Outcomes
This project resulted in both a physical and digital outcome, both of which worked together as an interactive experience. Our intention was to create an experience that is enjoyable and engaging for multiple users at the same time, to aid the issue of family members not spending time together. Furnished with bright, inviting colors and design, we designed this piece to serve as a place of gathering, in order to encourage the building of connections and creation of memories.
Feedback
During our first presentation, we briefly discussed our plans for this project: our key concepts and insights as well as general ideas we had for our interaction experience. We received feedback that although the insights we had can be further elaborated, our observations were both actionable and sufficient. Additionally, although we had not figured out the details of the type of game we would create, the lecturers agreed that for this first step, knowing the exact outcome and execution is not as important as identifying an insight. However, we did receive some critical feedback on the look of our presentation slides, which we were sure to improve for the final presentation.
Over the course of the next few weeks, as we showed both peers and lecturers on our progress with the game – both code and design – we were told the importance of having a concept, or a reasoning behind the gameplay and the aesthetics. From this, we created a collaboration with Ikea, which allowed the game’s aesthetics to be solidified, and encouraged the dual purpose of the board as furniture. We also received feedback on the size of the board, that if possible, it should be as large as it can be in order to encourage movement and collaboration. Also, the placement of the board will have to be taken into consideration, whether it would be hung on the wall, placed on the floor, the table, and the possibility of implementing this. From all this feedback, we gained insight on the many different components that must be taken into consideration, as well as the importance of creating with reason – in this project: the product, brand and target audience.
The final feedback we received from both our instructors and our peers were generally very favorable reviews. They all praised our overall concept and insights in addition to our appearance and design. The games may, however, still be improved, and we can also include more information about the projector, Illumos, and the reasons we selected it. They also noted that despite our intentions, the game is currently still a short-lived experience, which can be further improved by solidifying its objective or making it more challenging. However, as this is only an interactive experience in Ikea, the visitors' enjoyment with playing Roundup – although brief – may encourage them to purchase the Illumos projector as it was an overall positive experience.
Conclusion
Although our project’s idea is very simple and straightforward, bringing into physicality was not as easy as we had imagined. We faced numerous challenges through building the game’s code on p5js as well as the physical board itself. However, for a project that spans only 5 weeks, we are very impressed with our own results, having been able to create a functional and furnished piece during this time. In the process of this project, we learned to use technical softwares and materials that we have never used before, and we have also been provided a useful insight on the thought process that goes into creating an interactive experience.
Despite this, there are things that can be improved, perhaps if there was additional time and resources. Unfortunately, we were unable to actually project the game onto the board due to technical constraints and inability to obtain the specific type of projector required. Furthermore, we had both never created a game before, so therefore there is still much room for improvement in the gameplay. The game’s functionality can be improved by perhaps creating more levels in the game, to be more clear on the game’s objectives, and to fix slight errors such as the “game over” section. We would also like to improve on the game’s aesthetics, such as the layout and font of the score and countdown.
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