Context
Vietnam’s traditional culture faces the risk of fading due to globalization, modern entertainment, and declining youth interest. At the same time, folk games still hold strong nostalgic and social value, attracting young people when presented in engaging ways. This creates both an urgent need and opportunity to preserve and reimagine folk games through digital innovation.
Problem Statement
Young people today are drawn to digital-first, interactive, and social experiences. Traditional folk games, while culturally valuable, risk being forgotten if they remain offline-only and disconnected from modern life.
Design Challenge: Build a solution that both preserves and revitalizes folk games, making them accessible, engaging, and meaningful in today’s digital ecosystem.
Research
We conducted desk research and user surveys to validate needs:
- Social Value: 97.4% of respondents agreed folk games create strong community bonds.
- Digital Willingness: 97.4% were open to learning folk games online.
- High Interest: 67.1% were highly enthusiastic about folk games.
- Strong Preservation Motivation: 98.7% wanted to pass folk games to future generations.
- Platform Demand: 65.8% expressed interest in a dedicated website/platform for folk games.
User Persona & Journey
Persona:
- Primary: Gen Z (18–28), mainly students and young professionals, often experience folk games at school events, orientation weeks, or company team-building, where the games provide fun, bonding, and a link to tradition.
- Secondary: Educators & parents, who seek educational resources and cultural preservation tools.
Journey:
Discovery → Learn rules/history → Try out via digital/interactive tools → Share & play socially → Build connection to cultural identity.
Ideation
We generated ideas using “How Might We” questions and prioritized via an Impact/Effort Matrix. Key design directions:
- Platform as a living archive of folk games.
- Interactive, playful, and visual-first to attract youth.
- Community-oriented, encouraging sharing and participation.
- Scalable features for gamification, AR/VR, and education.
Solution: Zân Zan Platform
Designed a digital platform dedicated to Vietnamese folk games. Core features:
- Game Library: Browse and learn rules of folk games, categorized by type.
- Filter & Search: Quickly find games by region, age group, or type.
- Cultural Stories: Context and history of each game for awareness.
- Interactive Showcase: Visuals, videos, and prototype interactions.
- Community Connection: Encourage users to share experiences.
Design System
- Logo: Combination of the name “Zân Zan” + dragon motif, symbolizing cultural roots.
- Typography: Bricolage Grotesque, playful but modern.
- Color Palette: Vibrant pink (#E3019B) and deep navy (#0E0E5C) to balance tradition with energy.
UI Design & Prototype
See full prototype here on Figma: View Prototype