What is OOPSIE?
We developed this project for the D&AD New Blood 2023 competition, where it earned a Wood Pencil. Our team chose the 21GRAMS brief, which called for an interactive solution to help new parents suffering from post-natal depression. Drawn to the brief’s emphasis on both innovation and practicality, we sought to address a serious, deeply human challenge.
To gain deeper insight, we researched various stress factors that may exacerbate post-natal depression, identifying self-criticism as a particularly harmful trigger for new parents. In response, our project aims to humanize everyday mistakes, reframing them as humorous moments in the parenting journey and thus making these challenges feel less daunting and easier to overcome.
Visual Development
In this project, I was the project leader, illustrator and prototype developer.
When developing the design for the project, I was very drawn to the UPA animation style, which simplified the visual elements and focused more on the overall form of the object and characters, rather than the details. There is no stress on perfect perspective or coloring, and the little deviations in the drawing gave it a whimsical and charming look. So, I made all the illustrations for the game in this style. We also produced a promotional trailer for the project in this style that summarized the main mechanics and the goal of the game.
Character Design
Here are the character sheet I made for the main character in our promotion trailer, showing her normal version, and her negative inner self.
Style Test
Some concept art I presented to the team as examples for the style I proposed.
Process Example
Process from sketch to the finalized illustrated comic page.
UI Design
For the UI design, I proposed a scrapbook-inspired aesthetic to capture both the playful messiness of our stories and the treasured, handmade quality of memory-keeping. I had a lot of fun creating the assets and assembling the app to mimic a hand-drawn scrapbook, and I believe this approach adds a distinctive charm that helps our game stand out.
Low-fidelity Mockup
First Version of UI
Final UI Design
Game Mechanics
For the mechanics of the game, we wanted it to be easily picked up and play, and wouldn’t need both hands to interact, since from our research, new parents don’t always have the luxury of dedicated personal time for relaxation and often have to multi-task, so our game would fit neatly into the little pocket of free or idle time they have available. The mechanics are designed to be easy to play with, but still customized to be immersive with the story.
