This solo end-to-end project took place in Buitenhof, a socially and economically challenged district in Delft (Netherlands), affected by negative stereotypes fueled by media narratives and unsubstantiated perceptions. In this area, CANIDREAM Foundation and Museum Prinsenhof Delft lead a collaborative mural art initiative called NOBIS, aimed at strengthening local identity and fostering social cohesion with the rest of the city. However, the project struggled to reach its full potential. As the experience designer, I led the entire research and design process, and realized a digital gamified experience that supports the murals in challenging stereotypes and fostering empathy through personal storytelling. The final design received strong validation from both final users and key stakeholders.

Collaborative research

I started the project by researching the context, with a focus on understanding the existing social challenges and how Delft residents relate to the murals. I used a variety of collaborative and qualitative methods, including both online and offline surveys, six map-based interviews, two participatory workshops, and five participant observations conducted during the co-creation of the murals.

Participatory workshop

Interview with residents

Observation of a collaborative painting moment

Problem definition and design goal

The combination of insights from the several research activities led me to the definition of two main problems and a design goal.

PROBLEM 1:
Many Delft residents avoid Buitenhof, perceiving it as a dangerous and uninteresting area. This lack of direct experience prevents their assumptions from being challenged, allowing negative stereotypes to persist and reinforce themselves over time.

PROBLEM 2:
The NOBIS murals manage to attract a small number of Delft visitors to Buitenhof. However, their interaction with the artwork is superficial, offering little opportunity for meaningful engagement with the area or its residents, therefore failing to challenge the stereotypes.

DESIGN GOAL:
By enabling more meaningful interaction with the artwork, I will show the real district to its visitors and spark empathy toward its residents. In the long term, this can contribute to challenging existing stereotypes and strengthening the sense of connection across the city.

Design process

After defining the design goal, I brainstormed possible solutions divergently and conducted three iterative prototyping and user testing cycles, each aimed at answering a specific design question. In every cycle, I designed, prototyped, and tested two distinct concepts with Delft residents to explore different directions and gather feedback. I started with lo-fi prototypes in the first iteration and moved to more refined ones in the last one.

What medium is more effective?

Which information sparks empathy?

What kind of interaction is the most engaging?

Detailing the interface

Thanks to the completed iterations, I defined the features of the final concept using a detailed user flow. Since the concept blends physical and digital interactions, it was crucial to carefully design and control each step of the activity to create a seamless, cohesive journey for users. I then created the wireframes of the interface. Based on the expectation of the client, it wasn't necessary to develop the full experience, so I focused on detailing the screens related to the core concept.

The iterative process let to the definition of all the features to include in the final concept that I detailed ensuring an engaging and intuitive experience. I realized the hi-fi prototype in Figma and created a custom set of components to ensure consistency in layout, sizing, and color throughout the interface. The visual identity draws inspiration from the shapes and colors of the mural itself, ensuring a cohesive visual language across physical and digital touchpoints, reinforcing the project's identity and making it more recognizable and trustworthy for both residents and visitors.

Final concept

The experience begins in front of the mural, where a call-to-action sign invites visitors to scan a QR code to “discover what hides behind the mural.” This entry point is designed to spark curiosity and initiate a seamless transition from the physical to the digital experience.

Upon scanning, users land on a mobile-friendly webpage that hosts an interactive game with a treasure hunt structure. The goal is to find nine hidden stars scattered around the area near the mural. Each star is physically marked with a code, which can be entered to unlock short audio stories.

Each audio story features a person involved in the creation of the mural, sharing their personal interpretation of the artwork. These authentic voices highlight the collaborative nature of the project, helping visitors connect with the mural not just visually, but emotionally and socially, a key step toward humanizing the neighborhood and challenging stereotypes.

The homepage includes a dynamic tracker, allowing users to monitor how many stars they’ve found. This gamified progression keeps users engaged and motivated to explore. The physical search encourages visitors to move through the area independently, prompting firsthand experiences that can challenge preconceived notions about the neighborhood.

Once all stars are collected, users can save their progress and unlock a personalized page, which also provides access to other murals across Delft. This lays the groundwork for a scalable, city-wide game that encourages deeper exploration and fosters long-term engagement with Buitenhof and other often-overlooked areas.

Final evaluation

I tested the final prototype with five Delft residents to assess the user experience and potential impact of the concept. The evaluation aimed to determine whether the concept fulfilled its design goal. Participants interacted with the prototype on-site, followed by semi-structured interviews before and after the experience to track emotional shifts and gather feedback on usability, engagement, and overall perception.

Emotional impact: increase of empathy and connection with the mural and community, driven by the authenticity of audio recordings; more positive view of the Buitenhof district.
Engagement through gamification: the star-finding mechanic successfully sustained attention, the progress tracker motivated to complete the journey.
Areas for improvement: the "discover more" section was overlooked due to the design of its button, the initial call-to-action sign needs to be more attention grabbing.

Participant testing the prototype

Change of emotions toward the neighborhood

Change of emotions toward the mural

Achievements of Voices of Buitenhof

Over the course of my graduation, Voices of Buitenhof sparked some interest among the Delft community resulting in the project to be featured in two local newspapers (Verrassend Voorhof 7 and TeGek Tanthof 7) and the TU Delft website.

Read the article on the TU Delft website

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