MINT Design Studio
Team Members
Kendall Brandt
Illustrator + Visual System
Olivia Bowman
Research + UX/UI
App + Children's Book
Project Objectives:
Translate an existing operation room preparation book into a new visual language for an app that will be used to comfort children as they learn what happens before surgery. This vision will then be adapted into a children's story book.
Sketch to Digital Illustration
Many people would be using the app so we had to our audience (many races, genders, ages, educational levels). We decided that making the main character an animal would solve the problem of covering all areas of representation. The alligator was chosen because Shands is run by the University of Florida (UF) and located directly next to the UF campus. Many of the people that work at Shands are UF students or alumnae.
The Gator is meant to be the child's friend, a character they can root for and relate to. Alligators are usually seen as very aggressive and scary animals, so illustrating the character in a way that was not intimidating/scary was important. The gator is illustrated with a large smile and rounded edges (teeth and nails) and a thumbs up.
Final Design
Hospital Staff Characters
When creating the caregiver illustrations, I wanted to keep them human so that the children using the app would not think the hospital was run by animals. The main goal of these characters is to portray these people, that are sometimes seen as scary, as kind, helpful people. So, many of the facial features are simplified, while keeping all the figure's proportions somewhat accurate.
It was also important that the children were able to identify tools that the caregivers would be seen using, so, tools like the clipboard, hair net, surgery mask, etc. are all illustrated accurately so these tools aren't a surprise when the children first come in contact with them at Shands.
Fully Developed Illustrations
App Prototype
This app is currently being backend developed by a group of coders from UF's Dream Team Engineering. User testing with UF Shands patients will be happening soon!
Book Adaptation
While some believe that print design is "dead," I strongly believe that a successful system has both digital and tactile experiences. So it was important to adapt the app back into a physical book so that patients, family members, and hospital staff could enjoy both experiences. The book is also ideal when there aren't enough mobile devices to go around in the hospitals and clinics. The UF Shands Child-life specialists (who helped guide us through this process) also say that books are one of their most chosen items when calming down young patients before a procedure.
Book Spreads
