Interactive Game for Aarhus Botanical Garden

Role: UX & Visual Designer
Team: 5 students
Responsibilities: User research, concept ideation, illustration, storytelling, design system, prototype

The Challenge

The Botanical Garden wanted to make its new digital exposition more immersive for Danish visitors. We needed to:

• Create an engaging experience tailored to local culture and values

• Use storytelling to make learning fun and interactive

• Design something feasible and educational for school trips

The Solution

We designed an interactive game for school children (ages 8–12) visiting the Botanical Garden. Through storytelling, characters, and challenges, kids explore the garden by finding plants, solving tasks, and working in teams.

Value

• Makes visits more fun, interactive, and memorable

• Encourages teamwork and curiosity

• Provides teachers with a structured, educational tool

My Contributions

User Research

Conducted desk research, observations, and netnography → identified kids (8–12) as primary audience

Concept Development

Helped define storytelling-driven, gamified solution.

Character Design & Illustration

Created five unique characters, each adapted to a specific garden environment; characters deliver tasks and educational content.

Design System

Developed cohesive tone of voice, color palette, typography, and moodboard → playful yet educational

Prototype & Visualizations

Produced sample screens and game flow to demonstrate how the interactive journey unfolds

Outcome

• Prototype demonstrated an immersive learning experience that increased curiosity and participation among kids

• Teachers saw potential for more structured and engaging educational trips

• Design system ensured consistency and scalability for future expansions

• Supported the project with an introductory video to visualize the experience

Reflection & Next Steps

This project strengthened my skills in illustration, gamification, and designing for children.
If continued, I would:

• Test the game directly with school groups to measure engagement

• Expand the characters and storyline into seasonal or themed events

• Integrate feedback features for teachers to adapt tasks to learning goals

See the introducing video!!