Isles of Investigation
Intro
Isles of Investigation is a children's educational tool which helps students ages 8-10 to retain information from their lessons while being fun and engaging through the use of exploration, character dialogue, and mini games. Accompanying the video game is a booklet with questions about the material to ensure retention.
Problem Statement
Computers and educational learning games, although they may be deployed with good intentions, often impede on classroom participation by missing the delicate balance between education and engagement that is required for digital mediums in classrooms. This impedes on the participation and learning of young children as they are either distracted by flashy games or simply speed through the lessons.
Opportunity
An educational game which makes the education inextricable from the engagement is something which could not only help students learn, but make them excited to do so. Through the use of a variety of in-game methods, such as voice narration and first person navigation, students are able to constantly discover new things. An accompanying paper booklet with quesetions related to the material ensures that students actually retain what they learn during gameplay as they fill it out.
Design System
The design needs of children are very different from those of adults. They require large, deliniated icons for navigation; bright, contrasting colors to highlight areas of interest; and large, legible typefaces. Although these may be jarring- even ugly- to adult sensibilities, they are what children need in order to even be able to comprehend a digital platform.
These principles were incorporated into the design of Isles of Investigation at every level. A bright yellow is used for interactible components like buttons to make sure they always stand out against backgrounds. Drop shadows are also employed to further prevent blending of colors. The paper travel journal is a necessary addition to the game as handwriting is proven to increase memory of people at all ages.
Design Structure & User Flow
The structure of Isles of Investigation is that of a small, but open map that can be navigated with arrows. In each area of the map, there are characters to interact with, mini games to play, or text to read which furthers the educational goals of the game. Any large bodies of text have a corresponding voice narration which students may use if they are struggling with any of the words.
Users are allowed to explore at their own pace in their own order so that they do not feel constrained or bored at any point. The map is accessible at all times so users may even jump around different areas if they so please.
