Overview
Outcome
Why Sealife?
Research
Prototyping
Art Direction
Next Steps
Reflection
SUMMARY

Songs of the Sea

The Challenge

Designing an experience that makes the invisible role of sound in marine ecosystem health understandable and engaging, while balancing scientific accuracy with intuitive, accessible game-play.

The Solution

An interactive game where players build ocean ecosystems through sound, using frequency-based interactions to reveal how marine life communicates and how ecosystem balance is reflected in evolving soundscapes.

Team

5 (cross-functional)

Timeline

6 weeks

My Roles

Research

UX/UI Design

Prototyping

Art Design

Tools

Figma

Photoshop

Illustrator

Unity 2D

The Challenge

Designing an experience that makes the invisible role of sound in marine ecosystem health understandable and engaging, while balancing scientific accuracy with intuitive, accessible game-play.

The Solution

An interactive game where players build ocean ecosystems through sound, using frequency-based interactions to reveal how marine life communicates and how ecosystem balance is reflected in evolving soundscapes.

Team

5

Timeline

6 weeks

My Roles

Research

UX/UI Design

Prototyping

Art Design

Tools

Figma

Photoshop

Illustrator

Unity 2D

The Challenge

Designing an experience that makes the invisible role of sound in marine ecosystem health understandable and engaging, while balancing scientific accuracy with intuitive, accessible game-play.

The Solution

An interactive game where players build ocean ecosystems through sound, using frequency-based interactions to reveal how marine life communicates and how ecosystem balance is reflected in evolving soundscapes.

Team

5 (cross-functional)

Timeline

6 weeks

My Roles

Research

UX/UI Design

Prototyping

Art Design

Tools

Figma

Photoshop

Illustrator

Unity 2D

The Challenge

Designing an experience that makes the invisible role of sound in marine ecosystem health understandable and engaging, while balancing scientific accuracy with intuitive, accessible game-play.

The Solution

An interactive game where players build ocean ecosystems through sound, using frequency-based interactions to reveal how marine life communicates and how ecosystem balance is reflected in evolving soundscapes.

Team

5

Timeline

6 weeks

My Roles

Research

UX/UI Design

Prototyping

Art Design

Tools

Figma

Photoshop

Illustrator

Unity 2D

OUTCOME
OUTCOME

Learn About Ocean Habitats

The final game centers on players actively shaping an ocean ecosystem by adding marine creatures, each contributing distinct sounds that collectively form a musical composition. The gameplay loop revolves around balancing the ecosystem’s “song” by adjusting animal populations while responding to environmental stressors such as food scarcity and noise pollution.

The final game centers on players actively shaping an ocean ecosystem by adding marine creatures, each contributing distinct sounds that collectively form a musical composition. The gameplay loop revolves around balancing the ecosystem’s “song” by adjusting animal populations while responding to environmental stressors such as food scarcity and noise pollution.

Build Your Own Sea-Orchestra

Try to balance the ecosystem's "song" by adjusting the animal populations

Try to balance the ecosystem's "song" by adjusting the animal populations

Click Play to Hear the Symphony!

Learn What Makes a Healthy Ecosystem

Populate the habitat with compatible sea creature friends. Learn about compatible matches through the aid of music.

Populate the habitat with compatible sea creature friends. Learn about compatible matches through the aid of music.

Discover Sea Creature Needs

Each individual critter has their own needs in participating in a thriving environment.

Each individual critter has their own needs in participating in a thriving environment.

CONTEXT

Why Sealife?

We focused on marine ecosystems because of their critical role in regulating climate systems and their frequent misrepresentation as silent environments. This misconception provided an opportunity to introduce ocean literacy through sound.

An Estimated

50 Million

Active Bumble Users

Only

2.73 Million

Users are subscribed to premium

Nearly a

40% Drop

in conversion for non-dating modes

Sound & Marine Biology

Build the understanding that sound and marine ecosystems’ health can be directly responsible to their balance.

How are Sounds & Marine Biology Connected?

We looked at the research of a few scientists, in particular Tim Lamont, a biologists that focuses on audiology in coral reefs. Healthy Coral Reefs emit a vibrant soundscape correlated with an increased in marine activity.

We looked at the research of a few scientists, in particular Tim Lamont, a biologists that focuses on audiology in coral reefs. Healthy Coral Reefs emit a vibrant soundscape correlated with an increased in marine activity.

Additionally, he observes reviving coral reefs by listening to their sounds, and his team has been doing experiments playing healthy reefs sounds to unhealthy reefs, and has observed some reviving.

Additionally, he observes reviving coral reefs by listening to their sounds, and his team has been doing experiments playing healthy reefs sounds to unhealthy reefs, and has observed some reviving.

Teaching Children Marine Literacy

Build the understanding that sound and marine ecosystems’ health can be directly responsible to their balance.

Build the understanding that sound and marine ecosystems’ health can be directly responsible to their balance.

  1. Why Children?

Teaching children ecosystem health, ecology, and music can aid them in engaging with the world in a way that fosters early curiosity and care for marine biology.

Teaching children ecosystem health, ecology, and music can aid them in engaging with the world in a way that fosters early curiosity and care for marine biology.

b. How Might Auidences Learn About This?

We utilized 3 learning principles to aid children in learning to care for biological ecosystems.

We utilized 3 learning principles to aid children in learning to care for biological ecosystems.

Metacognition

Empower the player to self-reflect and self-correct. Engage the player in their own learning experience.

Temporal Contiguity

Present complementary audio and visual elements at the same time to encourage the player to form a connection between the two stimuli.

Active Preconceptions

Prompt players to examine what they already know (or think they know) to help contextualize new material.

How might we teach children the value of maintaining marine biological health?

RESEARCH

Competitive Analysis

A competitor analysis of educational games in similar domains revealed a gap: while many games use ocean aesthetics and abstract sound design, few meaningfully integrate ecological education with systems-based learning around sound and marine health.

A competitor analysis of educational games in similar domains revealed a gap: while many games use ocean aesthetics and abstract sound design, few meaningfully integrate ecological education with systems-based learning around sound and marine health.

Product Opportunity Mindmap

Exploring Coral Reef Soundscapes

A key research foundation came from collaboration with Tim Lamont, whose work explores coral reef soundscapes. He provided access to a database of marine creature sounds sourced from divers and biologists.

A key research foundation came from collaboration with Tim Lamont, whose work explores coral reef soundscapes. He provided access to a database of marine creature sounds sourced from divers and biologists.

  1. Reviewing the Natural Marine Sounds Database

After consulting with Tim Lamont's marine soundscape data-base, we identified frequency levels which exist in marine ecosystems.

After consulting with Tim Lamont's marine soundscape data-base, we identified frequency levels which exist in marine ecosystems.

1. High Frequencies

i.e. Certain gobies, which make brief high-frequency pulses through body movements or swim bladder vibrations

2. Mid Frequencies

i.e. Damselfish and some clownfish, which produce short, mid-pitched pops or chirps during territorial or social interactions

3. Low Frequencies

i.e. mantis shrimp produce a very low pitch, similar to an engine

1. High Frequencies

i.e. Certain gobies, which make brief high-frequency pulses through body movements or swim bladder vibrations

2. Mid Frequencies

i.e. Damselfish and some clownfish, which produce short, mid-pitched pops or chirps during territorial or social interactions

3. Low Frequencies

i.e. mantis shrimp produce a very low pitch, similar to an engine

b. Mapping A Sonification System

We mapped creature sounds to frequency ranges (high, mid, low) to reflect how underwater animals communicate, whilst balancing a layered music composition.

We mapped creature sounds to frequency ranges (high, mid, low) to reflect how underwater animals communicate, whilst balancing a layered music composition.

Frequency Mapping

Research Conclusion

This project is based on the insight that ocean ecosystems are often misunderstood as silent environments, despite being rich in biologically meaningful sound. Research into coral reef acoustics, particularly the work of Tim Lamont, shows that healthy ecosystems are defined by diverse and layered soundscapes produced by marine life interactions. By mapping these natural frequency ranges into a gameplay system, this project explores how sonification can make ecological balance perceptible and intuitive, allowing players to understand ecosystem health through changes in sound rather than text or visuals alone.

This project is based on the insight that ocean ecosystems are often misunderstood as silent environments, despite being rich in biologically meaningful sound. Research into coral reef acoustics, particularly the work of Tim Lamont, shows that healthy ecosystems are defined by diverse and layered soundscapes produced by marine life interactions. By mapping these natural frequency ranges into a gameplay system, this project explores how sonification can make ecological balance perceptible and intuitive, allowing players to understand ecosystem health through changes in sound rather than text or visuals alone.

ART DIRECTION

Art Direction

The overall goal was to ensure the game feels emotionally accessible while still supporting scientific engagement. Visual exploration began with moodboards and iterative testing of illustration styles to balance clarity, warmth, and ecological immersion.

The overall goal was to ensure the game feels emotionally accessible while still supporting scientific engagement. Visual exploration began with moodboards and iterative testing of illustration styles to balance clarity, warmth, and ecological immersion.

  1. Color Palette

Primary Colors

UI Palette

b. Hand-Drawn Illustration Style

PLAYTESTING

Playtesting & Further Iterations

Build the understanding that sound and marine ecosystems’ health can be directly responsible to their balance.

Playtesting 01 - Paper

Playtesting 01 - Insights

1. Remove Time Pressure

Time pressure undermines the game’s therapeutic and educational goals by increasing stress and difficulty.

2. Strengthen Empathy

Empathy could be strengthened by annotating creature states (e.g., danger/loneliness) and mapping user emotions across game phases.

3. Pollution Mechanisms Add Complexity

Pollution elements add complexity; prioritize testing and refining core mechanics before expanding systems.

1. Remove Time Pressure

Time pressure undermines the game’s therapeutic and educational goals by increasing stress and difficulty.

2. Strengthen Empathy

Empathy could be strengthened by annotating creature states (e.g., danger/loneliness) and mapping user emotions across game phases.

3. Pollution Mechanisms Add Complexity

Pollution elements add complexity; prioritize testing and refining core mechanics before expanding systems.

Playtesting 02 - Unity Vertical Slice

Playtesting 02 - Insights

1. Incongruence Between Mechanics and Educational Intent

The game’s therapeutic/educational intent conflicts with current mechanics—time pressure, trial-and-error difficulty, and lack of onboarding increase stress and prevent learning, indicating a need for slower pacing and clearer tutorial scaffolding.

2. Difficulty Mapping Abstract Game Sound Design

Players consistently struggle to map abstract game sound design to real ecological knowledge, showing a gap between intended learning outcomes and perceived meaning that requires stronger audio clarity, frequency differentiation, and explicit instructional framing.

3. Emotional Tone is Successful

Despite confusion in mechanics and learning goals, users respond positively to aesthetics and calmness, suggesting the core emotional tone is successful and should be preserved while restructuring gameplay and feedback systems (e.g., evaluations, guided progression, and ecosystem context).

1. Incongruence Between Mechanics and Educational Intent

The game’s therapeutic/educational intent conflicts with current mechanics—time pressure, trial-and-error difficulty, and lack of onboarding increase stress and prevent learning, indicating a need for slower pacing and clearer tutorial scaffolding.

2. Difficulty Mapping Abstract Game Sound Design

Players consistently struggle to map abstract game sound design to real ecological knowledge, showing a gap between intended learning outcomes and perceived meaning that requires stronger audio clarity, frequency differentiation, and explicit instructional framing.

3. Emotional Tone is Successful

Despite confusion in mechanics and learning goals, users respond positively to aesthetics and calmness, suggesting the core emotional tone is successful and should be preserved while restructuring gameplay and feedback systems (e.g., evaluations, guided progression, and ecosystem context).

NEXT STEPS

Expand Playtesting Across Learning

Additional user playtesting is needed to better understand how different audiences interpret the game’s sound-based mechanics and educational goals. Future testing should focus on onboarding clarity, accessibility of audio cues, and how effectively players connect ecosystem balance with the evolving soundscape over longer play sessions.

Further Develop Core Gameplay Loop

The current prototype establishes a strong emotional tone, but the core interaction loops require further refinement to create clearer progression and decision-making. Future iterations should focus on balancing ecosystem management, feedback systems, creature relationships, and environmental events to ensure the gameplay feels intuitive, rewarding, and educationally meaningful.

REFLECTION

Designing Alongside Developers

Working closely with developers throughout the project highlighted how critical early collaboration is when designing interactive systems. Many mechanics that felt straightforward in Figma required significant technical consideration once implemented in Unity, reinforcing the value of designing with development constraints, system logic, and implementation feasibility in mind from the start.

Figma vs Build-Ready Design

This project deepened my understanding of the gap between interface-level prototyping and production-ready game systems. While Figma was effective for communicating flows and visual direction, translating those ideas into functional gameplay required more detailed thinking around states, transitions, feedback systems, and player interaction logic within an actual game engine.

Designing for Systems Within Unity

The project revealed the need for a more fully defined gameplay system before implementation. Building interactions within Unity exposed how interconnected mechanics, audio systems, environmental states, and player feedback loops must work together cohesively. Moving forward, I would prioritize earlier system mapping and gameplay documentation to better support scalable iteration and smoother development workflows.