Paper prototypes for user sessions
This project is part of my final Master Thesis about Energy Games to explain and teach to final costumers the benefits of Smart Grid and smart energy behavior.
In order to get a direct grip on the design of a game for learning experience, I created four paper prototype for four different kind of game dynamics.
The four prototype have an increasing complexity, and the aim is to provide deeper information and experience by playing one after the other.
These concepts have been used as creative tools during a user session, in order to elicit feedback and suggestions from participants.
The aim of the session is to create a collaborative moments with participants in order to define which are the most promising features of these games and how they can be integrated and improved.
This information is going to be used for the final project, that will be a digital game to teach smart behavior and allow interaction and exchange of knowledge between the players.
Game.1 - Build the Grid -
In the first game participants have to build a grid from a energy plant to final home, and balance the energy produced by energy plants, the one home produced, with the one consumed by the different appliances.In order to do so, there are also some improvement cards that increase the efficiency of the appliances and of the households.This game should give participants the first big picture of the electricity grid, of the effect of appliances on energy consumption and of the improvements to increase efficiency.Participants can collaborate all together to build the entire grid. They are given 5 cards at the start, and who finishes their for first is the winner.There is a hierarchy between cards, so players have to follow some requirements to build the grid.
Game.2 - Let's challenge -
The second game tries to explain the need and the impact of every day activities that require electricity.
There are two kind of cards: the challenge and the tool cards.
Every round a challenge is chosen randomly and one after the other participants have to play tool cards in order to create the right combination of appliances-energy-improvement to achieve the challenge with a balance of energy produced and consumed.
Participants collaborate together on the same challenge.
The same kind appliances are divided into two categories: the old (red) and the efficient ones (blue), with different level of consumption.
Player have to create the right combination to finish the task and get one point each.
The first who finishes his cards get 10 points, but the other can go on playing.
Game.3 - The Energy Gamble -
This prototype is designed to make users employ the basic knowledge they got from the previous ones.
It is similar to poker, every round one player acts as a "croupier" and distributes 5 cards to each player, plus 4 cards visible on the board. The he/she selects with the central arrow one challenge and one Smart Grid situation, that shows how much energy is currently available.
Every player place one coin on the board, and according to their cards they can decide if rising the gable or not. The once who raised can get one of four board cards if they need.
Then they show their cards: who has the best combination, so the one with all appliances, enough energy, and most efficient is the winner, and gets the coins.
Game.4 - Energy-Poli -
The final game is the most complex.
Designed over Monopoli structure, participants have to manage their energy point in order to buy the appliances their profile required, and to accomplish all the tasks they can end up on the game board.
After the previous three games, here participants can really see how energy can be managed and used with Smart Grid.
