LittleMoochi

LittleMoochi is a virtual pet that encourages children to adopt healthy eating habits. Children care for a Moochi pet by feeding it their own food, recognized by backend AI software. LittleMoochi earns "superpowers" from nutrient-dense foods, encouraging repetition and habit formation.

I was the lead designer on the project. LittleMoochi won a $15k investment in the McGinnis Venture Competition and is currently in an incubator.

32% of children in the U.S. are overweight.

Childhood obesity is a critical predictor of health outcomes into adulthood, and parents struggle to teach their children healthy eating habits.

Of 150 parents we surveyed, 72% reported experiencing conflict at the dinner table. Parents are overwhelmed, and lack the time, resources, vigilance, and patience to consistently make healthy decisions for their children.

User Problem

Gamify the adoption of healthy eating habits for children, to remove some of the burden from parents to teach their children about healthy eating.

Impact

By teaching children about healthy eating through a fictionalized narrative, we can combat childhood obesity and avoid dinner table conflict for parents - a win-win situation!
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KPIs:
• Children - better understanding of healthy foods, better health outcomes from making healthier choices
• Families - reduced dinnertime conflict

Fictionalization provides a safe level of psychological distance

Moochi is a virtual representation of the player herself. Fictionalization creates distance, allowing players to process uncomfortable topics (like healthy eating) more easily.

Obfuscation conceals the game's intent, making it more engaging

Obfuscation entails stealthily introducing the true purpose of a game to create a more engaging narrative. LittleMoochi's superhero motif and premise of caring for a virtual pet distracts from its educational intent.

Intermixed content makes healthy eating less overt

Some superpowers (night vision) are related to particular foods, whereas others (flying) are not. Interweaving content related to healthy eating with "off-topic" content makes the former less off-putting for players.

LittleMoochi has a simple dashboard for parents

The parent portal focuses on balance, rather than calories. Parents expressed concern about a dashboard with too much granularity. A plate with food group goals is easy to scan for busy parents.

An image archive serves as a historical record for doctors

Expert interviews taught us that parents have misconceptions about what is healthy. The app automatically captures and archives all meals, creating an easy tool to refer to at annual pediatrician's visits.

Outcome

We pitched LittleMoochi in Carnegie Mellon's McGinnis Venture Competition. We were honored to win a $15k investment after months of hard work. LittleMoochi went on to win first place in the Forte Power Pitch competition and several additional awards and seed investments. It is currently in an incubator and available for download on the app store.

Reflection

We initially designed LittleMoochi as a mobile app for adults; later, we pivoted to a tablet game for children. Ultimately, these decisions made our story much stronger, showing the breadth and depth of research we'd conducted to support our product offering.

LittleMoochi: an AI-based virtual pet that leverages embedded design to teach children about healthy eating.

My role

Team

Timeline