Princess Rescuing Application is a set of slides on application design, game design and human-computer interaction and is well worth a read by anyone who designs games OR applications.
I cannot bring myself to agree that using a piece of software should be fun or force me to learn. I don't want my tools to entertain or reward me. I want them to enable me to do stuff, be productive, while doing their utmost to stay out of my way.
One clear failure of the presentation is the fact that I don't think there are any counterparts to the (essential, depending on genre) game design concepts "immersive gameplay" or "compelling storyline" in non-entertainment application design. There are some parallels, sure, but only if we talk about game interfaces. Game mechanics and content are different beasts altogether.
Using a piece of software should definitely not be the point of using said piece of software. Playing a game, on the other hand, is the whole point of playing it. But I guess he's got a ...point ...as long as we assume he's talking about educational software specifically. Or maybe a special tutorial mode that could be an optional feature of an application?
Well, I thought the points about complexity and learning curves were very valid. I don't think he was saying that applications should be fun, but that they should be easy to learn. This applies to standard business software, not just educational.
I cannot bring myself to agree that using a piece of software should be fun or force me to learn. I don't want my tools to entertain or reward me. I want them to enable me to do stuff, be productive, while doing their utmost to stay out of my way.
ReplyDeleteOne clear failure of the presentation is the fact that I don't think there are any counterparts to the (essential, depending on genre) game design concepts "immersive gameplay" or "compelling storyline" in non-entertainment application design. There are some parallels, sure, but only if we talk about game interfaces. Game mechanics and content are different beasts altogether.
Using a piece of software should definitely not be the point of using said piece of software. Playing a game, on the other hand, is the whole point of playing it. But I guess he's got a ...point ...as long as we assume he's talking about educational software specifically. Or maybe a special tutorial mode that could be an optional feature of an application?
But maybe I'm just missing the point?
Well, I thought the points about complexity and learning curves were very valid. I don't think he was saying that applications should be fun, but that they should be easy to learn. This applies to standard business software, not just educational.
ReplyDelete