Introduction
In my final year of university, I was tasked with creating a geo-location-based application that hinged on utilising real-time location data for users to interact with their surroundings.
Your Role
Eager to seize the opportunity to broaden my horizons and embrace contemporary perspectives, I decided to develop a true-crime themed geo-location-based game. My role involved being the creator and developer, conceiving the entire application, crafting the creative narrative, and designing all the in-game challenges.
Setting Up The Problem
The assignment culminated in the creation of "No Case Too Cold," an innovative geo-location-based game that artfully combined elements of choose-your-own-adventure and interactive fiction genres. This captivating gaming experience immerses players in a world of interconnected storylines accessible through a user-friendly mobile application.
The core challenge revolved around crafting an immersive gaming experience that hinged on a narrative. This narrative was designed to engage an audience known for their discerning tastes in video games, providing them with an enjoyable blend of immersion in a fictional storyline and engaging game challenges.
The core challenge revolved around crafting an immersive gaming experience that hinged on a narrative. This narrative was designed to engage an audience known for their discerning tastes in video games, providing them with an enjoyable blend of immersion in a fictional storyline and engaging game challenges.
Goals
My primary objectives from the project's inception were to deliver an interactive AR-based game that not only offered an engaging narrative but also tantalised puzzle solvers, enticing them to actively participate in the application.
Discover (Research)
The key UX methods utilised within this project encompassed peer-reviewed research for technical gameplay insights, User Flow Diagram creation, storyboarding, wireframe sketches, Persona and Psychograph development, focus group interviews, field testing with post-task inquiries, and comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of field testing, culminating in a final focus group for user feedback.
Define (Insights)
Key participants from the target audience were selected for a focus group, yielding valuable insights into what keeps them engaged within a video game. Four participants were interviewed within a focus group environment.
Why They Engage
• Some users are attracted to the combination of exploration and gaming.
• Others are intrigued by the fusion of technology and storytelling.
• Some users are excited about the social aspect of playing with friends while exploring the city.
• A portion of the audience were interested in solo exploration with a deep narrative element to unwind.
• Others are intrigued by the fusion of technology and storytelling.
• Some users are excited about the social aspect of playing with friends while exploring the city.
• A portion of the audience were interested in solo exploration with a deep narrative element to unwind.
How They Engage
• Users engage in various ways, with some opting for weekend adventures with friends and solo play during breaks or after work.
• Others see it as a leisure activity for evenings and weekends, aligning with their tech interests.
• Some users enjoy it during weekend gatherings with friends and solo play during downtime on weekdays.
• Another group of players fit the game into their evenings and weekends for a personal escape.
• Others see it as a leisure activity for evenings and weekends, aligning with their tech interests.
• Some users enjoy it during weekend gatherings with friends and solo play during downtime on weekdays.
• Another group of players fit the game into their evenings and weekends for a personal escape.
When They Engage
• Engagement occurs at different times, with some playing during weekends for exploration with friends and solo play on weekdays.
• Others choose to play during evenings and weekends, aligning with their leisure time.
• Some enjoy it during weekend get-togethers and solo play on weekdays.
• Others choose to play during evenings and weekends, aligning with their leisure time.
• Some enjoy it during weekend get-togethers and solo play on weekdays.
Deliver (Development and Testing)
To generate design ideas, I employed the "Crazy 8's" exercise and organised the resulting concepts within a mind map. Categories were established to help refine the most promising ideas. Through social media posts, the concept that garnered the most interest was a "True Crime History Tour."
Investigating common themes in the true crime genre revealed key narrative elements, including crime investigation, victims and survivors, corruption, criminal masterminds, and the legal system. These insights guided the development of the primary narrative, for the initial title "Shadows of Deception", which revolved around a group of criminal masterminds escaping from prison.
In selecting the game's location, Pentridge Prison emerged as an ideal setting due to its transformation into a community hub with historical significance. As the narrative evolved, the historic site of Pentridge Prison offered an engaging and unique experience to offer a great physical setting for the stories key elements and themes, especially given the heritage of the site previously being a prison.
Essential Application Requirements, Specific Features, Capabilities, and Tasks
The subsequent content outlines the pivotal interactive tasks and application requirements derived from insights gleaned during the initial focus group.
• Physical Locations: The application should rely on physical locations for interactive challenges, with various locations dedicated to distinct challenges.
• Physical Locations: The application should rely on physical locations for interactive challenges, with various locations dedicated to distinct challenges.
• Narrative Briefing: Users receive a narrative briefing outlining the story, their role, and the mystery they must unravel.
• Tutorial: New users are presented with a tutorial explaining the game's mechanics, particularly those related to augmented reality (AR) games.
• Interactive Exploration: Users explore their surroundings to collect story fragments, utilising a map for navigation.
• Tutorial: New users are presented with a tutorial explaining the game's mechanics, particularly those related to augmented reality (AR) games.
• Interactive Exploration: Users explore their surroundings to collect story fragments, utilising a map for navigation.
• Narrative Challenges: Users receive notifications for 10 narrative challenges, which they can complete non-linearly based on their exploration.
Field Testing
Following the initial stages of concept development, a high-fidelity prototype was created, and a field test involving four participants was conducted. The Usability Test aimed to achieve the following objectives:
• Identifying Problems
• Uncovering Opportunities to Improve
• Learning About the Target User’s Behavior and Preferences
• Measuring Efficiency, Effectiveness, and User Satisfaction, including Users' Subjective Satisfaction.
• Assessing user comfort with the AR capabilities.
• Evaluating the usability of the user interface, particularly in terms of navigation.
• Investigating user preferences for the narrative briefing style, whether "factual" or a more personalized "face and name" approach.
• Uncovering Opportunities to Improve
• Learning About the Target User’s Behavior and Preferences
• Measuring Efficiency, Effectiveness, and User Satisfaction, including Users' Subjective Satisfaction.
• Assessing user comfort with the AR capabilities.
• Evaluating the usability of the user interface, particularly in terms of navigation.
• Investigating user preferences for the narrative briefing style, whether "factual" or a more personalized "face and name" approach.
Post-task questions were then designed to gather both qualitative insights and quantitative metrics, helping pinpoint problem areas within the application. This data was thoroughly reviewed to gain a clear understanding of the issues and potential solutions.
Subsequently, based on the feedback received, a final prototype was developed and subjected to testing within a focus group setting. This iteration addressed many of the identified problem areas and revealed additional areas for improvement.
The final prototype incorporated the enhancements and refinements discovered during this testing phase, ultimately resulting in a product that integrated the following elements.
The End (Outcomes and Lessons Learned)
Throughout the 12-week project, I embarked on a journey of realisation and adaptation. My original vision was ambitious, aimed at creating a narrative-based augmented reality (AR) game with a captivating storyline and seamless gameplay. However, I soon encountered the challenges inherent in crafting custom interactions as well as building a fictional world akin to a video game.
The Application’s Development Process
My ambitious undertaking led me to confront the complexities of game design, especially in the realm of user interface (UI). Navigating through various menu options and engaging with existing games highlighted the chaotic and un-unified UI landscape in the gaming world. This experience instilled in me a newfound appreciation for the intricate nature of game design.
What Could Be Improved
A crucial turning point in the project was the invaluable feedback received from an analytical gaming enthusiast in the second focus group. Their insights shed light on how a player would perceive the game for the first time, emphasizing the need for clearer communication of objectives, improved challenge engagement, deeper storyline development, and consistent UI elements. Although satisfied with the current state of the project, I acknowledge that additional refinement and development time could be beneficial. The most significant lesson learned was the importance of effectively communicating the intricacies of the game's objectives to users, as elements that seemed obvious to me required clearer articulation through the user experience.
What Went Well
One area where I excelled was in conceptualising the game. The process of brainstorming ideas that would emotionally engage players came naturally to me, making the concept design phase a highlight of the project.
Further Insights
Despite the encountered challenges and identified areas for improvement, this project proved to be a valuable learning experience. I regret not making the game's objectives more self-evident to users. This marked a significant user experience (UX) shortcoming. Nevertheless, these challenges expanded my skill set and broadened my understanding as a designer, enhancing my proficiency in handling complex, custom, and immersive experiences.
For a thorough review and summary of the entire process, kindly explore the "downloadable assets" or the "assets" section of this page, where you can access the comprehensive report encompassing various aspects, including the presentation of key UX research maps that were utilised and created for this project.
