We then sketch…
The following pictures show our sketches at the beginning:
Sketch 01
Sketch 02
Sketch 03
Sketch 04
Sketch 05
Sketch 06
Core
Core: to revitalize the winter pool into a social practice between international students and local community through puzzlehunt
Persona for the design
We design a persona who will represent the target group of our design – international students in Bloomington, Indiana.
Simo Wong, who is an international student in Indiana University Bloomington, just enters his first year of study in a master program. He comes from Beijing, China. He is 24 years old. He is new in town so he doesn’t have that much friends here. But he wants to experience American culture more and be friends with local people.
His classmates always have parties at bar downtown. But since he doesn’t have a car and interact with people at a bar doesn’t fit his culture background, he seldom attend those events. He would want to go if the events are near where he lives and more games are included in the events. For example, last week, he just went to one of his friends’ birthday party in the neighborhood. He played some card games with other people and had a lot of fun.
Experience design
We also did an experience design to experience puzzle games and treasure hunting games.
It’s fun to play!
Insights from user research
We did the user researches by interviewing both local people and international students in the area of Bloomington, and most of the users are from Indiana Bloomington University.
The following are some insights we found in the researches:
- Social activity in near location benefits the international student, as most of them don’t have cars.
- The fact that transportation is not convenient in Bloomington obstructs international students’ wills of going out.
- Treasure hunting and puzzle games is a good way of interacting with people.
- International students would love to interact with their neighbors but don’t have a chance to do that.
- Games involved problem solving is attractive and luring to both local people and international students.
- People love to interact and social with their neighbors.
- People want to know others in their community.
- Playing games in winter is interesting.
- Winter time is considered as a depressing time in Bloomington, IN, USA, during the whole year.
- People have concerned about temperature if they play games in winter.
Primary research with the community management company
We conducted two more interviews with the community management company asking about questions about pools usage.
Here the question we had and answers we got:
Q: How long is the pool open for?
A: It is from the middle of May to the End of September.
Q: How many people participate and what kinds of events are there in summer?
A: For events they organized, the number of people participate in could go up to 40. Normally, it is between 10 to 20.
Q: Do you use the pool space after you close it for winter?
A: No, we will drain it and cover it during winter.
Q: Would you interesting in having the pool area used during the wintertime?
A: Not really. We don’t have the permit for winter and we cover that pool. Winter is so bad in here that we could not fill the pool with water .
Q: Are there concerns or issues with using it when there is no water in it?
A: Safety issue about people falling into the pool, liability and drainage.
Analysis of playing game
Cultural influence
Game playing in Tea party (taken by Xiying Wang)
Anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger (1991) use the term “practice” to discuss how actions are situated in their socio-cultural contexts. Essentially, a practice is an activity that involves skills, resources, and tools, and is mediated by personal and cultural purposes. [3] One way to produce more meaningful educational games would be to design games in which players are engaged in richer, more meaningful practices. [3] A social game that different people interact with each other can help to inform a better understanding of cultural practice and social practice. [3] People can learn other cultures from playing game together. Besides, a social-practice game can help to cultivate problem-solving skills. In other words, people benefit from social game – being influenced by cultural practice and fostered a better team-oriented problem solving skills.
Puzzle game
Puzzle game (taken by Xiying Wang)
Puzzle game is considered as a way of problem-solving game, and the activity of playing puzzle game is regarded as problem-solving practice that involves strategies. Solving puzzles helps players to foster logical thinking and to facilitate problem-solving strategies. [1] Puzzle game is motivational for children, teens and adults. As a form of entertainment, a lot of practice turns puzzle game into an educational way. For example, the “dissected maps” in 1760s, the mathematical puzzle game to inform a better thinking process [1], etc. At the same time, puzzle game is fun and entertaining regardless of different ages. Puzzle game is also a game which can cause international students to engage in. [2]
People playing puzzle game (taken by Xiying Wang)
Treasure hunt
A treasure hunt is one of many different types of games which can have one or more players who try to find hidden articles, locations or places by using a series of clues. This is a fictional activity; it can also be a real life activity. Treasure hunt games may be an indoor or outdoor activity. Outdoors they can be played in a garden or the treasure could be located anywhere around the world. [4]
The treasure hunting game is not only designed for children, teenagers, but also designed for adults. In recent year, adult treasure hunting game becomes more and more popular. More important, it’s considered as a social practice. The use of a treasure hunt as a party game is attributed to socialite Elsa Maxwell. She said that: “In the Treasure Hunt . . . intellectual men were paired off with great beauties, glamor with talent. In the course of the night’s escapades anything could happen.” [5]
There are several kinds of treasure hunting games, such as Puzzlehunt, Geocaching, Photo Treasure Hunt.
[1] Owen W.S. Huang, Hercy N.H. Cheng, Tak-Wai Chan. Number Jigsaw Puzzle: A Mathematical Puzzle Game for Facilitating Players’Problem-Solving Strategies. The First IEEE International Workshop on Digital Game and Intelligent Toy Enhanced Learning (DIGITEL’07)
[2] Games to play with the international students
[3] Kurt Squire. Cultural Framing of Computer/Video Games. The international journey of computer game research, volume 2, issue 1 (July 2002)
[4] Wikipedia: Treasure hunting game. Wikipedia (Date of access: 10:31am, Sept 25th 2010)
[5] The Press: Elsa at War. retrieved April 10, 2007, Times magazine. (Date of access: 10:39am, Sept 25th 2010)
Something about Treasure Hunt
Treasure Hunt is defined as a game in which players try to find hidden articles by using a series of clues. It requires teamwork and real world experience.(http://www.audioenglish.net/dictionary/treasure_hunt.htm)
It can have one or more players who try to find hidden articles, locations or places by using a series of clues. It can be a real life activity. Treasure hunt games may be an indoor or outdoor activity. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_hunt_%28game%29)
Technology Research
Intel recently showcased Infoscape at CES 2010 using two 7’x7′ touch screen displays. (http://software.intel.com/en-us/videos/infoscape-showcase-at-ces-2010/)
Another product from Reactrix (http://www.reactrix.com/) demonstrates their STEPscape™ Media Network (http://www.reactrix.com/site/stepscape_in_action.php) which allows people to interact with the display on a floor.
These are two different types of technology that would enable users to interact with each other and the game at a pool.
Swimming pool comparison
There’s a huge difference between swimming pool in summer and in winter in the area of Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
Swimming pool in summer time, Fountain Park, Bloomington, IN (taken by Xiying Wang)
Winter in Bloomington, IN (taken by Xiying Wang)
Bloomington is an area of irregular limestone terrain characterized by sinks, ravines, fissures, underground streams, sinking streams, springs and caves. [1] It is situated in the rolling hills of southern Indiana, resting on the intersection of the Norman Uplands and the Mitchell Plain. [1] The relatively varied topography of the city provides a sharp contrast to the flatter terrain more typical of other portions of Indiana. [1]
Just 50 miles (80 km) south of Indiana’s state capital, Indianapolis, lies the city of Bloomington, also known as “B-Town”. [1] With a population of over 71,000 residents, squeezed into just 19.9 square miles (52 km2), Bloomington is the seventh largest city in Indiana. [1]
The lowest temperature in Bloomington is 22 F in winter [2]. Most of the land in Bloomington during Jan. and Feb. is covered with snow. The swimming pools in the community, are in the same situation – covered by snow. Can you find the hidden pool in the picture above named “Winter in Bloomington, IN”? It’s covered with heavy snow!
[1] Wikipedia: about Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Wikipedia. (Date of access: Sept. 25th 2010)
[2] “Weatherbase Historical Weather for Bloomington, Indiana, United Stated of America”, Weatherbase. 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
-
Archives
Blogroll
OZCHI
- A story of Simo Wong
- Analysis of games
- Brainstorming ideas
- Core of the design
- Design video
- Experience design
- Facts about Treasure Hunt
- Future
- Ideas
- Identify potentials
- Insights from user research
- Location
- Persona
- Prototype
- Prototyping more
- PuzzleHunt 400 words
- Redesign
- Research fact: international students in Bloomington
- Research on community management company
- Research plan
- Sketches, concept designing process
- Sketching continues
- Swimming pool facts in Bloomington
- Technology research
- Usability test
- User research 1
- User research 2
- User tests
- Video (youtube version)
-
Meta
Designingdude's Blog 