Redesigning a Global Nutrition Game Through Local Voices.

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Situation

The original Heroinas Game, a non-digital nutrition intervention for adolescent girls in Mozambique, showed strong potential but faced barriers in usability, cultural fit, and scalability. To expand its impact and adapt it for diverse contexts, GAIN commissioned a redesign that could strengthen learning, simplify facilitation, and work for both global audiences and Mozambican communities.

Assignment

Proportion Global was asked to lead a full human-centred redesign, transforming one game into two strengthened versions: a globally adaptable Heroes’ Journey Game and an improved Mozambique-specific version. The task required deep listening to adolescents, caregivers, teachers, and facilitators to understand behaviours, challenges, and motivations shaping nutrition practices.

Approach

Through iterative co-creation, prototyping, and testing in Tanzania, Bangladesh, and Mozambique, the team refined missions, simplified structures, redesigned characters, and integrated behaviour-change insights. Field research, visual testing, and socio-ecological analysis ensured both versions felt doable, inclusive, and relevant.

Result

The redesign delivered a scalable global game and a deeply local Mozambique version, each with clearer learning pathways, stronger family engagement, simplified facilitation, and improved impact potential. Both versions now offer a more accessible and motivating journey for adolescents to build healthier eating habits.