Prototype

Play Toolkit - Box Design

Type: Packaging and System Design Context: After Semester 2, I decided to package the activity book, conversation deck, board game and story archive as one connected play experience, making their individual roles and intended sequence much clearer.

Objective

By the end of Semester 2, I had several prototypes that all addressed family communication, but it was becoming difficult to explain how they connected. Each prototype supported a different communication mode and level of depth, yet they were often presented as separate objects. The goal of the box was therefore to turn them into one cohesive toolkit with a clear sequence, while still allowing each component to be used independently.

Process Breakdown

Mapping the Communication Journey

I began by identifying the role of each prototype in the wider experience. The activity book introduces family communication patterns and prepares participants with small communication strategies. The conversation deck then provides an easier entry point through childhood memories, helping everyone become more comfortable speaking and listening.

Moving into Deeper Discussion

Once participants have warmed up, the board game introduces a more complex discussion of generational differences. Players experience how education, housing, relationships, work and social conditions affect different generations in different ways. The intention is to encourage comparison and empathy without suggesting that one generation universally had an easier or harder life.

Preserving the Stories

The story archive became the final stage of the sequence. After participants reflect, remember and compare experiences, they are invited to record selected stories so that the conversation can continue beyond the play session. This created a four-stage flow across the toolkit: Prepare, Prompt, Play and Preserve.

Designing the Packaging

I designed the box to resemble a collection of games rather than a formal research kit. All of the components were visually redesigned to fit the same art direction and physically adjusted so they could fit inside the box. The exterior also had to communicate what the toolkit contained and how the pieces were intended to be used.

Revised box design
The revised box design

Adapting the Physical Format

My first packaging idea was too complicated and expensive to manufacture, so I changed it into a more practical and budget-friendly format. This required resizing several printed components and reconsidering how the board, cards, booklet and accessories could be stored without making the package too large or fragile.

Final packaged toolkit
The final box after assembly

Key Takeaways

  • Packaging the prototypes together clarified that they were not competing solutions, but different stages within the same communication journey.
  • The toolkit can still be used flexibly, but its strongest impact is likely to come from gradually moving participants from preparation into deeper conversation and preservation.

Reflection

  • The box helped me explain the purpose of the entire project much more clearly.
  • It also forced me to think about the transition between prototypes rather than only how each object works on its own.
  • The sequence remains a suggested pathway rather than a rigid rule, since different families may need different entry points.