UXathon
2026
Spruce: Third Spaces for Children
A website that centralizes free and low-cost activities for low-income families with children in Vancouver.
Overview
By centralizing free or low-cost activities, Spruce helps all children access opportunities to grow and reset — beyond digital screens.
In a society where we're constantly glued to our screens, how might we design an experience that helps people set and keep boundaries in a world that rewards being "always" on? To tackle this design problem holistically, my team addressed the underlying social and psychological issues that form screen addictions.
Approach
Despite sharing eight-hour screen times, my entire team all had non-digital hobbies to recharge outside of our devices.
Though my generation is "chronically online," most of us grew up with non-digital hobbies that allowed us to recharge outside of our screens. As adults, we now return to these safe environments when we're bored, or seeking fulfilment beyond doom-scrolling.
Research
Did you know that children from low-income families are more likely to have higher screen time averages?
TikTok and Reddit comments revealed collective frustration towards the lack of modern third spaces, citing that even coffee shops had lost their communal charm in prioritizing profit.
In identifying Generation Alpha's (born 2010-2025) higher susceptibility to screen addiction, we conducted brief interviews with design mentors who were parents, and produced a fact-sheet about Gen Alpha's average screen-time.
A clinical study from The National Library of Medicine revealed that children from low-income families were more likely to have higher screen time averages. We decided to focus on this target demographic within our local context of Vancouver.
Problem
Lo-Fi
From a preventative standpoint, designing a website allowed for the greatest technological accessibility for our target user.
My team's greatest dilemma was whether we should design for a website or mobile interface. Initially, I was more drawn to the idea of a mobile app, as smartphones have become essential for many countries, including Canada.
However, one of our mentors noted that responsive website would allow both mobile and desktop users to access our application. In other words, a website allowed for greater technological accessibility.
With that decision made, we got to work creating wireframes, information architecture, and low fidelity wireframes.
Hi-Fi
Here are three screens that I designed in Figma.
Click here for the live prototype.
Home
Activities
Resources
Reflections
I won "Best UI Design" at UBC UX Hub's UXathon.
This project has a special place in my heart. I grew up in a low-income family, and it was only through Vancouver's subsidized programs for ice-skating and swimming that allowed me to thrive in third spaces.
Throughout this process, I learned a lot about prototyping, information architecture, and interactive prototyping during this project. If I were to do everything again, I would focus on further developing the translation feature, and thinking of a way to keep centralized information within the website (rather than being external links).
Special thanks to my wonderful teammates, Clara Xu, Lauren Yip, and Emily Quan. I also want to thank our insightful mentors, XingLu Wang, Violet Z, and Shyen-Yi Low.
