NMIMS School of Design

Final Year - Capstone Project

The ChakraView of Life: A Gamified Approach to Enhancing Tween Resilience and Self-Efficacy

My Role

UX Research, Usability Testing, Game Design, Ideation, Prototyping, Visual Design, Illustrations.

Team

Pranjal (Me), Dr. Arundhati Guha Thakurta (Mentor)

Deliverables

Final Game Board Solution, Research Paper, Research Paper Poster, Solution Video, Project Report - Dissertation

Timeline

5 months (June 2024 - Oct 2024)

//Recognition

🏆 Capstone Project Excellence Award '25

// TL;DR

The ChakraView of Life is a board game inspired by the Mahabharata that helps parents and tweens (ages 9–12) balance autonomy and guidance. Through scenario-based decision-making and role-reversal tasks, it encourages open conversations, empathy, and resilience-building at home.

Developed after extensive research with 32+ families (parent + tweens) and 6 psychologists, the game turns real-life challenges into interactive gameplay where parents act as “guides” and tweens learn to make independent choices. Playtests showed a usability score of 4.5/5—proving that gamification can transform parenting into a shared journey of learning and growth.

// project overview

The ChakraView of Life is a board game designed to address the critical issue of overprotective parenting and its impact on tween resilience and self-efficacy.

This project emerged from extensive research into helicopter parenting behaviors and their consequences on children aged 9-12, ultimately creating a culturally relevant gamified solution that fosters healthy parent-child communication.

// Process followed

The study was conducted in Mumbai, India, where overprotective behaviors are commonly observed among urban, educated mothers (Suarez‐Morales & Torres, 2021). Using the random-convenient sampling method, 32 families were recruited to conduct the study. It was conducted in four phases:

// desk research

The process began with desk research, which included reviewing over 40+ academic journals, articles, government reports, and studies on parenting styles, child development, and psychological resilience. This research began with a focus on global trends in parenting, with particular attention to how overprotective behaviors manifest in different cultural contexts, including India. Affinity mapping was used to organize and categorize qualitative data from interviews, surveys, and observations into thematic clusters, revealing key findings.

key findings

Cultural Gap: No existing resilience-building interventions were tailored for Indian families

Parental Exclusion: Most solutions focused solely on children, excluding parents from the process

Early Intervention Critical: Skills like self-management and emotional resilience decline between ages 12-16

Communication Barriers: Parents struggled to discuss autonomy and decision-making without conflict

These insights informed the development of user personas, representing core groups—parents and tweens—by highlighting their motivations, frustrations, and goals. Empathy mapping further provided a visual representation of what users said, thought, felt, and did regarding overprotective behavior and resilience-building, offering deeper insights into their emotional and psychological experiences.

// primary research - scope

112 total participants across multiple research methods | 32 empathy interviews with parents and tweens | 6 expert interviews with child psychologists | 74 survey responses from families, focus groups, and usability testing sessions

// Challenge

Research showed that 64% of urban parents expressed anxiety about their child’s ability to cope with difficulties, while 55% of tweens felt they lacked freedom to make independent decisions. This imbalance hindered autonomy, confidence, and emotional growth.

This helicopter parenting pattern was creating a concerning cycle: well-intentioned parents limiting their children's exposure to challenges, inadvertently hindering the development of critical resilience and decision-making skills essential for emotional growth.

// Ideation & Concept Development

Starting with 50+ initial concepts, I explored various gamified interventions including:

Digital storytelling apps
IoT-based family tools
VR solutions
Interactive board games
Family communication toolkits

Through feasibility analysis and user feedback, I converged on three primary concepts for prototyping, ultimately selecting a board game integrated with family toolkit elements for its balance of engagement, accessibility, and cultural relevance.

// Iterative Testing & Refinement

Multi-Stage Prototyping- I conducted three major testing iterations, each addressing specific usability and engagement challenges:

// Cultural Integration: Why Mahabharata?

I chose to ground the game in the Mahabharata epic for several strategic reasons:

Cultural Resonance: Familiar to Indian families across generations
Rich Ethical Framework: Contains complex moral dilemmas perfect for decision-making scenarios
Intergenerational Appeal: Enables parents and grandparents to share knowledge and perspectives
Values Integration: Naturally incorporates concepts of dharma (duty), niti (strategy), and buddhi (wisdom)

// Game Design Architecture

The ChakraView of Life features:

7-level concentric board representing the Chakravyuh (strategic formation)
Character cards based on Pandava brothers, each with unique traits
Scenario cards across 4 life domains: Family (Vanvas Pariksha), Personal (Yaksha Pariksha), Academic (Gurukul Pariksha), and Social (Rajasuya Yajna)
Action cards: Challenge (Vighna), Mystery (Rahasya), and Role Reverse (Viparita Leela)
Guide role for parents as Krishna, providing limited hints
Point system based on dharma, niti, and buddhi values