This document summarizes a presentation about designing mobile learning games. It discusses the challenges of designing for small screens and outlines principles for user experience (UX), user interface (UI), instructional design (ID), and game design when creating mobile games. An example is provided of a successful mobile learning game created for TE Connectivity to help distributors learn about customers and products. The game increased adoption of training and received positive feedback from users who felt they learned through playing.
3. Bottom-Line Performance 3
1. Your goal(s) for attending?
2. Your game playing “truth?”
3. Your mobile phone “truth?”
Post-lunch standup polls (What’s true for you?)
4. Bottom-Line Performance 4
1. Build baseline information on
mobile learning game design.
2. See examples of mobile learning
games.
3. Get do’s and don’ts related to UX,
UI, ID, and game design.
4. Hear a success story in using a
mobile learning game.
5. None of those. (You may be in
wrong room FYI)
Your goal(s) are to:
5. Bottom-Line Performance 5
1. I rarely or never play games; I
actually don’t really like them.
2. I occasionally play games (less
than 1x/month), and I think they
are fun when I do.
3. I play games a lot; at least a few
times a month.
Your game-playing truth #1
6. Bottom-Line Performance 6
1. I have at least 3 games loaded
onto my phone right now.
2. I have more than 28 games loaded
on my phone.
3. I have at least 20 apps on my
phone right now (excluding Mail,
Messages, Calendar, Browser, and
Utilities)
4. I have more than 100 apps on my
phone right now.
Your game and phone app truths
12. 12Bottom-Line Performance
What is “good” UX
Value
Solves a
problem
Makes
something
easier or
better
Easeofuse
Tolerates
mistakes
Intuitive
& logical
Minimizes
my effort
Content
easy to
read/
understand
Enjoyable
A pleasure
or a
delight to
use
Visually
appealing
14. User Experience
Design
• The framework &
navigation design
• Makes your app:
– Easy to learn
– Easy to use
– Easy to add/build onto
Bottom-Line Performance 14POLL: Name an app you love.
17. Instructional
Design
• The design & structure
of the experience to
meet specific learning
need for specific
audience(s)
Bottom-Line Performance 17
18. 18Bottom-Line Performance
Game Design
• The design of the play
experience
• The core dynamics,
rules, & game elements
that work together to
enable players to
achieve a game goal
24. Bottom-Line Performance
Design to the
smallest
screen: text,
touch,
targets.
UX Design
Principles
Focus on one
key action or
use per
screen.
Cut the
clutter!
25. 25
Uh oh.
Look at the UX section of the
handout for this session.
What guideline did we
violate?
28. Bottom-Line Performance
Design to the
smallest
screen: text,
touch,
targets.
UX Design
Principles
Focus on one
key action or
use per
screen.
Cut the
clutter!
Make
navigation
intuitive.
31. Bottom-Line Performance
Design to the
smallest
screen: text,
touch,
targets.
UX Design
Principles
Focus on one
key action or
use per
screen.
Cut the
clutter!
Make
navigation
intuitive.
Make the
experience
seamless (if
web app).
33. Bottom-Line Performance
Design to the
smallest
screen: text,
touch,
targets.
UX Design
Principles
Focus on one
key action or
use per
screen.
Cut the
clutter!
Make
navigation
intuitive.
Make the
experience
seamless (if
web app).
Cater to
contrast.
35. Bottom-Line Performance
Design to the
smallest
screen: text,
touch,
targets.
UX Design
Principles
Focus on one
key action or
use per
screen.
Cut the
clutter!
Make
navigation
intuitive.
Make the
experience
seamless (if
web app).
Cater to
contrast.
Design for
how people
hold a
phone.
36. Bottom-Line Performance
Design to the
smallest
screen: text,
touch,
targets.
UX Design
Principles
Focus on one
key action or
use per
screen.
Cut the
clutter!
Make
navigation
intuitive.
Make the
experience
seamless (if
web app).
Cater to
contrast.
Design for
how people
hold a
phone.
Minimize the
need to type.
37. Bottom-Line Performance
Design to the
smallest
screen: text,
touch,
targets.
UX Design
Principles
Focus on one
key action or
use per
screen.
Cut the
clutter!
Make
navigation
intuitive.
Make the
experience
seamless (if
web app).
Cater to
contrast.
Design for
how people
hold a
phone.
Minimize the
need to type.
Attend to
small details.
40. 40Bottom-Line Performance
UI Design
Principles Be
consistent:
buttons, text,
screen types.
Design to
your user.
Don’t re-
invent; stick
with common
conventions.
Enhance the
focus; don’t
be the focus.
Assume
mistakes.
Provide clear
feedback.
43. 43Bottom-Line Performance
The Learning & Remembering EquationMental
Involvement
Memory
Builders
Motivation Cognitive Balance Relevant Practice Specific, Timely
Feedback
Emotion Spaced Repetition Story Ability to Retrieve
+ + +
+ + =
44. 44Bottom-Line Performance
Game Design
Principles Provide
intriguing goal
or challenge.
Design to
your target.
Stick with 1 or
2 core
dynamics.
Use
appropriate
game
elements.
Provide clear
rules.
Balance
game
complexity.
50. About the Project
We partnered with TE Connectivity
(TE) to create a mobile learning game
for smartphones that helps
distributors learn about their
customers, and the applicable
products for each customer so they
can position the right products with
the right customers.
Bottom-Line Performance 50
51. 51Bottom-Line Performance
Business Goals
Help TE’s 2,500 distributors
understand the needs of five
primary customer types and
position a wide range of TE
products with these customers
to meet their needs.
52. Results
• The app has been used 2,300+ times
by 355+ distributors, and 100% of
distributor users surveyed said they
learned something about TE products
while playing TE Town.
• TE Town led to increased adoption of
the sales enablement program by
drawing in distributors who were
previously not taking training.
• Anecdotal feedback: “It was the best
way to learn about our products by
ourselves. I love it!”
Bottom-Line Performance 52
58. Bottom-Line Performance 58
Learners continue
through a series of
mini-games to learn
more about the
products and discover
what products are
relevant to the
customer type.
59. Bottom-Line Performance 59
Learners continue
through a series of
mini-games to learn
more about the
products and discover
what products are
relevant to the
customer type.
60. Bottom-Line Performance 60
Learners continue
through a series of
mini-games to learn
more about the
products and discover
what products are
relevant to the
customer type.
61. Bottom-Line Performance 61
Learners continue
through a series of
mini-games to learn
more about the
products and discover
what products are
relevant to the
customer type.