Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
5.5.4
Selection
The final step in the design process is the
Selection
of interactions which will be im-
plemented. Because the previous phase will tend to create numerous contradicting
and opposing interactions, selection is not a trivial task. Criteria to guide the selec-
tion process, besides practical reasons of feasibility, are: (1) Which dimensions are
covered by the selected interaction methods? (2) Do the chosen interactions form a
balanced system? If there are, for example, mechanics for introducing new (virtual)
objects into the playground, there should be mechanics for reducing their amount as
well, to avoid clutter.
5.6
Case Study
Using the design approach summarized above, we developed an interactive play-
ground and evaluated it in a user study with 19 children.
5.6.1
Concept Generation
The initial story concept was as follows:
1
):
The playground contains an ecosystem that is populated with a range of strange shapes.
Players can interact with shapes on both the level of the ecosystem, as well as with individual
shapes, and shapes can interact with their peers.
5.6.2
Interaction Generation
An initial set of 20 interaction methods (at least one for each dimension) was derived
from the initial story concept. An example interaction is shown in Fig.
5.6
(IM2).
This interaction describes that physical contact between two players triggers the
'birth' of a new shape. This interaction has been designed to satisfy the need to
cover dimension 1 (Player interaction pattern). In this case, the envisioned player
interaction pattern for this interaction is one of collaborative play.
Another example interaction is shown in Fig.
5.7
(IM16). It describes that the
tail of shapes that follows player B will break once another player runs across it.
Naturally, it provides an element of competition and has potential influence on a
player's status.
1
