Category: Studio II

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Studio II

Studio II · Project 3

Based on primary, exploratory interviews with professionals and secondary resources that present how play therapies are delivered remotely in 2020-2021, I learned more about both the gighlights and difficulties of tele-play.

In this project, I summarized the findings with storyboards protraying a variety of exisiting play scenarios and methods, following with a map illustrating their properties and strengths. After that, I drew out storyboards of proposed models of remote play and made one into a prototype.

  • Physical Play (Traditional)
    Usually in the therapist’s office, or a play room. The sand tray and a selection of toys would help clients play out a scenario and talk about their experiences and concerns. This method usually ends with a photo documentation of the built scene.
  • Current Tele-play Model – Video Conferencing + 2D Virtual Programs
    The combination is seen as a makeshift solution in transitional times, but were broadly used during the pandemic and offers great reference value.
  • Current Tele-play Model – Video Conferencing + Client’s Toy and Equipment
    A model that utilizes home environment and available tools. Having the familiarity with the environment and toy is an advantage but the therapeutic activities can become limited.
  • Proposed Tele-play Model – Asynchronous AR Program
    Augmented asynchronous play model to allevate the traffic for therapist. Clients will play at home using physical models and their play content can be integrated with AR into a story.
  • Proposed Tele-play Model – Synchronous VR Play Space
    A virtual play space where the therapist and client can see each other in their virtual representations. The play environment is customizable and has a large selection of 3D toys.
Play Model Storyboards

The storyboards illustrates the touchpoints and technologies used in each model, and are visual reminder of the relationship between therpists, play medium, and clients. There are advantages and disadvantages in each model to learn from. For instance, the documentation used in traditional face-to-face therapies inspires me to include a function to save the play scene for continuous play, or future reviews.

Expanded from the VR play space model, I then made wireframes and a prototype. It is not a complete representation of the proposed model but shows the selection of toys and the customization of the environments.

Reflections:

The digital transformation in play therapy is not going to be a straightforward solution to the issues around accessibility. However, providing options outside of the face-to-face model for therapist and clients may be beneficial to their approaches and adds flexibility to the play activities. The digital versions should not feel like an obstacle or distraction to the therapeutic process, but a continuation of what’s already been effective. More primary researches and experiments will be needed to find out what’s more effective and acceptable according to the standards of therapists and clients’ expectations.

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Studio II

Studio II · Project 2

Haig introduced us A-frame, a web-based tool used to create 3D tools and games in a browser. It is a relatively easy way to get into creating VR experiences without a high-demand for programming knolwedge. The fun experience seen above is a world of spheres with googley eyes running around.

At this moment I did not have a firm idea on what this project should be look like. My larger area was mental health treatment in VR interactions. A first intention was to create an immersive space with an environment that a player could feel full embraced, that is vastly different from the reality. Procedurally generated environment assessts such as sky, mountain, and trees are already made available by fans of A-Frame and it was a quick way to fill up the VR space with items of randomized scale.

After my first experience with making in a VR space, I wanted to have a more specific direction on what I would like to make, so that I could learn about techniques accordingly.

For the thesis research, I interviewed a counsellor, who mainly works with children, teenagers, and women. Ever since the pandemic her services became completly virtual. Using Zoom makes her patients’ life easier and her service has never been so accessible. Moreover, childrens generally feel happy about this transition for them could relax in their room and talk about their surroundings in the session. However, she also mentioned that because of Zoom, it is harder for her to interact with kids than in her familiar space. She used to making drawings and let children play with mini figures during sessions and now it has been reduced to a virtual whiteboard in Zoom.

Findings in the interview with a counsellor:

  1. A majority of clients (80%) decided to continue remote therapy even when in-person sessions in the counsellor’s office became available. The decisions were not necessarily made because of COVID-19 concerns but out of convenience, comfort. A new client that has never met with counsellor in real life feels comfortable staying in virtual connections, and anxious about meeting in person.
  2. Cartoon programs, virtual whiteboard and video games that encourage exploration and creative expressions were used to replace physical objects, drawing sessions. A loss in the sense of interactivity.
  3. The shift from physical visit in an office environment to the virtually connected familiar spaces of home brought in more topics and made some clients feel more comfortable and confident. However, non-face-to-face conversations make it harder for counsellors to feel the emotions of clients.
  4. Since the COVID-19 the counsellor’s booking has significantly increased and now have a waitlist, reasons being the increase in the demand for mental help because of the pandemic, and therapies were made more accessible.
  5. Half of the clients never met her in person. Making new connections with clients face-in-face is easier, faster, and connections often feel stronger versus meeting 100% online.
  6. Play therapy is a powerful way to allow individuals, especially younger children to express their feelings in actions, which solves the problem of not being good at verbal communications. One story: A kid put a mound of sand on one side representing his father’s house and another mound representing the house of the rest of family members. A “monster” came and demolished the father’s house. This action was a big surprise to the mother.
  7. The problem of VR is that counsellors won’t be able to see clients’ facial expressions. But it could be used for the freedom of expression through creative activities and actions in play.

The opportunities that I found:

  1. Video conferencing limits counsellors’ ability to detect subtle actions and expressions from a patient and thus some opportunities are lost. Instead of finding ways to replicate the experience of a face to face conversation, what are the areas that digital tools excel in that can aid in the interpretation of a patient’s emotion?
  1. Play therapy’s strength in non-verbal expressions, instantaneity, and reduced pressure from goal-driven mind (vs. drawing) helps children express their feelings. The teletherapy transformation has made digital tools involved in play therapies be done in patient’s homes. 

With the insights and experience from an expert in mind, I took a step more in the VR space that I created last time, and added some shapes that are interactive and constantly moving. As of now it’s sill in a rough shape but it can be used as an exercise that tells which direction to go next. The choices for object could use more intention, and interactions between a user and the objects could be more intuitive. I’m excited for the next iteration.