Gameroom

methods

-Research Conducted By-

Arial Garcia Ashley Curry Kristin Olinger Ashley Davis

Table of Context--

About The Project........................................1

Fly on The Wall............................................3

Behavioral Mapping....................................5

Participant Observations............................7

Graffiti Wall + Survey.................................11

Prototype Testing......................................21

Business Origami......................................19

Ideation Game..........................................13

Semantic Differential................................15

Ideation Session.......................................17

Final Conclusions.....................................23

METHODS

The methods were split up into 3 phases: analy-

sis, synthesis, and evaluation. The analysis phase

consisted of methods that help us understand the

context and the problems users may face within

it. The synthesis phase consisted of methods that

encourage participants to ideate to come up with

potential solutions. In the evaluation method….

1

ABOUT THE PROJECTCONTEXT

The context that we chose to research is the

game room in the IUPUI Campus Center. This is

the only game room on campus. The game room

consists of standing table games such as ping

pong and pool, seated games such as board

games and card games, video games, arcade

games, and outdoor recreational equipment

such as Frisbees and sports balls.

Problem Statement: We need to understand the game room in order to pinpoint the issues

the users might face within the game room?

2

AnalysisMethods

AEIOUActivities

Environments

Interactions

Objects

Users

For our first method, we used “Fly on The Wall” , which

invloved my group members and I inconspicuously

observing the context. This seemed like a good way

to get familiar with the surroundings of the game

room considering none of us really had any experi-

ence in the game room. Using this method alone did

not give us any guidelines on what to observe and

take notes on, so we chose to follow the AEIOU sys-

tem while conducting our research. The AEIOU system

involves observing and taking notes on the activities,

3

METHOD: Fly on The Wall

Problem Statement: How might we better understand the overall experience of the IUPUI

gameroom?

environment, intereaction, objects,

and users. We created a tool to help

us record information by designing

a worksheet with the AEIOU system

categories.

4

ActivitiesBilliards/poolAir hockeyvideo gamesPing pongLounging

EnvironmentPool areaPing pong areaArcade gamesConsole areaMusic playingRed, black, & white color scheme

InteractionsSitting/loungingRenting from employeeBilliards/poolTalkingAir hockeyLaughingCard gamesVideo gamesFriendly Competition

ObjectsFootball, kickball,frisbeePing pong balls &paddlesControllersBoard gamesTables & chairs2 Pool tables2 Ping pong tablesAir hockey tableArcade machinesTVsGame consoles

UsersMix of males & femalesMore males than femalesMixture of racesCollege studentsages 18-24

Reflection of FindingsOur group made conclusions based on the activities, environ-ment, interactions, objects, and users of the game room. We found that the game room is mostly used as a hang out for college students who enjoy games, most of them being male.

Reflection of MethodThe AEIUO Method helped our group observe the context without interaction. Using the framework helped clarify what we were looking for and guide us in a good observational direction.

FINDINGS...

Key Findings• The game room shuts down when there is an event hap pening.

• The majority of the game room population is consisted of males from the ages 18-24.

Next, we chose to use the “behavioral mapping” meth-

od becuase it focused on how the users felt about th

game room. Behavioral Mapping is used to system-

5

METHOD: Behavioral Mapping

Problem Statement: How might we better understand the social environment in the

game room?

atically document location-based observations of

human activity, using annotated maps, plans, video,

or time-laspe photography. We chose to use a cam-

era, chart, and map to record our information. The

chart helped us record the gender, race, age (edu-

cated guess), and interactions (what activity they are

participating in). The map was a layout of the game

room that we recorded users’ movements to get a

sense of the traffic in the space within designated

zones each of us observed.

Pingpong Pingpong 1 Pool

Seating Seating

Game Table

Seating

Seating

Video Game TVs

large video game tv Help Desk

Air H

ocke

y

Pinball Galaga

Zone 4 Zone 3 Zone 1

Zone 2

Pool

Game Table

Pingpong Pingpong 1 Pool

Seating Seating

Game Table

Seating

Seating

Video Game TVs

large video game tv Help Desk

Air H

ocke

y

Pinball Galaga

Zone 4 Zone 3 Zone 1

Zone 2

Pool

Game Table

Reflection of Method

INTERACTIONS OBSERVED...

Key FindingsThe game room participants are very sociable.

They also move around...a lot. Most participants circulate the room in some fashion.

PROS:• Discovered traffic patterns• Observed sense of community

CONS:• Chaotic• Difficult to effectively track individuals

-Going to help desk to browse or receive games.

-Walking around to see who is present and what they are playing.

-Playing Pokemon on 3DS.

-Chess

-Singing to the music played in the room.

-The majority aged 18-22 and male with the excep tion of one female.-There was a mix of races.-Sports game players stay longer than other console games.

-Most people talk without real conversation.-Solo players found at least one other person to sit with.

-Playing or watching pool.

-Eating a snack while watching pool.

-Listening to ipod while watching pool.

-Everyone was calm and quiet.

-Players roaming around between turns.

-Smiling

-Screaming (lost game/missed shot)

-Hand shake/hug (to dismiss opponent)

-Switch sides of table

-Chasing ping pong balls

-Returning balls to other tables

-Sitting and observing/waiting

Zone 4

Zone 2

Zone 3

Zone 1

6

Now that we had an understanding of the game

room and its activities, environment, interactions,

objects, and users, we needed to find a method to

begin understanding the areas that need improve-

ment. In order to get the full-feelings of being game

room users, our group played a series of different

games and used our cell phones to take notes. This

allowed us to take notes without other users’ real-

ization, which hopefully saved anyone from feeling

uncomfortable interacting with us.

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METHOD: Participant Observations

Problem Statement: How might we act as users in order to gain the perspective

of the users?

As full participants, we acted as users while observing

the challenges in the game room.

8

Reflection of FindingsGame room users do not regularly follow all game room rules due to a lack of enforcement and clarity. There is no waitlist system for the games, food and drinks are brought to areas where they aren’t allowed, and it’s over crowded.

Reflection of Method

CHALLENGES...

Key Findings• The rules are not often fol lowed or even understood

• Over crowding problem

Help Desk-One Jag-tag per item (user held liable)-Often Unattended-Hard to hear employee

Table-Tops- Hazardous zone- Unstructured queue- Cramped space

Game-Tops- Rule Breakers(Food and Drinks

Consoles- Cramped space- No guidance for usage- Poor equipment quality

PROS:• Made sense of process•Experienced touch-points from users’ point of view

CONS:• Difficult to record findings in real time

9

10

SynthesisMethods

In this method, we wanted to recieve feedback from

the game room users. We knew that the users could

provide us with more information than we ourselves

11

METHOD: Graffiti Wall + Survey

Problem Statement: How might we figure out the biggest problems for users in the Game

Room?

had gathered. Using the information that we gath-

ered from our research, we composed a series of

questions and a worksheet to pinpoint the trouble

features of the game room:

-How would you improve the game room overall?

-What are your favorite vs. least favorite games?

-Do you think that everyone gets a fair chance to

play in the game room, why or why not?

-Does the game room feel too crowded, why or

why not?

1412

Reflection of FindingsThe findings from this method allowed us to find out that most users are regulars, over-crowding is a huge issue, ping-pong is very popular, and the equiptment is not very reliable.

Reflection of Method

FINDINGS...

Key Findings• Almost all of the game room users are regulars.

• Most users think that the game room is too crowded.

VLNM=ì ëÉêë=~êÉ=êÉÖì ä~êë9/10 users are regulars

10%

10%

40%

20%

20%

Air Hockey

Chess

Ping-Pong

Pool

Console

70% users think that the game room is too crowded.

1/2 users exeprience equiptment failure

favorite games:

PROS:•Honest opinions•The ability to compare method results

CONS:• Uncontrolled # of outcomes• May not get as many details as wanted.

Next, we decided to create a game based on the

over-crowding issue we had just discovered. The

game was similiar to Apples to Apples in which a

prompting card is flipped face up and everyone re-

sponds to it with their own answer. The participates

wrote their own answers on blank pieces of paper.,

then voted on the winner. This was considered one

round. There were 5 rounds in one game and there

were several games each with different participants

of the game room. We kept record of the winners

13

METHOD: Ideation Game

Problem Statement: How might we enable game room regulars to create solutions for

the crowding problem in an enjoyable way?

and every answer given to us. This method allowed us

to recieve several possible responses to help lead us to

discover the big challenge in the game room.

1414

Reflection of FindingsThe findings from this method allowed us to find out that most users are regulars, over-crowding is a huge issue, ping-pong is very popular, and the equiptment is not very reliable.

Reflection of Method

FINDINGS...

Key Findings• Users want a more effective waitlist

• Most users want more space

users want waitlists for all games

PROS:•Gain more perspective•User perspective

CONS:• Participants aren’t available at the same times• Distractions/silly answers

responses

8/9

1/2 2/3•want to add fans•want to expand the gameroom•want renovation to the space•want to remove old games for space

•want more tables•want time slots instead of white board ping-pong list•want active games seperated•want to better maintenance•want “Do Not Disturb” signal•want to remove old games for space

cards

In this method, we created worksheets based differ-

ent photographs of three diverse crowd situations

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METHOD: Semantic Differential

Problem Statement: How might we enable game room regulars to create solutions for

the crowding problem in the game room, while understanding their

emotional reasoning behind it?

in the game room. We asked questions about how

the users feel when looking at each image. At this

point, we understood that crowding is the biggest

challenge of the game room, however we still didn’t

understand exactly how the users feel within each

zone of the game room when dealing with different

crowding situations. We also had a map attached to

the end of this packet allowing users to re-arrange

the furniture in the game room if they choose.

1416

Reflection of FindingsGametop players generally enjoy their experience, but have issues with crowding and confusion. Console players have pleasant experiences overall, but comfort varies from person to person. Tabletop had the most negatives.

Reflection of Method

RESULTS...

Key Findings• Crowding and confusion are the main issues • Tabletop games had the most negatives

PROS:•Further explaination of challenges

CONS:• Majority of issues repeated

gametop games console games tabletop gamesconfusion

comfort

crowding

While conducting our research, we were approached

by a couple of employees and a manager on multiple

occasions. They were very interested in what we were

doing and showed that they’d like to be involved in

the process by allowing us to sit-in at one of their

employee meetings. We decided to take advantage

of this situation and prepared an Ideation Session

method for the employees and ourselves. We pre-

sented our findings so far by showing the employ-

ees our tools/worksheets and explaining what our

research has shown so far. We passed out all of our

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METHOD: Ideation Session

Problem Statement: How might we recieve insights from the gameroom employees?

tools and wrote their comments on the whiteboard in

the room. Most employees were very willing to partici-

pate and observe our findings.

18

Employees

Reflection of FindingsFrom this method, our group discovered that the gameroom users and employees both have several topics that they agree on. While they do disagree on some subjects, the majority of them agree.

Reflection of Method

FINDINGS...

Key Findings• Empluyees and users agree on many topics.• Both agree on overcrowding

Users

Seperating Active Games

Personal Belongings Shelf

Do Not Disturb Bracelet

Fans

More Space

Ventilation/AC

Moving A Ping-Pong Table

Whiteboards

Unlimited Budget

New Flooring

Game Rotation

Getting Rid of The Pillar

Compare & Contrast

move a ping-pong table out

additional seating

additional game table

PROS:•Gain more perspective•Sense of professionalism.•gained contacts

CONS:• Limited preperation time• No writing surfaces.

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20

EvaluationMethods

METHOD: Business Origami

We used the game room floor plan map tool that we

created for previous methods, and created movable

pieces that represent every movable object in the

game room, and asked users to rearrange pieces to re-

21

Problem Statement: How might we get feedback from the users on a potential solution?

semble his or her ideal game room rotation. We also

asked and recorded their answers to these questions:

How often should the game room rotation occur?

and How would you like to be notified?

22

Reflection of FindingsThis method helped us immediately discover that no one liked the idea of a game rotation. Everyone wants to keep everything except for the air hockey table.

Reflection of Method

FINDINGS...

Key Findings• No one likes game rotation!• A digital waitlist could work

PROS:•Interactive•Easier than pen and paper

CONS:• No one was interesed in the solution

“A rotation of games would create longer wait times for the games still available and would eventually drive EVERYBODY out of the game room.”

Game Rotation

Considering that no one liked the idea of a game rotation, we dove deeper into the idea of a waitlist. We created

an app that allows users to sign-up for time slots and see what equiptment is rented out.

23

METHOD: Prototype Testing

Problem Statement: How might we test an early prototype with the game room users?

Low-Fidelity Prototyping Usability Testing

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Reflection of FindingsMethod 1: Feedback lead us to understand changes that needed to be made.Method 2: Feedback lead us to understand the changes that were made worked effectively.

Reflection of MethodEveryone respoded very positively and excitedly to the idea of our app. The method helped us get the responses that we needed to make slight changes and find a solution!

FINDINGS...

High Fidelity App Screens-Changed to dark background for easier reading and interaction.-Color changed to blue for easy visibility.-Everyone loves it!

Low Fidelity App Screens-Users liked the simplicity and ease.-A map key was requested to make the crowd status easier to understand.

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THE SOLUTION...

A SUCCESSFUL WAITLIST APP