Work Play Rest
Visual Design & UI Guide – 2023–2024
Overview
Work Play Rest is a two-part thesis project exploring how play can be used to reframe the way we design, think, and live. Together, they form a bridge between analog storytelling and digital application, using play as both subject and method.
Timeline
Part 1: Illustrated book and poster campaign series encouraging adults to rediscover the value of play and balance in daily life
Part 2: PLAYfuiL is a UI design guide merging psychology, UX research, and design principles to help incorporate playful interactions into digital experiences
My Role
•Graphic Designer
•UI Designer
•Researcher
Tools
•Figma
•Illustrator
•InDesign
•Photoshop
Work Play Rest is a two-part thesis project exploring how play can be used to reframe the way we design, think, and live. Together, they form a bridge between analog storytelling and digital application, using play as both subject and method.
Part 1: Play Campaign & Book
Illustrated Book
PROCESS BOOK
Poster Designs
Part 2: UI Guide
Problem: We don't play enough as we grow up
This project combines research, design principles, and psychology into a unified UI guide. The deliverable is a non-traditional website guide that serves as a supportive tool for incorporating play into UI designs and layouts. I explore how the brain can be subtly encouraged to engage in playful interactions, highlighting the significant benefits this approach brings to design. Play has transformative powers and when this is merged with design it creates something both visually engaging and mentally beneficial for the user.
•Adults view play as only vital for children
•People are overwork themselves with little incentive to play
•We spend an average of 7 hours daily looking at screens
So how do you get people to play again?
Solution: You trick them!
1)
Make play relevant
2)
Integrate play seamlessly into existing routines and activities to accommodate for time constraints and stigmas
3)
Utilize screen time effectively for multiple beneficial purposes
This is where PLAYFuiL comes into play…
You infuse play into activities and experience that people are already participating in and are familiar with so they don't need to make any separate life changes.
Prototype:
My project is a visually captivating and interactive UI guide that breaks away from conventional website formats. I have merged research in design and psychology to demonstrate how play can be seamlessly integrated into design, catering to both designers and users alike. The focus is on showing, teaching, and inspiring designers and anyone interested in a comprehensive manual about how play should and could be incorporated into design.
PLAYFuiL the UI guide discusses why exactly there needs to be a focus on play and is split into 4 sections that all can be altered to directly contribute to boosting play:
•Color
•Typography
•Pattern
•Layout
Research:
My research just like my designs spanned both worlds, analog and digital.
I studied how play influences creativity and connection through expert and user interviews, article reviews, surveys, competitive analysis, and usability testing, uncovering insights that guided everything from storytelling in print to interaction in UI design.
Why Play?
•Increases brain plasticity and brain function
•Those involved with play exhibit higher intelligence
•Increase immunity, muscle strength, and creativity
•Reduces stress and improves human connection
•Directly linked to cognitive development and self-regulation
•Makes time spent on work more productive and enjoyable
•Integrate play into everyday spaces to encourage greater engagement
•There needs to be inclusive play spaces that everyone can understand and utilize
•Let the user bring play to life
•There are heavy restrictions on play in the US
•Adults take longer to initiate play but once they overcome the initial hurdle they play for longer durations than children
The definition of play defined as a verb is to “engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious practical purpose.” This seems like something that everyone should be consistently incorporating into everyone’s lives at any age, yet when it comes to the balance of work, play, and rest, the concept of play becomes foreign as people age. However just because people feel that they should grow out of play and focus on work, does not mean that it becomes any less important with age. When viewing play from a psychological perspective there are numerous health benefits that come along with it. A major component to the importance of play as shown in children is the ability for it to teach self-regulation. Self-regulation connects to controlling impulses, emotions, behaviors, having discipline, as well as predicting a child’s success in school better than an IQ can. As discussed by psychologist researcher Laura Berk, “Self-regulation predicts effective development in virtually every domain.” Studies have also shown that when a child is engaged in
play, language around self-regulation is at an all time high. Play is a foundational component to children’s lives as they grow up but just because they grow
up does not make play any less important.
“As we get older we think play is only necessary as a reward, as an escape... and so play only happens in a playground, if you’re drinking alcohol in a bar, if you’re paying to go to Disney land or something of those sort of immersive experiences”
-Ryan Swanson
CEO of Urban Conga
Play is a necessary time for your body to relax, release, form face to face human connections, and laugh. Having a form of release through laughter has been linked to an increase in immunity as well as an increase in muscle strength, all of which help with leading a healthier life. When we play there is a lot of positive benefits going on inside our brains, play activates norepinephrine, this neurotransmitter has been found to increase brain plasticity which is how the brain rewires, heals, and fixes itself. “On the whole, play is associated with responses that facilitate learning.” Play is necessary for every area and every age of life, it helps people to learn, problem solve, form social connections, share through culture, and live a better and healthier life.
Gathering info from
10 to 91 year olds
Working with fourth graders had one of the biggest impacts on my project. Being able to
see into a child’s mind influenced so many of my decisions on what was important to think about and include in this book. I heavily relied on both their artwork and information and quotes gathered in the lesson plan that I created and did with them.
Reflection:
This project pushed me to grow as a designer in ways I didn’t expect. It challenged my process, tested my patience, and ultimately strengthened my confidence. My goal was to create something that made a difference, and through trial, error, and persistence, I did.
Advocating for play wasn’t easy, it’s a concept often overlooked or misunderstood. I learned how to communicate ideas in ways that resonate and discovered how powerful play can be in shaping creativity and human connection.
Looking back, I’m proud of what I created and how much I’ve grown. This project reminded me why I design, to inspire, to connect, and to remind people that play has purpose.