Constitutin
OBJECTIVE
Constitutin is a civic education project that seeks to help players understand how different constitutions of the world address various issues. It was developed by designers, engineers, and lawyers at the Center for Collective Learning, University of Toulouse.
TOOLS & SKILLS
Content Development, Wireframes, User Flows, UX/UI Design, Interaction Design
TEAM & TIMELINE
Felicia Liang, Cesar A. Hidalgo, Carlos Navarrete, Nicole Ferrada, Danae Fenner
January - May 2021
PROBLEM SPACE
In the wake of Chile’s constitutional convention, how might technology and games educate and empower citizens to participate in public life?
Chile’s current constitution dates to the era of dictator Augusto Pinochet, and is “credited with underpinning decades of growth, but also stoking inequality” (Reuters). In 2019, major protests brought the issue to national attention. In late 2020, the Chilean government held a referendum and 78% of voters agreed that a Constitutional Convention should be tasked with drafting the revised document. For Dr. Cesar A. Hidalgo, a Chilean academic with research interests in digital democracy, a unique opportunity arose to build a gaming environment to promote civic engagement.
Photograph by Pedro Ugarte / AFP / Getty
Content Development
Our team performed extensive research concerning topics that appear in constitutions across most democratic nations. Specifically, we looked at how different constitutions structure categories such as Bill of Rights, State Organization, Independent Bodies, and National Identity. We divided certain topics and drafted multiple choice games that provide the player with text examples before prompting them to answer questions that would inform how a particular section of their personal Constitution could be written.
Game Design
With the multiple choice format in mind, we collected inspiration in the format of online quizzes and games that addressed similar topics. These are particularly common in major newspapers or online journals where people read about politics, and frequently allow the player to either share their results or see how other players responded. We noted these details as we considered how best to design a game that met the team’s main criteria: that it distill complex legal topics into an engaging, exploratory platform experience.
Design Process
DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION STYLES — We explored myriad approaches to designing a playful yet coherent political game. We were particularly inspired by retro/classic and editorial styles that would match the weight of the subject matter.
USER FLOW DIAGRAMS — We mapped the ideal player flow upon entering and perusing the site, which informed how many screens we thought would be necessary to design and develop.
WIREFRAMES — We created quick mockups to validate our suggested user flow, looping between both formats before moving into high fidelity design.
DESIGN SYSTEM — We structured a design system in Figma that allowed us to reuse components across screens and streamline the overall design process.
High Fidelity Prototypes
Main pages leading players to more information about the project and games.
Pages with constitutional excerpts, multiple choice questions, and results.