Exploring the history, policies, reputation, and accessibility of Lake Merritt through interviews, site visits, and research culminating in an interactive board game designed to critically examine access and diversity. The game simulates initiatives to improve the lake’s environmental health, accessibility, and social perception through roleplaying different stakeholder relationships and decision making outcomes. Unify goals or further your own vision for the future of Lake Merritt.
We conducted five interviews of local community members invested in the health and safety of Lake Merritt, including the founder of the Lake Merritt Institute, the chair of the Lake Merritt Community Alliance, the co-chair of the Rotary Nature Center Friends at Lake Merritt, the co-president of the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club, and a member of the recreational swing dance group, Lindy by the Lake.
We condensed key takeaways from each interview to develop a set of six characters and generate ideas for the logic of the game. We wanted to emphasize the differing perspectives and motivations introduced by interviewees to underscore the contention underlying the future goals for the lake.
The majestic American white pelican inspired the back of the event and character cards and serves as Lake Merritt's charming mascot.
The Art Deco Bellevue-Staten building towers over Lake Merritt, its distinctive silhouette clearly visible to those walking around the lake.
The iconic pergola at Lake Merritt serves as a gathering point, with vibrant vendors and rhythmic drum circles animating the space.
Gnarled New Zealand Tea Trees slouch off the path and dip into the Lake's waters.
Through this immersive design project, I explored the complex ecosystem of Lake Merritt—a vibrant urban landscape that serves as a microcosm of environmental and social interconnectedness. Our team developed a collaborative board game that reveals the intricate dynamics of urban environmental stewardship, highlighting the multiple stakeholders and interconnected challenges facing this iconic Oakland landmark.
During site visits, I observed:
- Diverse user groups: High school volunteers, joggers, wildlife, and local organizations actively shaping the lake's narrative
- Layered interactions between human activities and natural environments
- The critical role of local nonprofits in driving environmental and community initiatives
Lake Merritt is far more than a body of water—it's a living system where environmental health, community engagement, and local history converge.
Our game design philosophy emerged from a deep understanding that environmental challenges require collective action. By creating a collaborative board game, we:
- Challenged traditional competitive game mechanics
- Developed a simulation that emphasizes collective decision-making
- Created a narrative framework where players must balance: environmental health, community reputation and accessibility, and diverse stakeholder perspectives
The game became a medium for:
- Translating complex interview insights into accessible narratives
- Highlighting the nuanced roles of different community actors
- Encouraging players to understand the delicate balance of urban ecological systems
This project taught me that design is not just about aesthetics, but about:
- Creating empathetic frameworks for understanding complex systems
- Communicating complex ideas through interactive storytelling
- Navigating collaborative processes with patience and flexibility
The project demanded:
- Rigorous research through direct interviews with local environmental leaders
- Careful translation of qualitative insights into game mechanics
- Balancing creative vision with collaborative team dynamics
- Iterative design process with constant feedback and refinement
Lake Merritt represents a microcosm of urban environmental challenges—a place where human activity, natural ecosystem, and community aspirations intersect. Through this project, we transformed academic research and environmental observations into an engaging, educational experience that invites participants to reimagine their relationship with urban ecological spaces.