Distill design methodology
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Users control the directional pad to aim and launch toward landing points on Mars. A check-in and collection mechanism guides exploration across five Martian terrains.
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Methodology distilled: integrating mini-games into news content strategy
Start from widely applicable mini-game mechanics, replace scenarios through keywords. This ensures broad audience reach while offering fresh gameplay experiences, and enables rapid production of multiple solutions within limited time.
冷启动场景
Keyword × Familiar mechanics = Mars check-in guide
Refine directions based on user traits and business goals
Combine search insights with brainstorming to generate initial gameplay ideas
Distribute keywords by time, location, people, events, and objects
Designing playful, accessible mechanics to reach a broader audience through a simulated space travel experience
冷启动场景
Inspired by Angry Birds, the project wraps low-barrier gameplay in a Mars check-in narrative. By connecting everyday actions with outer space travel, it reduces user distance and satisfies travel desires suppressed by the pandemic.
Tension-driven storyline paired with diverse Martian landscapes
冷启动场景
Immersive scenarios recreate the danger of landing on Mars, while varied terrain designs spark curiosity and make space science more engaging.
Major trending events are crucial moments for Toutiao to drive engagement. Collaborating with government media like Xinhua News Agency can effectively bypass WeChat’s sharing restrictions and gain external exposure.Low-barrier, highly engaging mini-games themed around astronomy provide a perfect entry point into such events, satisfying users’ fascination with space.The key lies in how to craft and execute the campaign strategy.
Aiming to create viral campaigns
Boost external visibility of the Trending List
JinRiTouTiao ( Today's Hot News)
Xinhua News
Summarize the methodology
Break down the topic using the five Ws—who, what, when, where, and what (object)—to guide search and group brainstorming, and identify more actionable keywords
Use the five Ws to break it down
Expand relevant keywords through brainstorming
Common issue: Not knowing how to start after getting a topic
Refocus on our users and business goals
Too many keywords, but how to choose?
Does the keyword align with the user profile?
Is it broad enough to reach a large audience?
Is there enough room for expansion and execution?
Mars
Mars’s unique terrain, its differences from Earth, whether it is suitable for human settlement, and whether there are signs of life…
Given the public’s relatively limited understanding of Mars, this moment was used as an opportunity to popularize Mars science in a way that aligns with real information needs.
China
If successful, this would mark China’s first Mars landing and make it the second country in the world to land on Mars, after the United States.
It aligns with Toutiao users’ sense of national identity and pride, and is expected to effectively encourage user engagement and sharing.
Landing process
The landing is highly challenging. The probe must autonomously reduce its speed from 21,000 km/h to zero within seven minutes.
For aerospace-focused users, attention to the launch process in past space missions has been relatively low.
Tianwen-1
Independently developed by China, featuring precise engineering. After landing, it deploys the Mars rover and runs on solar power.
It caters to male users’ interest in aerospace hardware, but engineering-focused science content is relatively dry and harder to understand.
Research team
Six years of development, involving thousands of aerospace scientists working together to achieve the mission.
Research teams feel distant to general users, and dedication-focused narratives are harder to resonate with a broad audience.
Utopia Planitia
The landing site of Tianwen-1. It is actually a vast impact basin, referred to as a plain due to its enormous surface area.
Its limited general suitability constrained the choice of landing site and left less room for subsequent exploration and landing operations.
While novel mechanics are often more engaging, they also raise the learning barrier. Starting from familiar mechanics and integrating keywords to refresh the storyline can balance wide appeal with a sense of novelty in user experience.
By evaluating dimensions such as engagement, learning cost, interaction difficulty, shareability, and versatility, combining common mechanics with keywords enables rapid ideation.
Keyword × Familiar mechanics = Mars check-in guide
Define Design Goals
Low barrier
Mass reach
Curiosity
Deep engagement
Sense of achievement
Social value
No learning required,easy to pick up and low cost to try
Simple, accessible, and cost-effective for all users
Let users experience Mars firsthand and spark their desire to explore
Encourage recognition of high-quality trending content through meaningful participation
Create positive feedback and fulfill the pride of a successful landing
Design Goals
Business Goals
Align with Xinhua’s News‘ goals while enhancing the trending list’s brand credibility
Start from a familiar mechanics
to reach a broader audience
Inspired by Angry Birds mechanics
Aim and launch toward different landing zones on Mars to collect terrain cards.
Tap rapidly to slow down and simulate the tension of landing.
Choose the right moment to deploy the parachute and complete the landing sequence.
Full-screen video shows the landing process and generates a commemorative card through a photo.
Control the joystick during descent to choose the optimal landing site.
Creating a simulated space travel experience
A poetic interpretation of “check-in”
Due to pandemic-related travel restrictions in 2021, tourism demand remained suppressed. The concept of “check-in” not only resonated with users’ longing to travel again, but also connected normal action with deep space exploration, bridging the emotional gap between users and distant space.
Responsive interaction guide
Lower gameplay difficulty
to ensure a 100% successful landing
After the user releases control, even without hitting the exact target, the system will automatically snap to the nearest landing zone. This reduces difficulty, ensures every user completes the landing experience, and prevents drop-off.
Streamlining the landing sequence
Immersive space travel through simplified interaction
We distilled the complex descent process into a concise experience to ensure immersion while avoiding user fatigue.
Five distinct Martian terrains
Sparking user curiosity through geological diversity
From craters to glaciers, we curated iconic Martian landscapes to give users a glimpse of Mars’s diverse topography.
Olympus Mons
Utopia Planitia
Orcus Patera
Valles Marineris
Polar Ice Cap
Edutainment-style science content
After landing, briefly introduce the geology of the site and retain a content hub entry to guide users toward further reading.
Creating dramatic tension
Designing immersive, unpredictable scenarios
When all landing scenes feel similar, user perception becomes flat. To trigger deeper exploration, we introduced unexpected and dramatic moments that not only help users viscerally experience the challenge of landing on Mars, but also fuel their desire to keep exploring.
Card collection gameplay
Encouraging users to unlock new terrains
Landing sites not yet visited remain obscured, enticing users to replay and explore again.
Expressive motion design
Enhancing user emotion through visual feedback
Flower burst animation celebrates successful landing
Visual feedback reinforces card collection moments
During rocket launch, a dedicated close-up highlights the national flag.
Emphasizing national pride
Echoing users’ sense of cultural identity
Futuristic poster-style cards
Encouraging user sharing
The copy gives users the identity of an “Interstellar Traveler,” matching their desire to showcase front-facing portraits.
The campaign achieved its goals with strong user engagement and positive reception, earning recognition from Xinhua News Agency.
Its design approach has since informed strategies for future trending campaigns.
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