Unit 5 - Activity 2 Low-Fidelity Prototyping

Activity Overview

In this activity, students will begin the process of designing and developing their own map games by creating paper prototypes with their peers. This unit may be presented following Unit 4: Activity 2, in which students generate themes for their maps using the sticky note method.

Key Terms and Concepts

PROTOTYPES are interactive drafts or models of a product built to test a concept or process, and are generally used to evaluate and gain feedback on a new design. Prototyping serves to provide specifications for a real, working system rather than a theoretical one.

AFFORDANCES are the sensory characteristics of a product which intuitively suggest its functionality and use, helping users to naturally take the correct steps and accomplish their goals.

Key Takeaways:

Paper prototyping is a useful technique that consists of creating hand drawings of user interfaces in order to enable them to be rapidly designed, simulated and tested to make the resulting product or idea better.

Driving Questions:

What are issues or themes which we feel are important to address our communities?

How does playing the map game actually work?

How can we deploy information about this theme on our game map?

What game mechanics and problem solving techniques will users need to win your game?

Materials and Preparation:

MATERIALS

1. Art Supplies (Pens, Pencils, Markers, Colored Pencils, etc.)
2. Lined Grid Paper (Link To Example Grid Paper)
3. Extra Scratch Paper
4. (Optional) Computer and projector

Activity Instructions

1. Students Play Map Games & Brainstorm Map Themes (30 minutes)
• If students have not already completed Unit 4: Activities 1 and 2, students should play and explore digital map games and reflect upon the guiding questions presented in these activities, then complete the sticky-note brainstorming activity to generate themes they can visualize using maps as a design tool.
• ASK: What are issues or themes which we feel are important to address our communities?
• Organize students into small teams, each assigned one of the elicited theme “labels” which they will use to design and prototype their map games.
• For example, students may have brainstormed themes which can be clustered into the label “school dress codes” or “police brutality.”
2. Discussing Game Mechanics (20 minutes)
• Introduce the activity, in which students will be using the labels they came up with to paper protoype a map game which represents the themes they brainstormed.
• Review with students that “low-fidelity prototypes” are:
  
  • sketchy and incomplete
  • generally simple
  • used to quickly test broad concepts
• ASK: How can we deploy information about this theme on our game map?
• Discuss that in this case, we can deploy information through the following elements:
  
  • player starting square
  • obstacles (non-walkable squares)
  • walkable squares
  • goal square
  • (optional) bonuses (e.g. visual elements users can navigate through)
• Explain to students that “affordances” are the characteristics of a product which help users know how to use it correctly, and they will need to think critically about their protoype visual design to provide good affordances. Some examples of affordances include:
  
  • A button, by being slightly raised above an otherwise flat surface, suggests the idea of pushing it.
  • A lever, by being an appropriate size for grasping, suggests pulling it. A blinking red light and buzzer suggests a problem and demands attention.
  • A chair, by its size, its curvature, its balance, and its position, suggests sitting on it.
• ASK: How does playing the map game actually work?
• Discuss that the map game happen on a square grid, and the player gives instructions to the computer, which the computer has to follow exactly. There are 4 types of game instructions:
  
  • WALK:
    
    • The most basic moves: up, down, left, right
    • Move one space in direction of arrow
    • Can be represented as the following:
      
  • JUMP:
    
    • Move two spaces in the direction of the arrow
    • If there is an obstacle, you can jump over it
    • Want to avoid jumping into obstacles
    • Can be represented as the following:
      
  • LOOP:
    
    • Do whatever is inside the parentheses the number of times the player says
    • Counts as a single move
    • Can be represented as the following:
      
  • CONDITIONAL:
    
    • Do whatever is inside the parentheses only if the next tile is safe, or if the next time is an obstacle (depending on if the tile says ifSafe or ifObst)
    • Counts as a single move
    • 
      
• ASK: What game mechanics and problem solving techniques will users need to win your game?
• Have students discuss the optimal path that they imagine players taking. Remind them:
  • This can be thought of as an answer key
  • If you want this to be more compex, consider requiring players to use jumps, loops, etc.
3. Creating Paper Prototypes (25 minutes)
• Review the summary of the steps for paper protoyping with students:
  1. Label your theme
  2. Decide how to deploy information on game map (start, goal, obstacles, etc.)
  3. Decide game mechanics (here an optimal path that you imagine players taking)
• Have students work in their teams to create paper protoypes of game maps using the grid paper and art materials, centered on their theme. Ensure students address the following questions as they work on their design:
  • What are the main ideas your map design conveys?
  • What are the goals?
  • What are the obstacles?
  • What are the paths?
• Optionally, allow students to orally present and share their paper protoype designs in front of the class, provide feedback, and share open questions/issues with their design.