works

Bridge to Kultur

Bridge to Kultur is a hybrid board-digital game where players, as faction diplomats, navigate cultural values to build trust and survive The Calamity.

Client •

Academic Project

Category •

Interaction Design

Date •

2025

Project Overview:

Bridge to Kultur is a hybrid digital and physical board game that explores how cultural values and communication affect collaboration. Players take on the roles of diplomats navigating a fictional world divided by elemental factions where each has distinct priorities and social norms. The goal is to build trust, negotiate, and survive a looming crisis called “The Calamity.”

Experience the digital product on Figma

My Role

Lead Product Designer & System Designer

Duration

8 Weeks

Collaborators

In the earliest version of Bridge to Kultur, players operated as a single decision-making body. Each turn was resolved collectively, with the group debating and voting on how to respond to scenarios. While this structure encouraged collaboration and thematic immersion, it often led to pacing issues, dominant voices overshadowing quieter ones, and a lack of personal accountability. Gameplay became bogged down in discussion, making it difficult for individual players to feel their choices meaningfully shaped the outcome.

Recognizing these issues, we entered a revision phase focused on restoring individual autonomy while preserving the game's core themes of diplomacy and interdependence. We re-examined the turn structure, scenario flow, and the connection between faction identity and player impact. This led to the introduction of personal turns, individualized scenario outcomes, and a more nuanced trust mechanic—encouraging players to think as both diplomats and representatives of their faction’s values.

‍

Here is the fully codified rule book for Bridge to Kultur! In the final gameplay loop, each player takes their turn individually, traveling around the board into nations territories, responding to scenarios in digital interactions, introducing The Calamity as an opposing force in the game, and managing resources in the phone as a sort of digital book keeper. Nations now gained buffs and debuffs, effecting the way players address different situations ranging from building alliances and resources, facing Omen scenarios, and even passive events like losing money to tax. Scenarios also caused players to gain or lose trust points. This revised structure maintained the richness of faction-driven storytelling while significantly improving pacing, engagement, and player clarity. Importantly, it made each decision feel more personal—and more consequential.

‍

On one axis, we looked at whether player choices are emergent (ie. they develops organically throughout gameplay) or pre-defined by logic.On the other axis, we contrast competitive dynamics versus collaborative ones.

‍

The games that we took particular inspiration from include: Mario Party and its simple-yet-fun gameplay loop, Pandemics collaborative win-conditions, the depth of world building in Dungeon's and Dragons, and Queen's Dilemma's spin on approaching scenarios within a political context.

‍

Introduction

‍

To kick off our final project for Interaction Design Studio 2, we underwent an exercise that explored two categories: problems that need to be solved, and things that we found cool in either tech, culture, or society. After filling three white boards with ideas, the cohort separated into four groups based on their interests, in which I was fortunate enough to land in a super-group of a team that wanted to focus on cultural understanding and games. This case study lays out our journey and shows how we approached bridging these two topics.

‍

‍

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, cross-cultural interaction has become a part of everyday life; shaped by global travel, digital communication, and diverse social environments like college campuses and international programs. Yet cultural misunderstandings, especially around social norms, continue to cause friction in both personal and collective spaces, which led to us asking the question...

Concept Sketching

When figuring out what would be the functional anchor between between physical board and digital app, we initially thought of an AR enabled product due to my experience. However, the tangibility aspect felt lacking; which led us to think about other forms of tech that has some tangible interaction associated with it. This led me suggesting an NFC enabled card that the player taps onto their phone and activates a Game Master AI agent that creates scenarios! This initial sketch explored the materials needed to create the cards, as well as further showing the world of BtK.

Prototyping

Digital Component

‍

Physical Component

‍

‍

Using Princess' excellent branding, as well as Sammy and I's narrative as a background, I designed each scenario card to give a glimpse of a nations world in the illustrated manuscript style. From the Fire Nation in a war-council like scene, to the Water Nation talking commerce in a scenic port town. The back sides incorporate the factions logo and corresponding pattern. One of the more fun parts of designing this was that they are textured, as the black parts of the scenes are raised.

‍

To give the player the classic board game experience of moving around the board turn-by-turn, player pawns were concepted pretty much exactly how they are presented here. Nation colors made apparent, and a large emblem representing their nation. The only major change was instead of 3D printing the logo, which led to multiple print failures, we made vinyl stickers to put on.

‍

‍

When looking at the fortifications mechanic, we felt that we needed to have something function as a tangible representation of earning enough resources to build something. This was the result of those conversations—a simple, single color watch tower to show that players are going to be more watchful of The Calamity from then on.
‍

The game board borrows it’s aesthetic from Dungeons & Dragons and medieval maps; but for its layout and mechanical purposes, Mario Party, Monopoly, and Sorry were looked at.

No items found.

User Testing
insights

During our two rounds of player testing, one thing became immediately clear...players loved the world we were building The cultures, aesthetics, and the scenarios we built resonated with them, often drawing comparisons with Avatar the Last Airbender.

‍

However, without a guided tutorial or onboarding experience, some players felt uncertain about how to engage with the core mechanics—particularly how to navigate decisions or track progress.

‍

We also found that while the physical board and digital companion both held value, players craved a stronger connection between the two—something more intuitive to help them understand how their in-game actions translated across mediums.

‍

Lastly, our original structure of 30 turns felt excessive. Players began to disengage midway through, leading us to rethink pacing and how to keep gameplay impactful without dragging.

Final Product

‍

Digital Product

Experience the digital product on Figma

No items found.

Reflections

Future Considerations

As Bridge to Kultur continues to evolve, several ideas remain in conversation for next years eventual full-release at Indiecade. Things like a collector's or founder's edition with better materials and things like lore books are definitely one thing that excites us on the physical product side, but for the digital side there are some BIG plans.

‍

To begin, our current prototype only has one scenario to run through, but we really want to explore how we can actualize our idea for a Dungeon Master AI Agent. By feeding player choices, faction dynamics, and resource conditions into a generative system, we could offer campaigns that are truly unique. Ensuring that no two playthroughs of Bridge to Kultur ever feel the same. Next, we want to look at how we can create a sort of "Jack Box-esque" feature by also pairing the game to a larger screen like a TV. While the app effectively tracks personal metrics and decisions, a shared screen could enhance group immersion—offering visual updates on player trust, alliance formations, or effects of Omens more interestingly. This central display could also introduce dynamic cutscenes or animations between phases of the game, reinforcing the narrative stakes and elevating the sense of shared storytelling.

‍

What Worked

From the very beginning, we had a strong sense of division of labor, which helped us avoid stepping on each other’s toes and allowed us to move efficiently. Our team’s strengths aligned naturally with the project needs—Alexander and I focused on product design, Princess led branding, and Sammy and Lie handled UX/UI. Tasks were volunteered for rather than assigned (like Sammy and I running narrative and gameplay mechanics), and no one felt stretched too thin, largely thanks to Alexander’s excellent project management and the clear objectives we set at the end of each meeting.

‍

What I Would Do Differently

If I could go back, I would prioritize reaching out to SMC’s Games Club or E-Sports team for more consistent and experienced feedback. While we received valuable insights from our existing playtests, connecting with dedicated players earlier could’ve helped surface deeper issues and refine mechanics more effectively.

‍

What I Learned

This project taught me just how delicate and powerful game mechanics can be—sometimes the difference between something fun and something frustrating comes down to a single tweak. But that’s what makes it exciting. I’ve realized that great gameplay comes from constant iteration, smart testing, and asking the right questions...especially when you're working with dedicated players. I’m more motivated than ever to keep refining Bridge to Kultur, and to keep making games that challenge, connect, and surprise people!

works

Bridge to Kultur

Bridge to Kultur is a hybrid board-digital game where players, as faction diplomats, navigate cultural values to build trust and survive The Calamity.

Client •

Academic Project

Category •

Interaction Design

Date •

2025

Project Overview:

Experience the digital product on Figma

My Role

Lead Product Designer & System Designer

Duration

8 Weeks

Collaborators

Lie Burgess, Alexander Johnson, Princess Rivia, Sammy Schreier

Introduction

‍

How might We...

design a game that tests players abilities to navigate cross-cultural communication through different scenarios?

Research Methods

To further solidify our understanding of intercultural communication and how games could possibly be used as a medium for addressing the friction that it caused in a more focused product, we underwent using research methods such as: mind mapping, insight sorting, and from-to exploration. ‍

With the team also performing competitive analyses on games (the most informative of which will be mentioned below), we were also able to develop a matrix that compared how games created decision-experiences to more clearly understand how we wanted to represent Bridge to Kultur (as well as discover how it would play).

‍

Making the game

Game Narrative

At the heart of Bridge to Kultur is a world fractured by history, scarcity, and cultural divergence. Rather than casting players as conquerors or traders, the narrative invites them to step into the roles of diplomats. Individuals tasked with navigating trust, survival, and identity in a land on the brink of collapse.

Each of the four nations—Fire, Water, Earth, and Air—possesses its own worldview, aesthetic, and moral compass. Through branching scenarios, faction-based dilemmas, and evolving trust dynamics, the narrative challenges players not only to survive a looming Calamity, but to wrestle with the social and political costs of doing so. This isn't just a story players observe, but one that they co-author with every scenario they encounter, every alliance they build, and every bridge they dare—or refuse—to cross.

System Design

Creating the mechanics for Bridge to Kultur meant balancing narrative depth with strategic clarity. From the start, our goal was to design a system that encouraged meaningful choices, personal agency, and diplomatic tension—while staying intuitive enough to support both analog and digital components. The mechanics evolved through multiple iterations, each one bringing us closer to a structure that supports individual storytelling within a shared world. As someone who has been playing games for as long as they can remember, having the opportunity to design the mechanics and flow of the game was an exciting and complex challenge for me.

‍

Product Concept Sketching

Prototyping

Physical Components

‍

The game board borrows it’s aesthetic from Dungeons & Dragons and medieval maps; but for its layout and mechanical purposes, Mario Party, Monopoly, and Sorry were looked at.

Digital Component

‍

User Testing

‍

However, without a guided tutorial or onboarding experience, some players felt uncertain about how to engage with the core mechanics—particularly how to navigate decisions or track progress.

‍

Lastly, our original structure of 30 turns felt excessive. Players began to disengage midway through, leading us to rethink pacing and how to keep gameplay impactful without dragging.

Final Product

‍

No items found.

Digital Demo Experience

Game On

Experience the digital product on Figma

Reflections

Future Considerations

‍

What Worked

‍

What I Would Do Differently

‍

works

Bridge to Kultur

Client •

Category •

Date •

Project Overview:

My Role

Duration

Collaborators

Persona

Introduction

Concept Sketching

Prototyping

Digital Component

Physical Component

User Testinginsights

Final Product

Digital Product

Reflections

Future Considerations

What Worked

What I Would Do Differently

What I Learned

Main

Pages

Utilities

works

Bridge to Kultur

Client •

Category •

Date •

Project Overview:

My Role

Duration

Collaborators

Introduction

How might We...

Research Methods

Making the game

Game Narrative

System Design

Product Concept Sketching

Prototyping

Physical Components

Digital Component

User Testing

Final Product

Digital Demo Experience

Game On

Reflections

Future Considerations

What Worked

What I Would Do Differently

What I Learned

Main

Pages

Utilities

User Testing
insights