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… Merp, who?
May I introduce? This is Merp. Together with it, you can create a more balanced lifestyle. I’ve created Merp in a students project with the briefing: „Develop a digital pet on a given personality that enhances the users life“. Merp is a bit shy. However, it can become an affectionate friend who is sensitive to the needs of others. Through mirroring your daily activities with the Tamagotchi device (sleep, nutrition, screen time and physical activity), Merp will remind you when your life is not in balance.
My tasks in the project.
The target group for Merp is the Generation Y: People who struggle having a routine during their daily lives, because they are too busy. Still, they find a healthy and mindful lifestyle important for self-fulfillment.
In user tests we wanted to find out, whether the user interactions and visual design of the digital pet reflect its personality in the given situations. We combined prototype testing with qualitative interviews, and a card game to evaluate the pet’s emotions.
Merp’s body is shaped like a ball – a symbolization for health (association with sport) and balance. His big eyes and eyebrows make him look more affectionate and well-liked. We first started with hand-drawn sketches and then later finalized them with Illustrator.
Bringing Merp to life.
We illustrated Merp’s personality with interaction scenarios, first drawn as a storyboard and later being animated in After Effects. These show Merp from being very shy in the beginning to becoming more open and a good friend to the user.