Moody & Friends

Moody & Friends was developed as my Capstone Project, designed to address the gap in emotional education for young children through meaningful parent-child interaction. The process began with in-depth qualitative research, including parent interviews and data analysis, to understand how families approach emotional learning. Insights showed that although parents value emotional development, there are few engaging, child-friendly tools to support emotional learning. Building on these findings, I explored how storytelling, an intuitive and enjoyable activity for families, could become a platform for teaching emotions.

Initially, my concepts explored more technology-driven solutions, including smartphone connections and Bluetooth to coordinate the toy with digital storybooks. However, through research and user feedback, it became clear that screens and complex connectivity risked distracting from the core goal: facilitating direct emotional conversations between parents and children. Recognising this, I pivoted the design toward a fully screen-free, low-tech approach, using manual buttons for syncing and RFID technology for interactions to keep the experience tactile, simple, and intuitive.

A key goal was creating a toy that grows with the child; to achieve this, I developed a growing ecosystem of storybooks and emotion cards that become more nuanced and complex as children mature. Additionally, the design includes interchangeable silicone injection-moulded outer cases, allowing families to refresh Moody’s appearance or introduce new characters without replacing the entire toy. Throughout the process, I developed multiple prototypes, iterating both the physical design and functional systems. I built a working prototype using Arduino and RFID readers, successfully linking emotion cards to Moody’s responses to validate the core interactive concept. I also created prototypes of the silicone cases and designed an illustrated storybook to test narrative flow and engagement. Ultimately, the project exceeds the brief by delivering a screen-free toy that nurtures children’s emotional growth and deepens parent-child connection through engaging, interactive storytelling.

Moody & Friends combines functionality, safety, aesthetics, sustainability, and meaningful user experience into one cohesive product. Functionally, the toy is intuitive and tactile, with RFID-enabled emotion cards and manual syncing buttons allowing children and parents to engage easily without reliance on screens or complex technology. Its physical size and controls are designed for small hands, ensuring accessibility and safe interaction for children aged 3-8. Aesthetically, Moody balances a playful, character-driven appearance with a clean, modern form that appeals to both children and adults.

The interchangeable silicone injection-moulded outer cases not only allow personalisation and refreshability but contribute to the toy’s emotional longevity, giving it continued relevance as the child grows. Sustainability is embedded throughout the design. Moody’s minimal internal parts, modular construction, and recyclable ABS plastic casing support right-to-repair principles and reduce environmental impact. The evolving ecosystem of storybooks and emotion cards ensures the toy remains engaging and educational over multiple developmental stages, reducing obsolescence and encouraging lasting use.

The user experience has been central to the design process. Qualitative research with parents informed every decision, from how Moody prompts emotional conversations to the simplicity of manual syncing. The result is a product that transforms storytelling into an interactive learning experience, enabling parents to model emotional regulation and foster empathy in their children. My projects aims to redefine how toys can support emotional education in a sustainable, screen-free way. Moody & Friends is designed to raise empathetic and resilient young minds to lead beautiful and meaningful lives.

Moody & Friends tackles the underexplored challenge of emotional education in early childhood through an approach that is both original and deeply user-centred. While many toys focus on cognitive or physical development, Moody offers a truly imaginative alternative; using storytelling, tactile interaction, and emotional reflection to teach empathy and regulation.  Storytelling is already a well-loved and intuitive activity shared by both parents and children. Children naturally learn through characters and modelled behaviours in stories, making it a powerful, familiar tool for emotional learning. This project builds on that foundation, strengthening emotional education in a way that feels seamless and developmentally appropriate, while creating a platform for meaningful conversation and engagement. Moreover, many parents may struggle to teach emotional skills if they themselves were never taught or have limited experience navigating emotions.

Moody & Friends aims to address this challenge by providing structured prompts and storytelling tools that guide parents in modelling healthy emotional behaviours, making emotional education accessible and approachable for both children and adults. What makes the project innovative is its rejection of typical tech-driven solutions. Early concepts included Bluetooth syncing and app integration, but user research revealed that screens often disrupted, rather than enhanced, emotional connection. This led to a purposeful shift toward a low-tech, screen-free solution, centred on intuitive manual syncing and RFID-enabled emotion cards. This preserves focus on real-time, face-to-face connection between parent and child; an often-neglected but critical dynamic in emotional development. The interchangeable silicone character cases are a step toward ensuring longevity in the toy industry, allowing the toy to evolve in appearance and personality without needing to replace the core unit. Combined with the growing ecosystem of storybooks and emotion cards, this approach ensures the toy matures alongside the child, maintaining its relevance and emotional value over time.

Moody & Friends delivers an outcome with powerful social impact. It offers an engaging new way to teach young children emotional regulation — a skill essential for lifelong wellbeing. By transforming storytelling into an interactive experience, it supports parents, even those unsure how to navigate emotional conversations, in modelling healthy behaviours and building trust and understanding with their children. This nurtures stronger family bonds, resilience, and empathy, laying the groundwork for positive mental health across society.

Ultimately, Moody & Friends is designed to help raise resilient and empathetic young minds to lead beautiful, meaningful lives and contribute positively to the world around them. From an environmental perspective, Moody & Friends is consciously designed in line with Circular Economy principles. The toy minimises internal components and uses a modular structure that would in the future allow for easy disassembly, repair, maintenance and encourage product longevity. The interchangeable silicone injection-moulded outer cases extend the toy’s lifecycle by enabling refreshability without replacing the entire product, further reducing material waste.

Commercially, Moody & Friends demonstrates how investing in student design can generate innovative, socially-responsible alternatives in a market dominated by disposable toys. It showcases the potential for Victoria’s design and creative community to lead internationally by delivering solutions that blend human-centred design, sustainability, and social impact. By prioritising human connection, sustainability, and emotional intelligence, Moody & Friends contributes to Victoria’s reputation as a leader in design excellence.