These images are an overview of my prototyping process this semester and the user testing I did this weekend.
Feedback:
[Julia Gorton]
-small parts like magnets and clips can get lost easily
-plates / place mats that snap together could have lost parts
-should be vertical because of space issues
-kids love pockets and stuffed objects (like stuffed carrots!)
-felt limits the patterns i could use on fabric (trying printing on fabric)
-needs to look very friendly
-parts should be easy to get in and out
-when kids get older they don't want to play with a "three year old" toy
-should narrow age focus
[Len]
-color coding : might be too many colors and does not consider color-blind
-think about identifying with outline shapes or words
-re-think plate slip idea
-need to reference the "revolution" i am working inside of, but that i am focusing on the root cause: ignorance, as everyone else is focusing on symptoms like environmental issues and obesity.
-ideate more on removable "pad" to draw/play with off of the main piece
-start to clearly lay out activities that happen for different age groups (may focus on 3 and 4 year olds but then allude to older kids activities)
-older kids could be meal planning and cooking
-the game needs to be really active and exciting
[seth]
-parents might not want their kids telling them what to buy
-food should be displayed at all times (not inside pockets)
-need to think about how to make this a daily ritual
Goals for this week:
-clear up argument and practice 30-sec pitch
-layout specific activities for 3 and 4 year olds
-ideate about how the game will be both exciting for the kids and a daily ritual for family
-ideate more about "plate clip" idea and how this can be a whole system of products that deal with food in the home
-make rough sketch models of my best ideas
3 comments:
Hi Leigh Ann,
I read about the user testing you just ran. It was somewhat heartbreaking to hear the negative opinions from some of your users, but this is the moment you must look very critically at your work in order to absorb the important lessons you took away in ways that will strengthen your end result. this kind of testing can be hard, because your ego is at stake, but designers need to get a thick skin about their work.
I agree with Len's admonition that you are really working towards knowledge transmission as a means for solving a problem, which is different from creating a product that helps by improving the environment, cure disease, etc. The cultural effect of mass produced items is significant, and a successful educational toy can influence millions of children, producing actual cultural change at a very deep level. Children that learn a lot now are more likely to improve the world in the future, so you are planting a future-acting seed when you design a product that will be widely used by children now.
I think that you should hone your message and make it more scientific. Your users pointed out that it is not engaging to play with for them, and I am not sure that the correct response is to re-package the product for a younger demographic. Why not get more scientific about the problems that you are addressing. Kids may be more interested if there is more detail in the thought-exercise that you are asking them to carry out. For example, why not make a toy where they really think about the process of growing, harvesting, transporting and distributing food. Kids like to think about all of those activities. Maybe you can make a kind of puzzle that includes all of these parts, and they have to put it together. Maybe it could be 3D. You are really good at graphics and computers, maybe you could make an intricate block system that somehow explained this complicated network that impacts our society in profound ways. kids could fit it together and draw connections between all of those interlocking parts.
Leigh Ann, you are on to something with this topic, which is very timely at this point in history, where people are becoming more conscious of the source of their food, and at the same time there is real social, environmental and economical benefit if people do start to eat locally. So, I hope that you can now look hard at what your users are telling you, and then take the next creative leap. Please let me know if I can be of more help as you begin to plan your next round of user testing.
steven
Hi Steven,
I am not heartbroken at all! It is just a first test, and now I know what I need to work on and try again.
I am not re-directing my age group (it has always been 3-6), I just realized that the activities done with the game need to be different at each age level. The product needs to evolve with the maturity level of the child.
I like the idea of one of the activities for older children being a more detailed exploration of the effects food has on either their personal health or the environment. The blocks themselves could be used by a three year old to start interlocking foods with the place they grew, and used by a 6 or 7 year old the understand where that food traveled from and what that means, etc.
I am working hard on re-thinking how the interaction with this game can be both educational and REALLY exciting for kids of different age groups.
More to come soon!
Wow, I am really impressed at your attitude and maturity in absorbing the lessons of your user testing. I can't wait to see where you go next with this. Let's talk more on Monday.
steven
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