Design Process
empathize & define
With an overarching requirement for a transformative game idea, my team utilized stakeholder interviews to hone in on a topic that resonated with all of us - allergic reactions.
Ideate
Team brainstorming led specifically to tackling food allergies in the form of a side-scrolling runner on a mobile platform.
prototype
test
Presented the final prototypes of both the game itself and the UX journey of launching the product placing 5th out of 12 other teams.
Pre-Design Phase
A 24 hour game Jam
This was a group initiative from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Information Science themed game jam, Games 4 Health. The theme of the event being transformational games - a genre in which the experience and result of playing the game would enlighten the player on a specific issue, hence "transforming" them.
My Goal
With video games being a staple of my childhood, it was a no brainer to take part in this hackathon and have some creative fun applying a user centered design process with other gaming enthusiasts.
Design Phase
challenge ONE
This hackathon was one of many I took part in during my academic career. With that being said, the way this type of event begins is finding partners early and determining intentions and needs from each individual for what they are aiming to get out of the experience. With the topic of a group's effort having to surround a health issue and only 24 hours, the early couple hours are crucial in setting the pace for the rest of the allotted time. Having competed in events passed, I was comfortable in putting myself out there in front of all competitors painting myself as someone who is familiar with the design process of a product and justifying elements of a product with user based research. Garnering a team of like-minded teammates, 5 total, was a priority and achieved in just under an hour.
Initial ideation
The ideation process began with brainstorming multiple game concepts. One suggestion on the table was to tackle dyslexia through the means of puzzles thematically presented in a "tomb raider" like narrative. Being that no one in the team had experience in designing puzzles or decryption mechanics, that was slotted as a runner-up concept. Another interesting idea the 5 of us debated involved the health topic of ancestry and biology where the player's genealogy gave them elemental powers of which could be used to overcome obstacles. We spent an allotted amount of time trying to focus it in an applicable manner. Ultimately, by going over the developmental and design skills of team and simultaneously considering the 24 hour window, allergic reactions was the best choice for us. The theme also melded well with the mechanics of a side-scrolling runner which our one team member had developmental experiene with.
Research
At the hackathon, there were numerous professionals we consulted with when it came to allergic reactions. We discovered a common issue with reactions to prescription drugs as well other kinds of allergies, such as airborne ones. Collectively, we deliberated if maybe we should gear the theme of our runner to a more drug-related one reflecting allergic reactions to drugs. But we found drive in a team member's encounter with food allergies and researched that as a potential issue for our product. Upon scanning through the mobile game market, there were no transformational products on either the Apple app store or the Google Play store that were thematically based upon food allergies. This added to our motivation in bringing a new diverse game to the market.
Solution
Our vision was to create a side-scrolling runner that educated the player on food allergies. Through the use of collection, avoidance, and strike mechanics, an array of different foods is presented to the runner boosting their score. But, an unknown food allergy is randomized per run of the game that the player must be weary of. A three strike system of detecting the particular food allergy is exhibited in the form of bodily reactions: red skin equating to rashes/epidermic irritation and swelling. Once the avatar is crimson and puffy, the final strike would be anaphylactic shock ending the game's run. No worries though, the player would have the chance to collect epi-packs clearing their avatar of a single allergic reaction strike.
Deliverables
- Background Story
- Score System
- Jumping Ability
- Collectible Foods
- Allergic Reactions
- Epinephrine Packs
- Final Score Splash Page
challenge two
A major element to tackling the creation of a game prototype led to a lot of firsts for myself as a designer in creating sprites for the product and composing a narrative for the game. As the development was conducted by one team member, myself and another teammate devoted much of our time to researching and designing sprites for the character, items in game, as well as level architecture.
prototyping Tools & Process
The design process followed developing the back-end and functional mechanics via Unity, a game development environment A pixel style was decided upon for the prototype and so sprites along with respective sound effects were needed. I headed creating sprites through Piskel, a pixel-style sprite creator, including the player avatar, different foods, and game background. Another team member was in charge of discovering sound effects for the different mechanics through Sound Bible, a free sound effects provider. As a final touch, I spent time creating an introductory experience to the game using Adobe XD simulating how the game is launched, a home page, and story line.
post Design Phase
In Retrospect
Over the course of this project, there were a handful of hurdles that I reflected on aiming to better attack in future design applications.
Ensure Access to the Final Product. This is primarily from a documentation perspective as the final prototype of the game was saved locally to a single team member's PC. Moving forward, I aim to ensure that an accessible version of the product is available for all members.
UX Design is a Proven Approach to Problem Solving. As this was my first application of a user centered design approach for a gaming product, I was inquisitive on how effective it would be and am overjoyed with the results. This experience further cemented my belief in user centered design and excites me for future opportunities to apply the design process.
