Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
Steven MallietThomas Laureyssens
University College of Limburg - MAD FacultyResearch Group 'Play & Game'
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
Context: 'Play' Module Master 'Communication & Multimedia Design' Design + implementation of game application in a
public space context Students:
– Avid gamers
– Inexperienced game designers
– 85% male, 22-25 years old
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
Context: workfloor of TexOkazi Textile sorting centre Government-funding to support social integration of
socio-economically vulnerable persons Target group:
– Very little experience with games
– 75% female; 72% 40-50 years old
– Different ethnic origins, subgroup formation
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
Context: collaboration with Streetwize VZW Streetwize and the philosophy of guerilla design:
bringing education 'to the streets' Design principles:
– Low learning treshold
– Absence of teacher model Goal of the module: to develop games to be used on
the workfloor, aiming to stimulate social contact and cultural integration among laborers of TexOkazi
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
Process Paper prototyping:
– Expert evaluations by Streetwize VZW
– User evaluations by laborers of TexOkazi Iterative prototype design (2 iterations)
– Expert evaluations by Streetwize VZW
– User evaluations by laborers of TexOkazi
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
Process Struggle between
– Desire of students to create game mechanics based upon games they love
– Negative evaluations of such game mechanics by both expert group and user group
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
Process Resulting prototypes
– Casual games and/or playful applications for public space
– Connection with laborers' personal lives / culture more important than innovative game concept
– Importance of creating a 'serious' experience
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
TexOkazi Avatar: Clothing trade game
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
TexOkazi Fooz: Collaborative AR ball game
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
PhotOkazi: collection of real-life objects for picture moment.
Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor
Jukazi: Coin-game operated digital Jukebox
