Zippy Hospital

The treatment journey for pediatric cancer (children with cancer) patients profoundly impacts their psychological well-being due to inherent uncertainties. This often leads to heightened anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Play is vital for children to develop social and emotional skills, strengthening the bond between adults and children and fostering trust and closeness.

Zippy Hospital is a hospital-themed board game designed using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles, experts' input, and children's needs as a useful psychological well-being tool for hospitalized children with cancer.

In this project, I conducted semi-structured interviews with pediatric cancer patients and their caregivers and experts like doctors, nurses, and psychiatrists in various institutions. My questions revolved around the unsolved needs of children and experts in terms of mental health, access to information, and overall free time activities in the hospitals.

Later, I analyzed the data to arrive at key topics to be included in the board game. From then on, along with my research partner, a psychologist, we conducted desktop research and ideation sessions to design the gameplay.

We designed and paper-prototyped Zippy Hospital (as seen in the cover image) and are now testing our prototype with children, caregivers, and experts. A graphic designer is simultaneously designing the visual identity and graphic elements of the board game.