High School Network
High School Network is a digital product and a mobile card game aiming to spark teenage curiosity in cyber security through play.
Learning is weaved into gameplay shamelessly, forgoing the boring corporate aesthetics and instead focusing on nostalgic for teens art direction and engaging gameplay where you can learn about cyber security attacks & defense through storytelling.
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Design a digital product that would help get teens and young people into cyber security. Create a product that sparks curiosity and brings awareness about cyber to a younger audience.
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A bold, unapologetic, eye-catching product that is sure to grab the attention of a young generation with a nostalgia driven, unique art direction and cyber security content that isn’t in your face, but more integrated into a storytelling and gaming narrative.
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As the author of the concept, I worked as a lead Designer on this project.
Tackling an ambiguous brief, I did UX research and competitor analysis, brainstorming and ideation, established a Digital Art Direction and Brand Identity, designed the UI and the characters and worked with a talented illustrator on the rest of the illustration, feedbacking on this project and animating a product trailer.
Problem Discovery
01
A lot of teens are completely unaware of careers in cyber security and of the industry itself. Moreover the skills needed such as creativity, curiosity and the ability to strategise, which are often as important as high level coding abilities, many young people learn from gaming.
- Teen Tech / Cybersecurity
02
People of all generations have mostly been inspired by popular media (i.e. Movies, TV Shows and Games) into a career in cyber security. Notably a lot of them would engage in rebellious activities such as hacking and tinkering, before channeling their energy into education and career.
Notably the most popular mediums of inspiration are Games and Movies where hacking is at the centre of the storyline.
- UX Research
03
The SANS Institute, a cyber security training provider, has found that 72% of parents have never considered cyber security as a future career for their children, which is contributing to the growing cyber skills gap.
- Computer Weekly
Research
User Interviews / Stories
Interviews with cyber security professionals were carried out to identify what got them into cyber security? What inspired them and what led them to pursue this career path?
Survey / Field Study
In order to find unfiltered responses I went on Reddit and found quite a few threads talking about what attracted individuals into a career in cyber security. Their motivations and inspirations were then analysed in order to identify patterns, trends and significance.
Competitor Analysis
Competitor analysis was performed in order to identify what were the wins and short comings of other products out there and where there might be a gap in the market our product could potentially fill. It also in
Findings & Insights
01
Teens are unaware of not just career in cyber, but of cyber security as a space itself. They also have short attention spans, so capturing their attention is a challenge. Moreover competitors are boring, corporate and dry, so the opposite of engaging for a young audience.
02
There isn’t much out there that is mobile first which would better target teens and young adults. Targeted and delivered through app store instead of through third party training companies. Direct to consumer.
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Senior generation had their curiosity sparked through popular media of the time as well as tinkering as a gateway. While there are movies and shows out there that touch on the topic, there isn’t a lot within the gaming space that is more recent and appropriate for the younger target audiences.
Problem Statement
How can I get teens and young adults excited to learn about cyber security? How can I integrate the learning in a way that isn’t boring and doesn’t put people off?
Solution
A product that ingests some fun into cyber security through a narrative driven mobile first experience, weaving cyber security knowledge and education into a digital product in subtle ways, making it more engaging and interactive.
A product that is inclusive and will engage young audiences of all genders.
Industry veterans as well as millennials had their curiosity sparked by popular media at the time such as movies and games that made the subject seem cool, fun, exciting and a little rebellious.
This product captures the same spirit, weaving the topic into a bold narrative, playing on current target audiences nostalgia in it’s approach while utilising popular gaming genre and design.
Development - Early Wireframes
Development - Further Wireframes (Vertical Slice)
Animation
Art Direction
In order to make sure this digital product breaks the corporate boredom norms, it needed an unconventional Art Direction that would resonate with it’s target audience. Rounds of development ended up moving this project in the direction of Gen Z nostalgia. Taking inspiration from cartoons such as Adventure Time and Steven Universe, which caries a sense of familiarity for our users, a bold, unapologetic, disruptive art direction for a mobile product such as this was a way to stand out from the grey noise and resonate with our intended crowd.
There’s an extreme lack of gender diversity in the cyber security industry, so another element that had to be factored into the Art Direction is that this product appeals not just to young boys and men, but also to girls, young women and audiences all genders.
The appeal of being inspired by animated series nostalgic to gen Z is that they are vibrant and fun, but aren’t gender exclusive and captivate not just teenage audiences, but also young adults too.
Brand Identity Design
The brand identity for this project embraces the bold, cartooney aesthetic and pushes it further with a fun typographic logo that is in line with what is traditional for games. A complex colour palette system was developed to make sure that the illustration, art direction and the brand work harmoniously with each other, complemented by bold yet simple typography and design application.
