werkTOY
My Role: Lead Game Designer & UX/UI Wireframing
Platform: Tablet
Game: Augmented Reality for science education. WerkTOY is a gameful tool that implements game-like learning principles to cultivate curiosity and enhance the learning experience by connecting physical objects with digital educational content on handheld devices.
Developed in collaboration with:
Password: werktoy
Fostering Scientific Curiosity in the Classroom
With the support of the development fund for digital learning tools from the Danish Ministry of Education we developed the prototype for werkTOY, an AR teaching platform used in combination with a handheld device for use in school classrooms.
This tool has been designed to facilitate student learning in accordance with the new FFM curriculum for science classes in Danish schools. It creates an interactive learning experience that combines physical and digital elements within a fictional world that encourages discovery and exploring.
WerkTOY combines a digital app (iPad) with a physical augmented reality tile-set. The game includes exploration, trivia and puzzle elements, multiplayer role playing elements, common goals and cooperative play. The game mechanics and core loops have been designed with the goal of maximizing the transfer of learning, and to allow students to unlock information and data in engaging and magical ways.
Educational Objectives
To develop a prototype that includes an augmented reality setup and handheld device interactions for the educational goals around the topic of ‘water’. This prototype had to demonstrate the characteristics of the teaching tool, for this purpose we focused on three related activities within the topic of chemistry: investigating, understanding and applying.
The in-game objective is for the students to become outstanding scientists explorers, working together with their classmates to discover the secrets of a series of planets. The players have to apply their knowledge about chemistry, physics, biology and geology in order to progress and resolve their mission objectives.
The teacher takes on the role of spacecraft commander, guiding and facilitating the learning objectives by means of assigning relevant missions to the students.
The function of having this form of fiction is to create a certain aura that empowers students and creates epic meaning in their activities. Additionally, having a sci-fi theme allows us to integrate and justify the use of augmented reality and the handheld devices, creating a coherent experience.
AR (augmented reality) allows its users to blend the virtual and the real world together, as well as making sure that the experience is in real-time format, making the overall experience more effective for students.
In a classroom setting, students work together better if they are focused on a common workspace, and interactive exercises offer a more visual understanding of the concepts. This approach to learning allows for specific learning outcomes to be achieved when they are directly linked to the curriculum. Adding this technology to the educational environment, implements a new way of teaching very useful for teachers and students alike.
Design Principles
Complementing on the educational material delivered to the students in class
Use emotions to guide and focus the design decisions. With the intended emotions being: Curiosity, Encouragement.
The core loop must support the emotional mapping:
Uncertainty ---> curiosity ---> Discovery ---> insight ---> Mastery
Create a beautiful interface, aesthetics are important
Create situations that demand sharing, group exercises that needs combined knowledge
Using simulations to get closers to reality
Audience & Context of Use
The game is intended to be played by students of elementary school, ages 13 to 15, in a classroom environment and under the supervision of a teacher.
Project Activities
In order to make informed and well-researched design decisions, I documented the whole process, while directly overseeing the implementation with the development team. A great deal of background research was conducted beforehand, including working in close collaboration with a chemistry teacher, to ensure the validity and accuracy of the scientific principles that were taught.
The game was designed to achieve specific learning outcomes by directly linking the game contents to the curriculum material received by students during their regular lessons.
Providing a platform that teachers can use to motivate students to exercise what they have learned in class, while at the same time allowing the students to enjoy playing a game; this principle is aligned with the latest approach and revisions in pedagogical science.
I chose a multi-player gameplay approach which includes collaboration and friendly competition, this is intended to give prominence to teamwork. For example, many in-game situations benefit from knowledge sharing, like the Group Missions which required that students make use of their combined knowledge to be resolve them.
UI Wireframing & Minigames Concept Sketches
Biology Minigame
Geology Minigame
Minigames Mock-ups
When I take on a designer role, I always make design mock-ups and prototypes to clearly communicate game mechanics and game elements to the developers. For werkTOY I made available for the team concept sketches to visualize the game elements and interactions for each of the 4 minigames.
I also made available a selection of visual references and mood-boards to make sure that our vision was aligned.
UI Wireframing
When the students learn something new during one of the play-session, this information is logged into their Research Journal
Their journals hold information about their progress with the learning activities. For example, each planet represents a topic from the curriculum (water planet, technology planet, etc). The planets evolve and change as the students solve the exercises, serving as a visual reward for completing the missions, but also as a way of tracking progress.
Research Journal - Missions
Research Journal - Chemistry Lessons