Designers
Designers
Designers
New Rules
Redefining Playfulness in Adulthood
Key Words
Designers
Alicia Liu
SUMMARY
This project began with a personal realization: I had been conditioned to measure my self worth through productivity, while play and exploration were framed as failures. Recognizing this as a widely shared cultural condition, I asked: How might we redefine playfulness in adulthood? Applying systems thinking and mixed-methods research, I explored how productivity-obsessed values suppress adult play. New Rules redefines play not as frivolous, but biologically intrinsic and essential to adaptability, resilience, and a meaningful life.
challenge
Research revealed a key gap: adults suppress play due to internalized beliefs that tie self-worth to productivity and view play as childish or indulgent. Through literature reviews, surveys, and interviews, I identified how these mental models reduce tolerance for uncertainty, risk-taking, and exploration instrumental to personal growth and fulfillment. The challenge was designing an intervention that felt safe and familiar enough to engage adults, yet disruptive enough to challenge deeply embedded assumptions and enable a genuine perceptual shift.
Outcome
The project culminated in an interactive art installation design made tangible through sculpture, diorama, and photography, reimagining familiar domestic objects as playful, participatory systems. A convertible rocking chair, modular sofa, and camouflaged wall instrument invite adults to explore, build, and create together. The installation reframes the core essence of playfulness as a way of relating to the world, rather than any specific behavior or action. This outcome addresses the gap between adults’ need for play and cultural norms that restrict it to productivity or childhood.
MEET THE Designers:
Alicia Liu