2025

Design Awards Silver Winner - Chingshuan Hsiao

Neverisland- Mixed Reality Sanctuary of Nature and Nostalgia

Entrant Company

Chingshuan Hsiao

Category

Social Design - Designs for Social Impact

Client's Name

Country / Region:

United States

In an era of digital distractions and emotional disconnection, Neverisland emerges as a Mixed Reality healing sanctuary, designed to restore happiness, relieve stress, and reconnect users with nature and nostalgia. With urbanization and screen overexposure leading to digital fatigue, studies in psychology and environmental design highlight the importance of nature exposure in reducing stress and improving well-being. Similarly, research shows that nostalgia fosters emotional resilience and strengthens self-identity. Rooted in biophilic design and therapeutic effects of nostalgia, Neverisland merges these elements into an interactive MR experience, transforming digital interaction into a source of peace rather than distraction.
In a world where nature isn’t always accessible, Neverisland brings its essence to you. Players enter a serene world of floating islands, each inspired by a different season and offering diverse, research-backed activities that promote relaxation and engagement. Within these islands, users can experience playful challenges and calming interactions. The interactive activities—such as sharpening focus and sparking laughter with whack-a-mole, finding rhythmic serenity through fishing, or rekindling childhood warmth by building a snowman—were carefully selected based on research across global cultures, ensuring broad nostalgic appeal. These experiences create an evolving space of joy, connection, and discovery. Neverisland employs a low-poly, dreamlike aesthetic, reinforcing tranquility, simplicity, and warmth, enhancing the immersive experience.
By leveraging Mixed Reality instead of fully immersive VR, Neverisland enhances real-world connection, allowing them to remain present in their everyday spaces while experiencing immersive transformations in an accessible, non-intrusive, and contextually meaningful way—where their living rooms shift into tranquil autumn forests or floors ripple into shimmering lakes. Built with Unreal Engine and powered by MR headset, Neverisland utilizes advanced technology, including real-world meshing and eye tracking, enabling islands to emerge on the floor beneath the user’s gaze, surface detection to seamlessly integrate games into real-world spaces, or hand gesture recognition, allowing intuitive interaction through simple movements. Neverisland is more than an experience—it is a research-backed intervention. By blending technology, nostalgia, and nature, it transforms Mixed Reality into a healing space, offering users a sanctuary of joy, mindfulness, and reconnection.
Welcome to Neverisland—where technology soothes, nostalgia breathes, and nature heals.

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