Precedent Study

During this stage we need to identify the instructional value of the proposed project, justify why it constitutes a good candidate for multimedia, and include everything in a precedent study document. The way I chose to do this is by using the NABC framework. NABC stands for Needs, Approach, Benefits, and Competition which are four fundamental elements to consider when assessing the value for a proposed project. This document provides the NABC assessment for Nature Explorer, the system's tentative name. It also contains a complete description of the proposed project, some preliminary sketches, some design principles to be followed, as well as future steps.

Nature Explorer (NE) introduces a novel way of exploring the exhibits of a small community museum, through a game of guided discovery. The game will be installed and tested in Blacksburg’s Price House Nature Center, a local volunteer-based museum run by the organization called SEEDS (Seek Education, Explore, DiScover). The nature of the proposed learning experience aligns well with the SEEDS’ mission which is “to inspire kids’ love for learning through outdoor nature education, discovery learning, and civic awareness.” 

Instructional Design

NE is an open-ended environment of guide discovery, employing many gaming elements to engage the young museum visitors. As such it does not comply strictly with the four phases of instruction, although I think it can adequately satisfy them, considering the informal setting for learning of the space. More specifically, NE accommodates the phases as follows:

•   Present information: information is presented in three modalities (i.e., as images, text and audio) to accommodate for the diverse needs of the audience (children between 4 to 10 years old), either through hints or extra info (trivia) about the item/critter being requested by the system
• Guide the learner: different levels of hints are provided to guide the visitor/player as of which artifact in the museum the assignment refers to
• Practice: speed will be encouraged by using extra points for fast item identification; two different levels (intentionally not connected with age) and ability to play again with a random set of items might elicit retention and fluency
• Assessment: although assessment can not be ensured in such an informal environment, NE will provide a printout after the quest prompting visitors to fill in the missing information related to their accomplishments (things they have already learned)

Finally, NE is designed to be very engaging by demanding that kids move around the space, and interact with the items and the system using most of their senses. They can touch most of the exhibits, they see pictures and hear sounds of animals, and are also physically involved with the discovery experience. One of NE's strong points is its potential to involve kids physically and emotionally in the learning process, which is believed to have a positive impact to their risk tolerance[1], and, consequently, their ability to try new things (i.e., experiment with different animals without the fear of making mistakes).
 

Layout

As far as the layout of the system is concerned I feel that designing a computer game-style environment for kids does not lend itself well as an application for the guidelines suggested in the textbook. The textbook is addressed clearly to graphic designers working for print and web design where there is an obvious need for clean visual communication, since the images and the copy are the main means for capturing attention. In a game, and especially for kids, things are much more open-ended and you need to be creative in other way (part of which is visual communication) in order to grab the user's attention.

As an example, you can hardly follow the golden proportion rule or the rule of thirds, which are great for static layouts and even photography, but not for dynamic environments such as games. In a game you usually have many more elements you need to use to convey information (e.g., score, time, inventory indicators etc.) but also to serve utilitarian needs (e.g., change level, interact with game elements, pause game, etc.). Additionally, you have other tools to draw the user's attention and guide them through the game (helping construct a mental model of how actions should performed), like sounds, animations, virtual helpers/agents, etc. Applying set standards and guidelines from the typing or web design industry simply won't work.

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[1] Isbister, K. (2011). Emotion and motion: games as inspiration for shaping the future of interface. interactions, 18(5), 24-27.