Wireframe & Prototype

November 2, 2022

Can't sleep - still have COVID. Decided to work a bit in reverse to generate some ideas for wire-frames & a prototype to submit for class. I dusted off Figma to create these. I also created the Trello page for this project (a crucial lesson learned from my last game dev project). 

What I really need to work on is level/quest design and ironing out the logistics of those. I've had some questions since early on in development re: what's possible in Bitsy, even with the Borksy hacks I have some concerns. Namely:
                            1.) can I implement intriguing/challenging quests with multiple-choices in dialogue? For example: I have an idea for a "trivia" section to test Player on their UX terminology & concepts, is that possible in the way I'm thinking or do I have to think outside the box a bit and re-design this trivia as an object-fetch quest? I.e. Player Character must bring correct object w/ correct definition of a word back to an NPC to clear level?
                            2.) How to add audio/music for more game immersion
                            3.) What are the quests/levels gonna be? Using UX Design process - what elements, terms, concepts will I incorporate and how in the heck will I recreate designing something in Figma in this game...? Or will that just now have to be a part of it given Bitsy's limitations??

GAME PROPOSAL 

Problem statement:  I want to provide a free, fun and accessible way for all ages to learn UX. A playable UX primer, if you will. Emphasis on all ages, and because this is a game, I'm really aiming for a tool that can be used by educators to help young people/teens learn UX. I've done a lot of work w/ Girls Who Code & Girls Make Games and I see the curiousity and desire to learn from young women. As a Women in Games Ambassador also, I want to contribute to the women/gaming community to make a (free!) tool that anyone can use!

Current assumptions: I'm already familiar with: general UX in gaming, developing a video game (on a team and solo), using Bitsy to create a game and applying gamification to a "serious" learning experience -- I've been eager to tie it all together and this is a good opportunity to do so. While I have created a playable game in Bitsy before, I did not push the limits with what the simple tool can do, so I'm eager to explore more boundaries and implement some of the "hacks" that the Bitsy community has created to extend the boundaries. I think it will help make my game a little more exciting than my first attempt in Bitsy. I would need to learn these hacks as well as other normal stuff that I haven't done yet in Bitsy, like add audio/sounds and create more advanced dialogue options (i.e. multiple-choice, branching dialogue). I'm assuming there is a need for resources for young people to learn UX - I recall one of my earlier UX mentors lamenting the lack of high-school targeted programs for UX in 2021. 

Research methods: I plan to use Borksy, Youtube, the Bitsy Discord and Bitsy Reddit to help me with troubleshooting and conducting self-research throughout the dev process. This self-research would also include brushing up on "serious games" for education and re-familiarizing myself with the literature on this topic and what are some of the key features that successful "serious games' have.

Additionally, I would like to speak with some folks to understand the following: interest in learning UX for folks under age 18, interest in using games for learning as a learner & educator and identifying the most critical/core concepts that should be taught in UX (need educator perspectives). Finally, I would love to do some usability testing throughout to identify any story/continuity issues, lack of clarity in quest objectives, etc. I would create proto-personas and then finalized personas to share my insights in my case study and also summarize my interview & usability research.

Prototype build: I actually just dove into creating the game in Bitsy. With game development typically there is a step where there's some paper prototyping/UX/game design process, but I just skipped it somewhat because I was already familiar with the built-in constraints with using Bitsy. Bitsy is a "a free online in-browser game creation tool" and has some pretty stark limitations with coding. It's like this on purpose to make game creation more accessible and "easier" for folks with no to low coding skills, though it means you cannot do too much with it. With that in mind, I just began right away working in the Bitsy sandbox to create a game prototype. Though I did go back and put some ideas for a mid-fi wireframe & prototype in Figma, just to cover my design bases and ensure I was still operating on the basic idea in my head. While I have the game-scene creation & character creation down (creating items, characters and background items is just a matter of making simple and unique pixel art with the tool), one thing I will need to really sit down and outline is: quests & level design. I need to map out the quests I want to create which capture the UX Design process in a meaningful for the Player to actually learn something. I need to outline relevant questing dialogue for the Non-Player Characters (NPCs) to say and I need to design additional "levels" or "scenes" in the game to show transition throughout the game. This will take the most time & energy.

Project plan: I will use Trello to help me organize my game development/design process and work within the 7 week time-frame to complete the game. I will continue to publish updates to my case-study in the itch.io devlog (developer's log) and update the game periodically on the itch.io page as well. The final product will be available there to play and disseminate to others!

WIREFRAME W/ ANNOTATIONS 

Playable Prototype - click here to view the prototype.