Learning Game design Document
A brief Summary
From Actions to Testing
Start
Click on the buttons
Design Document instructions
Like the Fibonacci sequence, a design document is a sequential spiral used to guide designing the architecture of a learning game experience. It helps with planning, developing a concept & iteratition till finally, off-boarding the experience.
Details & Doc Questions
Explanation
Action Mapping
Logos
Meaning
Play
Testing
Offboarding
ACTION MAPPING
Action mapping serves as a strategic framework to design learning solutions that directly address performance gaps. When it comes to gamifying learning systems, action mapping provides a structured approach to incorporating mechanics that enhance engagement &learning outcomes
Document questions
Explained
1. What is the exact performance gap?
Identify the gaps
2. What are the actionable objectives?
Define the objectives
3. Which desired actions or behaviors learners need to exhibit to bridge the gap?
Map to activities
4. How can we break down the actions into smaller, achievable tasks?
logos
The Logo philosophy of education is best described as Constructivism. Where learners get in the process of structuring knowledge in their minds as they engage with things and people in the world around them.
Document questions
Explained
1. Which real-world scenarios to build on?
Select real-world activities
2. Which activities are innate to the objectives?
Design game mechanics
3. Which referenced & updated techniques or frameworks to follow for application?
Identify the format
4. Can learners apply these frameworks & practices later on the job?
5. Which mechanics do simulate & facilitate these techniques?
6. Do we need to make the learning game abstract or narrative based?
Meaning & purpose
DOCUMENT QUESTIONS
1. What type of context & meaningful choices to include?
2. How will they progress, be assessed, fail & bounce from failure?
EXPLAINED
Identify the context
Define agency areas
Incorporating meaning and purpose is crucial for fostering engagement, motivation, and retention of knowledge and skills.
Gameplay/Dynamics
Gameplay
Identify rules & play flow
The designed mechanics must represent a feasible gameplay that require players to engage & invest meaningfully with the learning content to reach the needed objectives.
1. How will you scaffold the game?
2. How can you maintain progress?
3. What are the rules & exceptions?
DYNAMICS
Assess fostered behaviors
Includes the constraints, emotions, narrative, progression & relationships. The direct behavioral responses of game mechanics.
1. How will the fostered behaviors aid in achieving the learning objectives?
2. What type of emotions & thoughts will manifest intentionally by the design set?
Testing & prototyping
Prototyping
Testing
Aesthetics are everything
Focus on engagement
1. How was the usability, engagement levels and overall effectiveness of the game?
1. Will this be the final UX/UI to the product?
Be weary of diversity
Be willing to edit
1. What are the needed iterations in mechanics, & rules?
1. Are there any accessibility issues?
2. Were the learning objectives achieved feasibly?
offboarding
Transfer strategies
Provide explicit guidance on how to transfer the newfound knowledge & skills from the game to real-world contexts, offering practical tips or resources.
Strategies
Stages & in-game debriefs
Incorporate debriefing sessions after gameplay to help learners articulate their learning experiences and identify connections to their job roles.
Stages
Performance support
Implement performance support tools &/or modules that address common challenges or tasks encountered on the job, seamlessly integrating with the gameplay experience.
Support
fOLLOW THE STEPS
Mapping
Logos
MEANING
pLAY
tESTING
oFFBOARDING
Learning Architect & Founder of The Catalyst
Testing
Throughout the design process, continually playtest to assess the balance & interaction between mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics:
1. Gather feedback from learners and make adjustments as necessary to ensure a well-balanced and engaging experience.
2. Check for anomalies & unexpected situations, as it can open room for improvements.
3. Test the possibility of the different winning conditions through different scenarios & learning groups.
4. Be ready & accepting towards changing everything about your game when needed. Don't get pot commited.
5. Make sure you have enough time to test & iterate after. Plus setting a specific focal point (or points) responsible for testing.
LOGOS
On what real-life processes, techniques, frameworks, or even competencies of application are you basing this design on & accordingly you can:
- Consider the game's setting to be in an abstract or a thematic format
2. Select mechanics that facilitate the real world activities demanded
3. Decide on picking certain rules, & progressions from the real world to utilize within the learning game. This adds realism to the artificial conflict created within the experience.
4. Target specific feedback loops that learners' need to experience to reach the demanded learning objectives
Offboarding
Is the process of transitioning the learner from the artificial reality that was built and back into the workplace & day-to-day activities:
1. The learners are constantly offered feedback and are informed of their progression within the game (refer back to the progression systems)
2. The game system should simulate familiar environment/processes/techniques/steps (refer back to the logos)
3. Apply the cascading information principle as you pass from one chunk to the other in the game in relation to their scope & scale of operations (refer back to your feedback loops)
4. Ensure tangible outputs that can aid the performance of the learners when they are on their own (refer back to logos & meaning)
Action Mapping
As per the action mapping set for the knowledge & activities that will tackled during the learning experience, we will be able to recognize the following tenants:
- The exact performance problem
2. The draft learning solution
3. The actionable learning objectives
4. The minimum necessary knowledge for the learner to act
5. Learners' empathy map & action context
Meaning
Focusing on the emotional and intellectual impact of the game on learners. Both aid in creating a sense of purpose, challenge, & narrative depth in the gameplay or reflection which helps in:
1. Developing compelling storylines, characters, and objectives that resonate with the learners (based on the game format & learners' empathy map).
2. Designing meaningful choices and decision-making opportunities that have consequences based on the logos.
3. Incorporate thematic elements that evoke emotions and engage players on a deeper level (based on empathy map and the identified performance problem)
4. Balance challenge and progression to provide a satisfying gameplay experience (making sure we have the right balance of feedback loops)
Play
Focusing on the engagement, flow and the achievement factors of the game. It involves paving way for specific dymanics and interactions to manifest that the learning objectives will be built on:
1. Setting simple and easy-to-learn rules to allow learners to get into the game quickly (refer back to the empathy map)
2. Designing the gameplay mechanics that offer strategic depth and tactical choices, mediating between skill & chance.
3. Incorporating elements of strategy, and interaction to keep players engaged.
4. Make sure that the progression system of the game provides opportunities for knowledge/skill demonstration or practice (refer back to the feedback loops)
Learning Game Design Document
catalyst.program.info@gmail.com
Created on February 13, 2024
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Transcript
Learning Game design Document
A brief Summary
From Actions to Testing
Start
Click on the buttons
Design Document instructions
Like the Fibonacci sequence, a design document is a sequential spiral used to guide designing the architecture of a learning game experience. It helps with planning, developing a concept & iteratition till finally, off-boarding the experience.
Details & Doc Questions
Explanation
Action Mapping
Logos
Meaning
Play
Testing
Offboarding
ACTION MAPPING
Action mapping serves as a strategic framework to design learning solutions that directly address performance gaps. When it comes to gamifying learning systems, action mapping provides a structured approach to incorporating mechanics that enhance engagement &learning outcomes
Document questions
Explained
1. What is the exact performance gap?
Identify the gaps
2. What are the actionable objectives?
Define the objectives
3. Which desired actions or behaviors learners need to exhibit to bridge the gap?
Map to activities
4. How can we break down the actions into smaller, achievable tasks?
logos
The Logo philosophy of education is best described as Constructivism. Where learners get in the process of structuring knowledge in their minds as they engage with things and people in the world around them.
Document questions
Explained
1. Which real-world scenarios to build on?
Select real-world activities
2. Which activities are innate to the objectives?
Design game mechanics
3. Which referenced & updated techniques or frameworks to follow for application?
Identify the format
4. Can learners apply these frameworks & practices later on the job?
5. Which mechanics do simulate & facilitate these techniques?
6. Do we need to make the learning game abstract or narrative based?
Meaning & purpose
DOCUMENT QUESTIONS
1. What type of context & meaningful choices to include?
2. How will they progress, be assessed, fail & bounce from failure?
EXPLAINED
Identify the context
Define agency areas
Incorporating meaning and purpose is crucial for fostering engagement, motivation, and retention of knowledge and skills.
Gameplay/Dynamics
Gameplay
Identify rules & play flow
The designed mechanics must represent a feasible gameplay that require players to engage & invest meaningfully with the learning content to reach the needed objectives.
1. How will you scaffold the game?
2. How can you maintain progress?
3. What are the rules & exceptions?
DYNAMICS
Assess fostered behaviors
Includes the constraints, emotions, narrative, progression & relationships. The direct behavioral responses of game mechanics.
1. How will the fostered behaviors aid in achieving the learning objectives?
2. What type of emotions & thoughts will manifest intentionally by the design set?
Testing & prototyping
Prototyping
Testing
Aesthetics are everything
Focus on engagement
1. How was the usability, engagement levels and overall effectiveness of the game?
1. Will this be the final UX/UI to the product?
Be weary of diversity
Be willing to edit
1. What are the needed iterations in mechanics, & rules?
1. Are there any accessibility issues?
2. Were the learning objectives achieved feasibly?
offboarding
Transfer strategies
Provide explicit guidance on how to transfer the newfound knowledge & skills from the game to real-world contexts, offering practical tips or resources.
Strategies
Stages & in-game debriefs
Incorporate debriefing sessions after gameplay to help learners articulate their learning experiences and identify connections to their job roles.
Stages
Performance support
Implement performance support tools &/or modules that address common challenges or tasks encountered on the job, seamlessly integrating with the gameplay experience.
Support
fOLLOW THE STEPS
Mapping
Logos
MEANING
pLAY
tESTING
oFFBOARDING
Learning Architect & Founder of The Catalyst
Testing
Throughout the design process, continually playtest to assess the balance & interaction between mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics:
1. Gather feedback from learners and make adjustments as necessary to ensure a well-balanced and engaging experience.
2. Check for anomalies & unexpected situations, as it can open room for improvements.
3. Test the possibility of the different winning conditions through different scenarios & learning groups.
4. Be ready & accepting towards changing everything about your game when needed. Don't get pot commited.
5. Make sure you have enough time to test & iterate after. Plus setting a specific focal point (or points) responsible for testing.
LOGOS
On what real-life processes, techniques, frameworks, or even competencies of application are you basing this design on & accordingly you can:
2. Select mechanics that facilitate the real world activities demanded
3. Decide on picking certain rules, & progressions from the real world to utilize within the learning game. This adds realism to the artificial conflict created within the experience.
4. Target specific feedback loops that learners' need to experience to reach the demanded learning objectives
Offboarding
Is the process of transitioning the learner from the artificial reality that was built and back into the workplace & day-to-day activities:
1. The learners are constantly offered feedback and are informed of their progression within the game (refer back to the progression systems)
2. The game system should simulate familiar environment/processes/techniques/steps (refer back to the logos)
3. Apply the cascading information principle as you pass from one chunk to the other in the game in relation to their scope & scale of operations (refer back to your feedback loops)
4. Ensure tangible outputs that can aid the performance of the learners when they are on their own (refer back to logos & meaning)
Action Mapping
As per the action mapping set for the knowledge & activities that will tackled during the learning experience, we will be able to recognize the following tenants:
2. The draft learning solution
3. The actionable learning objectives
4. The minimum necessary knowledge for the learner to act
5. Learners' empathy map & action context
Meaning
Focusing on the emotional and intellectual impact of the game on learners. Both aid in creating a sense of purpose, challenge, & narrative depth in the gameplay or reflection which helps in:
1. Developing compelling storylines, characters, and objectives that resonate with the learners (based on the game format & learners' empathy map).
2. Designing meaningful choices and decision-making opportunities that have consequences based on the logos.
3. Incorporate thematic elements that evoke emotions and engage players on a deeper level (based on empathy map and the identified performance problem)
4. Balance challenge and progression to provide a satisfying gameplay experience (making sure we have the right balance of feedback loops)
Play
Focusing on the engagement, flow and the achievement factors of the game. It involves paving way for specific dymanics and interactions to manifest that the learning objectives will be built on:
1. Setting simple and easy-to-learn rules to allow learners to get into the game quickly (refer back to the empathy map)
2. Designing the gameplay mechanics that offer strategic depth and tactical choices, mediating between skill & chance.
3. Incorporating elements of strategy, and interaction to keep players engaged.
4. Make sure that the progression system of the game provides opportunities for knowledge/skill demonstration or practice (refer back to the feedback loops)