Design Thinking //5 CHALLENGES IN 5 WEEKS
Week 4
Over a period of 5 weeks, we conducted 5 design thinking exercises using the Design Thinking Toolbox we developed. Throughout these exercises, stage and method tiles resembling a board game layout, specially crafted templates for implementing each method, instantly printed stickers, and specially designed 3D prints were employed.
Challenge
Empathy
Diagnosing
the Problem
Ideation
Prototype &
Evaluation
DESIGN CHALLENGE IV:
DESIGNING A COOPERATIVE, MULTIPLAYER, TASK-BASED MOBILE GAME FOR 2-5 PLAYERS
Throughout design thinking, the selection of methods at each stage aims to meet the specific design challenge and provide sufficient data for the next stage. Methods are not predetermined at the start but are rather chosen progressively as the stages unfolded. Our designed Design Thinking Toolbox offers a manipulable reference board throughout the process, enabling the tracking of each stage from there and allowing for the replacement of the method in use or the addition of a new method to the stage whenever necessary.
In the design thinking exercise we carried out in the fourth week, we started with the challenge statement 'DESIGNING A COOPERATIVE, MULTIPLAYER, MISSION-BASED MOBILE GAME FOR 2-5 PLAYERS'.
PHASE I: INVESIGATION & EMPATHY
During the design thinking exercise conducted to create a new mobile game, the empathy phase began by creating various player Personas to understand the potential player base for the game. Following this, an analysis of current popular games was conducted using the WWWWWH method. Reverse Engineering was applied to these existing games to dissect their features, allowing for the breakdown and redefinition of the games' components. The definition segments derived from this game dissection were used to form headers and content in the subsequent Ideation phase's Morphological Chart method.
PHASE II: DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM
Data obtained from the conducted empathy stage resulted in the formation of two design questions:
1. How does the game flow work within the created framework?
2. How can motivation be provided to ensure continuity?
PHASE III: IDEATION
The questions generated from the information gathered in the Empathy phase focused on how to ensure the flow of the game and how to maintain the motivation of players to consistently engage in solving tasks.
The insights obtained from Reverse Engineering, WWWWWH applications, and Brainstorming helped identify the necessary variables for the Morphological Chart. This allowed for the exposition of all the features of the game to be selected. These variables not only facilitated outlining the initial framework of the game but also enabled the generation of diverse combinations, fostering rich and creative content during the ideation phase. After conducting brainstorming exercises,creating the Morphological Chart and placing it into the designed template, various paths were drawn, considering the player profiles outlined in the Persona study.
PHASE IV: PROTOTYPE, TEST & EVALUATION
Paths created from the ideas generated during the Ideation phase were evaluated using Dot Voting after establishing boundaries for the original game idea. Subsequently, the Harris Profile method was applied to compare and assess the three selected ideas. Finally, the highest-ranking idea was developed, and a digital prototype was prepared.
Project Summary:
Research Methodologies:
Empathy: WWWWWH, Benchmark, Persona
Ideation: Brainstorming, Morphological Chart
Evaluation: Dot Voting, Harris Profile, Digital Prototype
Tools:
Figma, Miro, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator