Problem
Children are entering an increasingly globalized and borderless world; And parents are looking for resources to prepare their children for culturally diverse environments. My Hair Studio is a tool for teaching and learning about how to approach the ethnic and cultural differences between us with respect and kindness. I chose hair as the subject of the game because it is one of the first differences we notice between us, and there are so many cultural practices around hair around the world.
Persona
Sarah
Age: 36 (Older Millennial)
Status: Parent to two grade school children, ages 5 and 8
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Goals
Prepare children for a culturally diverse charter school environment
Equip her children to be comfortable noticing and accepting the differences between them and their peers
Behaviors
Hires babysitter whose native language is not English
First Iteration
At first, My Hair Studio encouraged children to follow one character through the processes and histories of various black hairstyles.
Through an online game, that could be accessed on ipad or mobile device, children would play through the daily routines of the game’s characters. In the process, children would learn more about and become more sympathetic to differences they might notice between their own routines and the character's.
Feedback/Testing
After running playtests with both children and adults, the main feedback was that the game should display a broader swath of hair-related cultural practices. And should also engage with interracial and intercultural practices of children with more than
one nationality or race.
Second Iteration
Future Developments
Future developments for My Hair Studio would include expanding the game so players learn about a variety of cultural practices originating from different ethnic backgrounds like preparing food, tradition clothing, and of course beauty routines. I also want to build the game out so that it there is an environment in which the characters live so players become more invested in the stories.
