THE PROJECT
Inner Worlds
A mixed reality experience helping neurodivergent teens practice emotional regulation and executive functioning — through story, not prescription.
Mixed Reality for Neurodivergent Youth
The Inner Worlds Lab is a mixed-reality experience for neurodivergent teens and young adults that turns emotional regulation into something you can perform. In a story-driven library world, users complete short tasks using hand tracking and biofeedback cues. Through various visual elements, users notice internal signals, reduce hyper-focused attention, and expand their awareness through guided steps. It’s designed to make executive function and emotional regulation feel less like a lecture and more like a lived experience.
THE PROJECT
A magical library.
A living inner world.
Inner Worlds is an embodied mixed reality story designed for neurodivergent youth aged 16–24. Using a Meta Quest 3 headset, hand tracking, and biofeedback from a smartwatch, the experience transforms a user's emotional state into something they can see, navigate, and respond to.
The story begins in a fantasy academic library — a space of calm and productivity. But the external world shifts as a reflection of what's happening inside you. Wesprites appear. Clutter builds. The cloud above your head responds to your heartbeat. Your job is to notice, regulate, and return.
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THE INNER WORLDS LAB UNIVERSE
Three rooms,
One connected world.
The Inner Worlds Lab is designed as a universe of separate rooms, each targeting a different pillar of neurodivergent life. For our demonstration, we combined the Archives and Tide Room into a single cohesive experience.
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The Archives
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING
A space where teens complete tasks relating to everyday life — activating structure and methods for task completion and emotional regulation. Sorting books, finding lost items, building a to-do list.
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The Tide Room
EMOTIONAL REGULATION
A visualized mirror of the external world. A reactive cloud above the user doesn't always reflect their inner self — sometimes mirroring their heartbeat, sometimes delaying or hiccupping. Users learn to notice the gap.
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Build Your Biome
FOCUS & ENVIRONMENT
A future room where users design and control their own focus environment— adjusting sensory input, spatial arrangement, and ambient conditions to build their ideal state for calm and productivity.
MEET THE WEESPRITES
The emotions
you can finally see...
Weesprites are small magical creatures that represent the core negative emotions: Sadness, Fear, and Anger. When they appear in your library, they don't disappear on their own — you have to meet them, understand them, and choose how to respond.
Each interaction is a gentle, non-punitive practice in regulation. There are no fail states. When a Weesprite appears, the cloud above shifts. When you regulate, the room settles. The experience is a mirror — not a test.
HOW IT WAS MADE
Research-driven.
Community-grounded.
Every design decision in Inner Worlds is rooted in direct research with neurodivergent teens and consultation with professionals who work alongside them.
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Empathy Interviews
Six neurodivergent teens interviewed about overwhelm, triggers, coping, and what guidance feels safe
Online Observation
Public forums and short-form video communities observed for real-world regulation language and patterns
Expert Consultation
Conversations with ScreamScore, Swyvl, Wonderseed Foundation, and Austin ISD Transition Services
Prototype & Build
Prototyped mockups in Scenery and developed one vertical slice prototype covering onboarding and the Weesprite reveal in Unity
User Testing
Iterated based on real user sessions — refined interaction methods, onboarding clarity, and spatial boundaries
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Meet the Team
Project Manager/UX Designer
Dagmawit Kifle
Student Explorers
UX Research & Design, Writer
Siena Theivagt
Gameplay Designer
Himaja Sri Sista
Sound Designer
Feiyang Zheng
Developer
Riko Balakit
Sound Design Assistant
Paola Arriaga
Staff
Professor/Advisor
Erin Reilly
Senior Admin Associate
Jordan Prather
Immersive Tech Lead
Jackson Alexander
Special Thanks To...
Thanks to the young adults we interviewed whose insights guided the development of this experience and to the groups who helped us better understand the neurodivergent community including Phillip Wolf of swyvl, Heather Dogget of Scream Score, AISD Transition Service, and The Wonderseed Foundation.
Great appreciation to Schepps Foundation for support in launching The Inner Worlds Labs.
Help us to continue building The Inner Worlds Lab by donating to Texas Immersive Institute, UT Austin.