Lavaplay
2019
Academic project
Strategic Design
UX / UI
Industrial Design
We are what we do to change what we are.
Lavaplay is an ambitious project that fights the problem of gentrification through the transformative power of children.
A metaverse that brings life back to Lavapiés.
Lavapiés, a neighborhood of contrasts
Lavapiés is a neighborhood in continuous evolution, which comes from a dark past, marked by drugs and poverty.
However, these improvements are creating a trendy place for tourists, who come in search of party in a picturesque place, with the consequent increase in prices that is displacing the natural population of the neighborhood, losing its rich multiculturalism.
Lavapiés is trapped in a paradox
Government investment is focused on the land, but not on the people who live there, so the children have no place to fit in, they break away from the neighborhood as soon as they can, and it’s back to square one.
Inside the neighborhood
Through in-depth research in which we delved deep into the culture and life of the neighborhood, we were able to understand the real problem: gentrification.
To approach it, we first needed to have all the stakeholders on board. We interviewed many of them, drawing the necessary connections to find a comprehensive and sustainable solution.
(Please note that the following video is in Spanish, but you can activate Engish subtitles)
The new world of Lavaplay
Lavaplay is a metaverse in real life, a connection between the real and virtual worlds in which children can discover an improved version of the neighborhood in which they live, a version that they will help to build.
This new world runs through the streets of Lavapiés, and has as a point of contact between the two worlds the touch panels that are installed throughout the area, where each child can connect with new friends, sign up for activities and discover the environment around them.
An app designed for children
Lavaplay comes to life through a platform that connects both worlds, where children can meet, hang out, participate in activities and discover the world around them.
It has been designed based on universal design principles, inspired by children’s apps and tested with children until fully optimized.
It was my first approach to UX/UI design and prototyping. It was created in AdobeXd and can be tested by clicking here
