Prototyping & Testing
The Mobile Game:
Week 13 - Last Prototype
PLAN
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Evaluate purpose for additional application
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Prototype to demonstrate purpose of the game
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Prototype and test usability of application
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Evaluate next steps
This section will be my documentation of prototypes for the supportive mobile game idea! This section will be fairly small compared to my prototypes for the space because we just plan to cover the basis of the idea before we make any further decisions.
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Pages to support my ideas: Refining an Idea
WHERE DO I BEGIN?
I will begin by writing up a little about the reflective game, I feel this will help me to remind myself of its purpose and most important elements. As I prototype I can reflect upon it's purpose and evaluate the success of its outcome.
PROTOTYPING THE REFLECTIVE MOBILE GAME
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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE REFLECTIVE MOBILE GAME?
During Week 1 of Phase 4 (Week 10), Kiera and I began to refine our chosen idea by evaluating the suggestions from class and making decisions based on what would be best. We thought about our target audience and what would be best for them as well as considering feasibility and what would be most realistic. After mind-mapping, talking to users and a series of brainstorms, we came up with the idea for a post-experience reflective app. The purpose for this app is to provide players with more than just an experience, but allow them to reflect upon it and channel feelings of positivity into something beneficial in the long run.
THE MOBILE GAME IDEA
The idea of the mobile game is to encourage users to create a distinct 'action plan' for the days/weeks ahead. The purpose of this is to make organisation and task management easier which we learned to be an ongoing issue amongst students. Applying both our personal experiences and experiences from our peers we believed this idea would be most impactful.
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ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
Looking back to our Essential Experience, it's important to encourage self-reflection and awareness as well as reducing sensations of anxiety, stress, overwhelm and panic through gameplay. Students often experience these sensations due to several reasons, one main aspect being the overload of responsibility and stress due to university or school work/responsibility. Furthermore, our mobile app provides them with a tool to improve this in a fun and playful way.
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PROTOTYPING
We have established the pain points and opportunities for our physical space idea as a result of prototyping, however, I'd like to briefly touch on this regarding our app idea. Although it's not a big part of our game I'd still like to demonstrate it through interactive prototyping.
RE-CAP OF GAMEPLAY
To re-cap the main stages of this game idea, I have created an experience map for the mobile game evaluating the actions, emotions, thoughts and opportunities within each phase.
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WHY? I will be able to create an interactive prototype illustrating each phase of gameplay.
REFLECTIVE GAME - Experience Map
MAIN STAGES
Phase 1 - Players take out their mobile after the physical space experience now that they are feeling more positive and optimistic.
Phase 2 - Players open the reflective mobile app and reflect upon emotions.
Phase 3 - Players are provided with categories for tasks that need completing. Players have the opportunity to choose from a range of different tasks to then be able to create a vision-board/action plan for the days ahead.
Phase 4 - Players personalise their vision-board with their tasks which need completing. Users can drag and drop them into the space and resize them based on priorities. Opportunity to 'pop' tasks once complete. This is a playful yet engaging way to make task management easier and more exciting.
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On page 74 of my Sketchbook, I have drawn a concept demo of gameplay.
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Now I have the main stages of the game down I plan to use 'Figma' to produce an interactive prototype. This prototype will demonstrate User Interface and its usability.
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WHAT DO I NEED TO PROTOTYPE?
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Interaction with screens
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User Interface
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Demonstrate options for tasks - categories and vision-board area
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Show options for categories and why
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Show ability to 'pop' task buttons once complete.
PROTOTYPE
Interactive Reflective Mobile Game
PURPOSE FOR PROTOTYPE
The purpose for this prototype is to illustrate how players might interact with their mobile device and to demonstrate how the mobile game will work. From this prototype, I can evaluate the usability and design of the game as well as its effectiveness. This idea is an additional/supportive element to our main gameplay experience so at this point we are unaware whether or not it will perform the way we'd like it to. Once we refine our idea during the first few weeks of Semester two, we can test further with this idea and decide whether or not we will include it in development. But for now, I will provide a demo of interactions, mechanics and user interface.
CONCEPT RE-CAP
Can be found here: Refining an Idea
My concept sketches and story-board to support my prototype demo. These can be found in my sketchbook on pages 67, 68, 74 and 77.
PROCESS
Interactive Reflective Mobile Game
I am familiar with the tool 'Figma' which I have previously used to create prototype mock-ups for my game ideas. I used its prototyping function to produce an interactive demo of how the application will function. Figma allows you to add links and separate screens which eventually combine to form an interactive outcome, which can then be played by user/play testers. I prefer this method of prototyping to paper/lego because it's easier for a mobile demo.
INTERACTIVE PROTOTYPE DEMO
Link to play: https://www.figma.com/file/KLw3bxckRR1Zm9cGAb8PrU/Untitled?node-id=0%3A1
WHAT DOES THIS PROTOTYPE DEMONSTRATE?
This prototype demonstrates the usability of the mobile game starting from when they first open the app to them personalising their vision-board. It shows how interactions MUST be kept simple and intuitive. I incorporated small prompts in to the UI to indicate how to navigate.
GAMEPLAY LOOP
Activity: Players to interact with emotions and organise tasks to do in the upcoming days/weeks.
Reward: Rewarded with a playful tool to enhance organisation skills and make tasks more manageable. This reduces sensations of stress or overwhelm as a result of struggle and frustration.
Opportunity: Improve organisation/management skills. Could possibly be recommended by schools/uni's to encourage better preparation from students.
MECHANICS
Tap to choose and highlight options for emotions and tasks.
Drag and drop tasks to reorganise workspace/vision-board.
Tap in the workspace to pop bubbles and mark tasks complete.
Pinch to resize bubbles in order of priority. (Bigger = higher priority)
INTENTIONS
My intentions for this prototype was to make our proposed idea clearer. I intended to show how players are provided with a range of task options to choose from including work, home, mind and body to provide them with options for self-care which they might not have thought about before. This encourages them to undertake more self-care techniques to remind them that this is just as important as compared to other responsibilities.
OUTCOME
I think simple navigation is what will make it most appealing. There shouldn't be much to gameplay because we want to avoid boring players or making it seem forceful. The visual design as outlined in my Visual Direction section, must be kept clear and intuitive. I tried to keep to a clean design with a cool colour palette, using blues to evoke feelings of calm and stress-relief. (Colour psychology)
LIMITATIONS
In terms of controls/mechanics, it might be necessary to rethink how to resize, organise and pop bubbles. The interaction for each of these mechanics is far too similar and might result in an unintentional outcome, which can lead to players feeling frustrated. During the design stages it'll be important to consider mechanics and interactions, ensuring this is kept as intuitive and easy at it possibly can be.
EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPE
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Purpose of platform
We have chosen a mobile platform for this supportive application because of its accessibility. Taking into account our target audience being students around ages 16-21, this demographic of people use their mobiles far more than any other age group. This makes the game both highly accessibly and convenient! As well as this, with the advanced controls that comes with your own personal mobile, this allows for Inclusive Design and the ability to adjust settings if need be. Players will be able to take out their phone after our experience and access their agenda whenever they need to update it or use it next.
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Effectiveness of gameplay
We will have to establish the effectiveness of gameplay through a series of tests in Semester two. For now our priority is prototyping and testing our physical space idea to ensure we have this ready for the main content of our Project Proposal. However, from the prototype I can evaluate that navigation is fairly easy and self-explanatory and the interactions with task options enhance player engagement by giving it a playful and light-hearted feel. I think the ability to 'pop' tasks makes it visually appealing and provides players with a sense of achievement. This should clear the players workspace which will make them feel relieved and rewarded.
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What are our next steps for this? How would we begin the Design phase?
Our next steps for this application would be to test with this basic prototype demo to gather responses in terms of usability and purpose. It will be exceptionally necessary to have players test this after the physical game experience to evaluate its overall effectiveness and reflect upon its initial purpose. Things we would examine should include whether or not players want to begin creating their own agenda and how likely they are to continue using it. After their first experience, will they return to the app and continue organising tasks or not? These are all design questions we can map out and ask as we refine, design and test during Semester 2.
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After we have refined this idea, we would start to think about User Interface and Visual Appearance. Using my Visuals Research and our Visual Direction, Kiera and I are prepared to create an Art Bible to lead the art direction of both the physical space and mobile game. We can further assess the colours we will use and layout of UI etc. As I have mentioned before we plan to do a thorough amount of testing during the first few weeks to make final design conclusions and provide reasoning for everything we do.
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NEXT STEPS
To finalise my prototyping for this page, I plan to gather a few responses in reagrds to my
TESTING
Interactive Reflective Mobile Game
PURPOSE FOR TESTS
The purpose for this test will be to gather suggestions and feedback in terms of how the game appears and it's ease of navigation. We can take these responses forward to improve on this and make it more convenient for users.
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I would love to test this mobile idea with more users however, I currently have Coronavirus and can't come into contact with anyone. Because of this, I plan to conduct user testing through video chat and provide testers with a link to my 'Figma' prototype.
WHAT AM I HOPING FOR?
As a result of this test, I am hoping for my peers to tell me what's both good and bad about the idea and ways we can further improve. I will be assessing how convenient and useful the intentions for the app are to our target audience/age group.
WHAT DID I DO?
I began by briefly explaining the physical space experience and followed this with the supportive reflective app idea. I then asked testers to feedback to me their opinions on its purpose and how useful it would be to them after playing. I made a list of questions that testers answered too. I then took notes in the form of a table that I previously made on Miro.
QUESTIONS ASKED:
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How convenient did you find the application?
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Is this something you would use again to organise yourself or manage tasks better?
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What did you like about it?
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What did you dislike about it?
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How could we improve?
DOCUMENTATION OF RESPONSES
Link to Miro Board: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVOSzkp4w=/?invite_link_id=388311607076
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RESPONSES
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HOW CONVENIENT DID YOU FIND THE APP?
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Easy to use and clear navigation
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Liked simplicity of interactions and navigating through it
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Liked the convenience of it being on mobile which is easy to access and portable
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Not too confusing, ease of use, self-explanatory
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Simple, short and sweet. Enjoyed its simplicity because anything more would've been off putting.
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IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WOULD USE AGAIN TO ORGANISE YOURSELF BETTER
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If it was complete - yes
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Would most likely use it for a few days and then get bored/forget about it
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Most likely not to use it once exams are finished/not so much to do
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Yes - enjoys the concept of it
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Likes how it doesn't seem forced or like a chore
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WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?
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Likes the idea of being able to 'pop' bubbles representing completed tasks
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Liked the circle options/icon buttons - satisfying.
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Enjoyed popping bubbles.
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Liked the question 'how do you feel' - like how it checks up.
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Likes the freedom in the workspace/vision-board to place tasks however you like, in a way that you find helpful/useful
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Liked the feature to make bubbles bigger or smaller based on how important they are - makes it easier for planning
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WHAT DID YOU DISLIKE?
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Wanted more options for tasks - couldn't relate to most
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Didn't like responding to 'how do you feel?"
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Didn't think there were enough options to respond to previous question - more emotions etc.
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Would love more things to do
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IMPROVEMENTS
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More options for tasks or the chance to add your own task choices in
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Take away feelings question due to invasion of privacy - I disagree with this but maybe we can include a 'skip' button.
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Pastel colour theme - satisfying/calming
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More to do - draw or take notes on the board, more elements of customisation
EVALUATION OF TEST
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Overall, most of the responses I gathered from testers was that it was self-explanatory and usability was simple. Although, some of the comments I received were about the convenience and use of the app - some testers said they would use it for a few days until it would become repetitive and there wouldn't be a need for it anymore. In summary, people felt as though they would forget about it overtime and resort to other methods like sticky notes or writing things down on their notes app. However, there were mixed reviews as some testers said once it was completed/developed they would use it due to its simplicity and ease of use. This suggests that it really depends on the user and their preferences. Testers enjoyed the bubble interactions the most and liked the appearance of the icons - which I explained would be kept illustrated and as basic as possible without losing its meaning. Testers also commented on the ability to resize bubbles, they felt this was a good way to plan starting with what was most important.
As for their dislikes/drawbacks, this was extremely different. One tester commented on the 'how do you feel question?" being too invasive but I have to disagree with this. It's a good way to encourage people to begin opening up and reflecting upon their emotions which is a healthy thing to do. However, for those that aren't so comfortable answering this question we might have to implement an option to 'skip'. Whereas, another tester commented on the lack of options for this question and suggested their being more options incase someone didn't relate to any - maybe we could provide players with an option to write in their own.
Lastly, it was suggested to add more elements of gameplay into it. Improvements included opportunity to take notes around tasks and other elements of customisation to make things more personal and a 'pastel' colour theme. It was said that this kind of colour scheme is more satisfying - but again this is more of a personal opinion which we can review through testing next Semester.
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Overall, I can conclude that people enjoyed the simplicity of its navigation and visual appearance. This helped to keep it intuitive and straightforward. However, we may have to think more about the use of the app because from this small test, I gathered that not everyone would find it useful or stick with it. But, this is something that we can only evaluate once we have spoken to larger groups of people and after we evaluate its effectiveness post physical space experience. Kiera and I intend to outline our next steps for both gameplay experiences within our Project Proposal and schedule.
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NEXT STEPS
I am happy with my prototypes and testing for this project. I believe Kiera and I have enough information and supporting evidence to begin forming our Project Proposal ready for our presentation and hand-in. Other than basic planning for this, I intend to finalise a page for the physical space, outlining how plan to use its features and our plan for a sustainable construction. Other than this, I feel comfortable in knowing we have a thorough amount of research and ideas to begin creating our proposal, accompanied by our purpose for the project, its main components and visual research to support our choices.
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The following page can be found here: The Physical Space
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