PROJECT TITLE:
In Plain Sight: Match the keywords with what is around you!
DESIGN / USER BASE / HCI CHALLENGES
This project sought to create a working prototype design for a mixed reality locative media experience. The purpose of the game was to engage visitors to a university campus. The realisation of this prototype involved adapting the experience to the constraints of the web application that was used to create the game. The basic premise of the game is to locate specific buildings and landmarks based on the information that the player is given at the start.
METHODS: Two specific methods were employed to design the game concept and create the 'user journey'.
METHOD 1: MIXED REALITY IDEATION CARD PACK
The game concept was built upon the use of third-party 'Mixed Reality ideation cards'. The cards were chosen, discarded and then arranged by following the logic that derived from the basic premise of the game. The pack is made up of 3 sets - Challenges (-), Opportunities (+) and Questions (?), each of which are spread across all the different colour-coded topics. Thanks to the cards, the initial keywords idea could lay the foundation for a riddle-like game. As can be seen in the diagram below, the structure of the game unfolds (from top to bottom) from the core game mechanic which is made up of the Exploration and Riddles opportunity cards. To the right, Question cards are put in place to help choose and justify each Opportunity. To the left, all potential Challenges (-) are brought into consideration.
METHOD 2: ANNOTATED PHOTO-STORY OF THE CONTEXT AND USER PATH
The photo-story actually shows how the user interacts with the experience. Vignettes display the user path from the first QR code encounter, which is how the game is deployed, to them solving the first riddle (keyword). The prototype uses a third-party locative media application (Wander Anywhere). The polygons surrounding the point of interest trigger the hint system as soon as the user steps into them. As soon as the user is close enough to the object of interest, this can be unlocked on the map and the riddle is solved. The player is rewarded with some trivia about the object of interest.
TESTING AND MEDIUM LIMITATIONS
The photo-story is a high-fidelity representation of the user path for this locative media experience. However, given the available tools, the implementation of all the features did not come without substantial technical constraints. Aside from the network coverage which required the player to have reliable mobile data reception, the main challenge was attempting to incorporate the hint system in the experience. Wander Anywhere does not have a sound manipulating feature such that would be required for this prototype. To circumvent this issue I opted for a 'Wizard of Oz' approach thereby following the participant and manually altering the sound from my device (while logged into the same experience).
The second greatest hurdle was the staging of the triggers and ideal viewpoints. As a non-linear experience, the game was designed to accommodate all possible ‘desire lines’,
therefore all points of interest as well as playback zones, took a considerable amount of thought, iteration and refinement.
One final constraint that had to be overcome was Wander Anywhere's rather stringent word limit of around 120 in the category description for the instructions of how to play the game.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK AT MY WORK!
