Odyssey Scavenger Hunt

The Problem

Moving to a new city can be a daunting experience, especially for individuals aged 18 to their late 20s who are navigating diverse social, cultural, and environmental challenges.

As our cohort included students from different cities and countries who had left their home to study, we recognized a shared challenge: the struggle to acclimate and develop a sense of belonging. This struggle often leads to feelings of isolation and anxiety.

Opportunity: 
But on the brighter side, according to our initial research, being in a new place also sparks curiosity. We saw an opportunity to capitalize on this by using persuasive design methods to create an intervention that encourages newcomers to explore and familiarize themselves with their new environment.

Solution

We designed an immersive scavenger hunt experience that helps people who are new to encourages them to explore unfamiliar places, and boosts their self-confidence to help them overcome anxieties of being in a new place.

Inspired by popular gamified apps like Pokémon Go and SuperBetter, Odyssey uses a combination of persuasive techniques to compel users to venture outside and engage in new activities that they may not otherwise.

Using Persuasive Techniques

To facilitate positive transformations in users, we used proven persuasive design techniques

Persuasive design involves crafting experiences that influence users’ attitudes or behaviors in a desired way. It leverages psychological principles to subtly guide users towards specific actions or decisions, often without them being fully aware of the influence. In the Odyssey project, we employed several persuasive design techniques to create an engaging and effective experience for users.

Techniques employed:

01 Embedded Design

Embedded design subtly incorporates the persuasive goal into the user experience, making it less apparent to the user. In Odyssey, we used embedded design by embedding the goal of encouraging exploration within the scavenger hunt’s storyline. This allowed users to naturally step out of their comfort zones as they engaged with the game, without feeling pressured or forced.

02 Self-Affirmation

Self-affirmation encourages users to reflect on their core values to build confidence and resilience. In Odyssey, we incorporated self-affirmation by prompting users to select values that resonate with them, such as creativity or adventure. We then provided reflective activities related to these values during the game, helping users feel more confident and motivated as they explored new places.

03 Priming

Priming subtly influences users' thoughts or behaviors by introducing related concepts. In Odyssey, we used priming by featuring a butterfly—a symbol of exploration and transformation—in the storyline. The visual and narrative elements associated with the butterfly primed users to be more open to new experiences, aligning with the game’s goal of encouraging exploration and acclimatization.

Impact

"The art heist felt like I was in a movie; it felt adventurous"
-Participant, new to Pittsburgh 

We tested this concept with our participants who were new to the city of Pittsburgh. They reported that the anticipation of solving clues and going to different locations made them feel adventurous and “like they were in a movie”. Participants stated that they had deeper conversations with their game partners beyond what they usually speak about, making them feel more connected.

Impact 1

100%

of participants reported immense enjoyment from the activity

They expressed that they would participate again in these scavenger hunts whenever they move to a new city.

Impact 2

of the participants from our testing have become close friends

They were previously just acquaintances and have become close friends now as a direct result of their shared experience during the scavenger hunt.

Impact 3

66%

of participants had never visited the chosen famous landmarks

Despite being here for 6 months, they never visited these places, highlighting the game's effectiveness in encouraging exploration and discovery.

"Your experiential prototyping methods were ingenious and expertly designed! "
‍-Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

"In terms of execution, your team’s prototyping achievements can be held up as a gold standard for the class."
‍-Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

Reflection

Go beyond the traditional design methods!

‍My biggest learning from this project was how to use persuasive design strategies to influence human behavior. Along with the embedded design and self-affirmation techniques, I also studied biases, cognitive dissonance theory, social cognition theories etc. and their applications. The project gave me confidence in applying these strategies in my future designs!

‍We also used innovative ideation techniques like 'Thing From the Future' and 'Tarot Cards of Tech', which included cards like 'the forgotten', that helped us make a pivotal decision in this project to not limit this game to international students but to anyone new to the area. I'm eager to integrate these approaches into future projects.

Primary Research

We interviewed international students from around the world to understand the problem space from within

01
Conducted 4 focus group sessions with 100 metaphors to set design considerations

Moments from our focus groups

During our sessions, we asked participants to reflect on their feelings about various aspects of moving to a new place—such as community, culture, sense of belonging, and relationships with family and friends—by selecting and discussing metaphors from a set of 100. Our research revealed that successfully navigating a new city enhances feelings of safety, confidence, and comfort. Additionally, engaging in conversations and discovering commonalities help foster a sense of belonging and community.

METAPHORS ACTIVITY

02
Experts in the field recommended to find the right mix of support and freedom

Experts agree that it's important to find a balance between offering support and giving people the freedom to make their own choices. This balance helps individuals connect with others while still feeling in control.

Additionally, experts highlight the need for using various communication methods to keep students informed amidst their busy schedules. Finally, involving students in creating and leading community-building activities has proven to be a powerful approach.

03
‍We read research papers about acclimation

To deepen our understanding, we thoroughly reviewed 11 research papers on acclimation processes and existing support efforts. We also broadened our research by analyzing popular games like Pokémon Go, Nudge, and SuperBetter, drawing inspiration from their strategies to ignite a spirit of exploration and discovery in our own project.

FULL LITERATURE REVIEW

Guiding Principle

How might we encourage newcomers to a city to explore unfamiliar places and foster self-confidence, ensuring they feel empowered in their new environment?

Our research identified three key insights into acclimation challenges faced by people in a new place: acclimation involves multiple factors like time and public transportation, understanding local nuances fosters a sense of belonging, balancing structure with independence helps build connections, and co-creation empowers community members to lead efforts and form lasting bonds. Based on this we set 3 major guiding principles to guide our ideation.

01 Help understand the nuances of a new place like infrastructural aspects such as public transportation

02 Encourage them to venture beyond their comfort zone

03 Boost self-confidence to overcome anxieties of being in a new place.

Ideation

We employed a different ideation technique - the "The Thing from the Future" to generate more innovative ideas

Aside from the well-known Crazy 8s and brainstorming sessions, we employed the 'The Thing from the Future technique, which was also a persuasive game to help players develop their imagination and critical thinking skills. During this session, Gamifying exploration, creating a third place, crowdsourcing, emerged as common themes

My Ideas from Brainstorming

Group Affinity Diagramming

Prototyping

For our first prototype, we decided to build on the scavenger hunt concept, as it was an idea that resonated with everyone on the team, owing to similarity with Pokemon Go

For the first prototype, we told our participants it was an experiential game while obscuring its true purpose. We asked them to go to a coffee shop (we chose coffee shops where they had never been before to encourage them to visit new places). When they arrived, they had to solve the challenge shown below to unlock the token and receive a free coffee from the cafe.

Iteration

For the second round, we iterated and crafted a story close to the heart of Pittsburgh!

To improve on the first round, we crafted a story around an ‘Art Heist’ where one of artist Andy Warhol’s paintings has been stolen, torn into pieces and scattered around famous landmarks in Pittsburgh!

This iteration aimed to obfuscate the goal of encouraging participants to step out of their comfort zones by embedding it within the game of finding clues. We chose famous spots around Pittsburgh to increase familiarity with the city, as our findings showed that people feel more comfortable when they know well-known landmarks. Additionally, reaching these spots required using public transit, further enhancing their familiarity with the city.

Moodboard

Feature 1

Discovering the City Through Clues Hidden Around Landmark Places

This game guides users to famous cultural and historical landmarks across the city through hidden clues, encouraging exploration and helping them become familiar with their surroundings.

This immersive journey not only fosters a deeper connection to the city but also allows users to find similarities with their own cultures and hometowns, enhancing their sense of belonging. As they uncover these landmarks, their growing knowledge and familiarity boost their confidence, making them feel more at home in their new environment.

Feature 2

Building Confidence Through Personalized In-Transit Activities

At the beginning of the game, players choose a value that resonates with them—Creativity, Adventure, or Friends and Family. This choice then guides personalized prompts throughout the game, tailored to their selected value.

By reflecting on and discussing their chosen values, players affirm their self-identity, reducing psychological threats and enhancing their confidence. This self-affirmation technique is designed to help players build inner strength, encouraging them to step out of their comfort zones.

Feature 3

Building Confidence Through Personalized In-Transit Activities

At the end of the scavenger hunt, participants engage in a reflection activity designed to reinforce their experiences and personal growth. Reflecting on these moments helps solidify the confidence and sense of belonging they gained during the hunt.

By considering their achievements and the challenges they overcame, participants gain a deeper appreciation for their journey, reinforcing their self-affirmation and making them more likely to continue exploring and engaging with their new environment.