SOMNo
educational game
PROJECT OVERVIEW
ABOUT
This was the first of three projects completed during an Interaction Design course at UQÀM. Working alongside two graphic design students, we had five weeks to develop a project based on any sort of timeline. As busy university students, we naturally gravitated toward a subject we knew well - sleep deprivation and sleep cycles.
This project was done in collaboration with Céleste Bonnier and Rébecca Roy-Brière.
THE PROBLEM
A third of Canadian adults don’t get their recommended amount of sleep each night. Between the ages of 12 and 20, an average of two hours of sleep are lost each night. We all know how important getting enough sleep is, especially for younger ones.
How could we show these young people the importance of sleeping well in a playful and informative way? How could we transform sleep cycles into a timeline that is clear and understandable?
THE SOLUTION
SOMNO is a digital game that aims to teach children and teenagers the importance of getting enough sleep. The game, available on any digital device, takes you through the four stages of sleep and its five cycles that repeat during the night. Each level presents a game that is related to the specific stage and explains how it affects your body. As the night progresses and you win the games, you gain energy which leads to a good night's rest.
SOMNO
DISCOVERY
RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
There are four main stages of sleep that repeat four to five times in one night. These stages range from light to deep sleep, forming a 90-minute cycle.
At the end of each cycle, during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, we approach our awakened state before diving back into a deeper stage.
We used this information to feed our brainstorming sessions and develop our concepts.
SLEEP PHASES
SLEEP CYCLES
GAME FLOW
Every level completed brings you closer to a good night’s rest!
Here, each game is associated with the four sleep stages. Each level is associated with the five cycles. Win a game, move onto the next, until you complete that level. After five levels, you’ve won! If you lose one of the games, it brings you back to the start of the level you were in.
PRELIMINARY SKETCHES
VISUAL INSPIRATION
LOGO STUDY
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DESIGN
LEVELS
Our timeline, representing a full night’s sleep with five sleep cycles.
Inspired by the oscillating cycles, the map allows the player to move up and down throughout the levels after winning each game. The type of game is associated with the characteristics of each sleep phase.
high-fidelity WIREFRAME
REFLECTION
WHAT I LEARNED
This project was a great learning experience and introduction to the world of interaction design. I discovered how to transfer my knowledge of design methodology for physical products to a digital product. I learned how to create wireframes, flow charts and mockups.
Our discovery phase was quite brief in this project, due to the short timeframe we had. However, I believe we came up with a clever game that is well thought out. I would love to be able to test this game with teenagers to see what they think.