2023 - Present | My Role: UX Designer and Game Artist
Kaona is a collaboration between Theorycraftist Games, the Pacific Alliance Against COVID-19 (PAAC), and the Ka Moamoa Lab at Georgia Tech.
Set in a Hawaiian-inspired dystopia, this culturally relevant tabletop role-playing game immerses players in real-world challenges, empowering Hawaiian teenagers with health literacy, problem-solving, and collaboration skills. With a focus on COVID-19 health literacy, we aim to equip teenagers with the knowledge to make informed decisions.
Worldbuilding
Design Consideration: Hawaiian Connection
To meaningfully connect with our target users - teenagers on the Waiʻanae coast - worldbuilding and artistic endeavors necessitate an infusion of Hawaiian knowledge, culture, mythology, and history, alongside Waiʻanae-specific references.
Central Concept: Lōkahi Wheel
Kaona is rooted in the concept of the Lōkahi wheel, the Hawaiian model for health. Each segment of the wheel represented an area of wellness, including physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health, as well as the health of relationships and environments. For one to be healthy, they must be balanced in these 6 areas.
In Kaona, each area of Lōkahi wheel becomes a dystopian moku (realm/island), representing what imbalance looks like in that area, inspired by Hawaiian mythology and dystopic themes. This informs the moku’s environment, inhabitants, rulers, and core values.
Design System and UI
Design Consideration: Six Realms, One Game
As each realm (moku) is based on a section of the Lōkahe wheel, they have distinct values, peoples, and aesthetics to reflect the corresponding theme. To make these distinctions clear to users and provide a more immersive experience, the game's art and UI design needed to be specific to each realm, reflecting the “cultures” of the fictional people inhabiting these realms while maintaining a cohesive overall gaming experience.
Color Scheme Development
The creation of the color scheme for each moku was a critical task, informed by user research with students. This involved aligning color associations with ongoing game art development, leading to a set of primary and thematic colors. This not only enhanced the visual appeal but also aided in player navigation and orientation within the diverse game realms.
Moku-Specific UI
The UI design was a delicate balance of functionality and aesthetic appeal, prominently featuring art while easily presenting needed information. Using the design system colors and icons, each moku is distinct, making it easy for players to recognize which moku a game element is part of.
This approach, first used with the item cards, set a standard for the game's UI, ensuring both cohesion and distinctiveness for each moku.
Tile and Quest System Enhancement
The game's tile and quest system, initially differentiated by three bright colors, was refined with a new frame concept. This introduced dot indicators for grouping tiles, making world associations clear and intuitive. This subtle design choice improved visual consistency and gameplay comprehension.
Quest Chart Design
Transforming the standard quest charts, the new design integrated the gameplay mechanics with the thematic elements of each world. For example, in the Friends and Family world, themed as a prison, the quest chart was reimagined as a prison floor plan. This innovative approach significantly enhances the player experience.
A Digital “DM”
Design Consideration: A Diverse Range of Players and Classroom Use
An inclusive gaming experience is critical for Kaona, given its broad audience within a high school classroom. Novice gamers may perceive games as not "for" them, hindering their engagement. This is problematic in educational settings where engagement is crucial for learning. By making Kaona accessible and enticing for all skill levels, we aim to eliminate barriers to participation, ensuring it serves its educational purpose effectively., engaging novice and expert gamers alike.
To address the needs of those unfamiliar with gaming or "DMing," we're implementing a digital "DM" assistant. This assistant will guide players through quests and enrich the experience with narrated stories and soundscapes for each moku, fostering an immersive and welcoming environment for every player.
Concept Sketches
We considered a hand-held version of this app, that can be used by each player on their personal phone.
While a familiar use, we found that a hand-held use-case could lead to distraction, and had too many unknowns, if we require that each player have a reliable phone.
To minimize distraction, and increase the sense that the app is another artifact within the game world, we are pursuing a table-top use for the mobile app, which only requires one phone, and is optimized for horizontal usage.
In Progress: Wireframes
Game Intro
The game intro provides players with just enough info for them to understand why theyʻre transported to Kaona, and for selecting their characters. Weʻre exploring a narrative of being called by an “Ancestor”, to heal the “distortion” in Kaona - with the looming threat of distortion spreading into our world, if the distortion is not stopped.
Entry Sequence
The entry sequence guides players through setting up the board, in a manner that keeps players immersed. The Ancestor tells players they need to place the necessary pieces in a certain formation, to initiate their journey to Kaona.
Lōkahe Wheel - Main Navigation
The main navigation screen in the app is a pad-lock type wheel, that represents each moku (realm) and their corresponding 9 quest symbols.
To ensure the app does not become the primary focus of the game, it does not hold all the necessary information for players to explore quests. Players must use the quest charts to determine which quest symbol is appropriate.
Reflection
Cultural Humility and Respect: This project was the first project I was part of in the Ka Moamoa Lab, and my first project with groups in Hawaiʻi. My experience working at Veggie Mijas, a Latine food justice organization, emphasized the importance of cultural relevancy and de-centering Western perspectives. However, the work at VM was within my own community and Kaona presented my first experience along the same themes, but as an outsider to the community of focus - Native Hawaiians.
Artistic Growth: This project has significantly spurred my growth as an artist. Collaborating with Alika, the incredibly talented primary game artist on this project, has challenged me to learn quickly, adapt, and push the boundaries of my illustrative skills, allowing me to create some pieces that I never thought I could!
Game Design and Worldbuilding: In addition to artistic growth, this project has provided valuable experience in game design and worldbuilding. The process of creating an immersive game has been a rich learning adventure, expanding my understanding of how to craft engaging experiences for players and shape intricate game worlds.
Game Art
Here’s a sample of some of the art that I’ve created for this project! I’ve mainly made item art, as well as environmental art and background graphics. I primarily use Procreate, but do 3D modeling in SketchUp and additional editing in Photoshop and Illustrator.
