Design Games: a framework for
creative collaboration
Kirsikka Vaajakallio | University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland
FROM USER DATA INTO DESIGN GAMES
PROBES
Tuning-in
User study
DESIGN GAMES
Interpretation Deepening
Interpretation
+ ideation
Development
1
DESIGN GAMES
PROBES
VIDEO CLIPS
FROM THE
OBSERVATIONS
Game
pieces
PHOTOS FROM
THE CONTEXT
Game
board
QUOTES FROM
THE
INTERVIEWS
Playing
cards
nt
artme
m ap
“Drea balcony.”
ha s a
INTERPRETED
USER DATA e.g.
personas
Rules
Feasible shared visions
& research
agenda
Feasible
shared visions
& research agenda
…
DESIGN GAMES
in creative collaboration
1. To involve potential users,
stakeholders and experts in design
process.
•
Sharing knowledge.
•
Communicating user study.
•
Creating novel design solutions.
>>> To develop better design solutions
with the help of multidisciplinary
group of actors.
2
What makes
design a game?
GAME METAPHOR IN DESIGN
•
Designing is a social process of achieving consensus
among participants with different backgrounds and
interests.
•
People look at the design task based on their
expertise, experiences, responsibilities and personal
concern about good design, and therefore designing
requires negotiation between different
understandings.
SOCIAL
ACTIVITY
GAME
PIECES
ROLES
RULES
MANY
PLAYERS
FUN
GOAL
ORIENTED
3
GAME METAPHOR IN DESIGN
•
Designing is a social process of achieving consensus
among participants with different backgrounds and
interests.
•
People look at the design task based on their
expertise, experiences, responsibilities and personal
concern about good design, and therefore designing
requires negotiation between different
understandings.
SOCIAL
ACTIVITY
Multidisciplinary
Team work
Plan
Brief
Objectives
ROLES
Workshop
Use context
GAME
PIECES
RULES
Designer
Facilitator
Researcher
User
Producer
MANY
PLAYERS
Mock-ups
Make tools
Videos
Photos
Interviews
Acting out
Exploring
Learning
Surprising
FUN
Solution
System
GOAL
Service
ORIENTED
Product
Knowledge
DESIGN GAMES IN DESIGN
1. Organizational design games:
to empower workers to
envision future work situation
in fun way (Ehn et al.).
2. Concept design games: to
study architectural design
processes and strategies
(Habraken et al.).
4
DESIGN GAMES AS A FRAMEWORK FOR CREATIVE
COLLABORATION
1.
2.
3.
Setting the stage for collaborative design process
Sharing / interpreting knowledge (e.g. user data)
Generating new ideas
Takes place in a workshop or use context.
General design game characters:
•
Changing perspectives
•
Handling group dynamics
•
Providing things-to-think-with
•
Sparking dialogue
•
Grounding discussion
•
Binding “what is” and “what if” worlds
•
Building a shared design language
What this means in practice?
5
FOCUS AND FACILITATE DISCUSSIONS
FACILITATE GROUP
DYNAMICS
SPARK DIALOGUE
EXPLORE AND SET THE STAGE FOR
GENERATE
COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
IDEAS
SHARE / INTERPRET USER DATA
ETU
Aim of the game:
- Users as facilitators
- Clarifying interpretations of
user data with users
- Getting new insights
FOCUS AND FACILITATE DISCUSSIONS
Aim of the project: to provide knowledge (user
material) for designers and producers of daily products
how to make packages easier to open and use.
User group: rheumatoid arthritis (strength-impaired
consumers) and everyone (DFA approach)
6
The game process
Participatory
Observations Interpretations Writing quotes
on cards
+ Situated
interviews
Playing the
game
Modified
interpretations
Results: http://www.helppopakkausonetu.com/Tulokset/ETU_results_summary.pdf By next icon
DESIGNING A UNIVERSITY: triggering discussion
trough user data
Aims:
• Bring findings from the
interviews into group discussions.
• Facilitate group dynamics
in order to support
multidisciplinary team work.
• Minimize status hierarchy.
• Generate shared solutions /
values of DF
Game material:
• Game board.
• Quotes from the interviews
written on the cards.
• Well known characteristics as
playful triggers for creativity.
• Instruction cards (anyone in the
group could act as a facilitator).
Feasible
Feasible shared
shared visions
visions
&
& research
research agenda
agenda
“A
“A linking
linking point
point of
of
research
research &
&
practice/students”
practice/students”
“Experience
“Experience 'hands-on'
'hands-on'
work
work with
with tools”
tools”
7
KIDS AS DESIGN
PARTNERS:
FACILITATING GROUP
DYNAMICS
Aims:
• Enhancing creativity
• Equal collaboration
• Grounding current
situation with future
opportunities
Setting:
• Game rules
• Game board
• Game pieces
• Scenario to be filled
• Classroom setup
• Make Tools
8
1. VIDEO OBSERVATION + IDEA GENERATION:
SITUATED MAKE TOOLS
”Scenario oriented game”
• Understanding current + envisioning future
• Users as co-designers and experts
• Design researcher provides support in co-design
• Make tools enable imagining possible use situations
Building make tools | Pilot session| briefing + building a dream device | situated idea generation
“A PROCESS GAME”
Aims:
• Introducing a game
approach
• Building a common
ground
• Creating a project plan
Setting:
• Game rules
• Method cards
• Resource figures
• Two hours
• Workshop
• 3 - 4 players
Outcome: project plan for
a case study
9
“A CHARACTER GAME”
Aims:
• Sharing knowledge
• Interpreting user data
• Design empathy
• Design openings
Inspired by:
• Personas
• Design games
• Role playing
Setting:
• Game leader
• Two hours
• Workshop
• Senior housing
WHAT TO THINK IN DESIGN GAMES
How to create an inspiring and engaging game?
•
Sensitivity towards design partners skills and attitudes is
fundamental.
•
What is the design material? What is its main purpose?
(enhance creativity, produce design suggestions, shared
language,…)
•
What kind of rules support collaboration? (In particular
context, design problem, goal and participating people, …)
•
Where and how long game will take? (is it one of many or
only activity)
•
How to document the game playing?
10
WHAT TO THINK IN DESIGN GAMES
How design games differ from workshops?
•
•
•
Explicit rules for collaboration
Taking turns
Utilizing a game board and game material
SUMMARY: DESIGN GAMES IN CREATIVE COLLABORATION
SETTING THE STAGE
INTERPRET
GENERATE
DEVELOP
Reason
Plan and
facilitate codesign project
Share user data,
engage
stakeholders,
design openings
Generate ideas /
concepts, engage
stakeholders and
potential users
Test and develop
concepts / ideas,
engage various
people (e.g. users)
Focus
Expectations,
resources,
opportunities
Current situation,
empathy, cointerpretation
Future
opportunities,
creativity
Value evaluation,
prototyping,
(Business view)
Material
Methods cards,
process titles,
resource figures
Field data
transformed
into a game
Things-to-thinkwith, user
descriptions etc.
Prototypes,
scenarios / stories,
props for enacting
Rules
Negotiation, equal
collaboration
New perspectives, New perspectives,
dialogue
Creative constrains
New perspectives,
Creative constrains
Site
Room with big
table
Workshop setting
Workshop /
contextual setting
Workshop /
contextual setting
Players
Project team
and managers
Design team and
stakeholders
Design team,
stakeholders, users
Design team,
stakeholders, users
Empathy, insights
from user study,
themes for focus
Ideas, Proposals
for concepts
Concepts
Outcome Initial project
plan
11
Thank you!
Questions?
12