[UX RESEARCH]

ArtPrize STEAM Village Project

Picture of STEAM Village
Picture of STEAM Village Wall
  • A look at STEAM Village
  • Students: Chad Bitner, Corbin Swets, Mia Zhang, Kaitlynne Heyworth
  • Interactive, digital experiences that taps into a users creativity for an educational experience (all ages)
  • Environment Description
    • The room was a big open space
    • Well lit
    • Able to see the media on tv screens
    • Each station isolated for better focus

RESEARCH SUMMARIES

  • Research Summary - Tilt Brush
    • It was most engaging, but least educational
    • Taps into creativity
    • It relies on space and tech to make it valuable
    • It's memorable, immersive, and could become addictive
    • Educational risk in losing attention in the classroom
    • Working the media into lectures
  • Research Summary - Code.org
    • Most educational
    • User friendly and fun with different themes
    • Taught well of logic and hierarchy - most memorable instead of syntax
  • Research Summary - Planet3
    • High production value, but function is confusing
    • Wasn't immersive
    • Navigation wasn't intuitive
    • Sound design wasn't good and robotic voice
    • Volume control in the app as an option
    • Better directions
    • Every minute spent wandering, is a minute of lost learning
    • Timing doesn't work for everyone
    • Have to re-listen to narrative every time you start over

DETAILED NOTES: Code.org

Picture of Code.org
  • Game was user friendly
  • Explains what is going on before and during so the user always understands the objective
  • Fun to play and intuitive, inspiring, you get your own ideas from playing the game
  • Gave up on level 7
  • Themed games attract better attention. i.e. star wars is always an easy appeal
  • If lines of code was incorrect, it was difficult to detach the wrong part. By dragging one action, everything under goes with. It took me a minute to realize you had to breakup code beneath, and then drag that one line out.

DETAILED NOTES: Tilt Brush

TiltBrush Boy Student
Tilt Brush Female Student
TiltBrush Male Student
TiltBrush Female Student
  • Volunteer describing the use of the game and the joysticks to the user
  • VR headset is disorientating to put on at first, user had a hard time putting on VR headset
  • The user started right away without much instruction
  • Hard to find center piece in the environment
  • The user used her entire body to paint in the environment and enjoyed the experience
  • User was able to pick different brushes and environments quickly.
  • The response from the user was Tilt Brush was awesome.
  • After asking the user "What kind of value they see in the media?" She responded, "They are educational opportunities through experimentation in VR."
  • Can be used as artistic expression, or real concept ideation. Especially for wardrobe design.
  • Young adults wanted to jump right in and old adults were less likely to use Tilt Brush.
  • Uninhibited - not embarrassed to use VR.
  • Breaking interpersonal barriers with classmates
  • Redirected back to the rug
  • Cable was getting in the way and constantly moving it
  • There was time limit because of the demand
  • After about 20 minutes, the user gets tired of painting in VR

DETAILED NOTES: Planet3

Planet3 Picture
  • Weather Adventure
    • Very educational video in the beginning, the user suggested to cut the video throughout the game to guide you in weather conditions.
    • Game is confusing in function when you get started
    • Predict weather patterns, but failed because I don't know where I'm suppose to finish in weather predictions
    • User wants to play again because they failed the first time playing the game
    • Can't move the characters easily, you have to click through instructions which are hard to understand
    • Game immediately restarts if you are idle for more than 5 minutes and can't check your progress and game immediately stops at the end of the game.
    • User commented on the good graphics for the game
    • Navigational buttons are too small and not labeled, so it's hard to to know what to use them for
    • The user finally guesses the weather prediction and runs into tornado, collecting data
    • If a player isn't going the right way, there is no indication. Some users walked right passed the vehicles and ended up running around until giving up.
    • Instead of using only the mini-map for direction, on screen indications would be far more useful
  • Plants Adventure
    • Video should be a guide throughout the game
    • Navigation buttons are too small
    • User got lost inside the greenhouse, it's more engaging to run around outside
    • Water hose is a good component to the game and plants grow after watering, but have to go back inside to figure out what to do next.
    • User questioned, "Am I learning anything?"
  • Plants Analysis
    • More info about the game, wants to move forward in playing the game
    • Confusing information at first, but understood later when grouping cells together
    • I would be nice if the animation should make you listen rather than giving you the option
    • Some users got up after a few minutes of playing the game, didn't finish an adventure
    • A user found the plants activity fun because she studied biology in college, she thought the analysis was valueable in educating the user about photosynthesis
    • Users checked out case studies briefly, but didn't pursue the information after the first screen