Jan 2017 - Nov 2018
One Future Play
Summary
One Future Play has developed the ‘Sustainability Games’ app, an experience which tests the user’s awareness, knowledge, skills and values regarding sustainability. I was responsible for:
During my time at One Future Play, I was responsible for:
- To design the app through research, wireframes and flowcharts.
- Produce content for new clients, so that each project resulted in a customized experience for each target audience.
- Created a motion graphic, to aid in One Future Play’s marketing efforts.
- Attended several play sessions, observing and learning from end-users.
Details
- 7+ games made (e.g. Nordwin College, Gemeente Utrecht, Gemeente Haarlemmermeer, Rijkswaterstaat, ProRail, Aventus, Stedin)
- 500+ players (during my time)
- Visit their website →
Motion graphic I made to promote One Future Play.
Background
I joined One Future Play at just the right moment; when the ‘Sustainability Games’ app was just beginning its first design session. They envisioned a collection of mini-games that each contributed to a sustainability profile. By the end of the experience the user gets a better view of their awareness, knowledge, skills and values relating to sustainability. The framework had to be highly modular, so that clients could pick and choose which modules they wanted their employees/students to play.
Research
I helped conduct early playtests and created wireframes to discuss proposed flows with the team. I researched best practices, explored branding variants and helped interview field experts with each new client.
Production
One Future Play had several clients, each with the desire to have the ‘Sustainability games’ framework filled with customized content. This meant that our copywriters had to come up with questions close to the user’s expertise. But also that the client’s branding guide was used to create an experience that felt right at home for users.
Graphic design
Together with my Creative Director and Art Director, we formulated a visual language that gave us the freedom to create new graphical elements ánd adhere to the original branding guide.
I used this visual language to produce a series of icons, illustrations and variations of UI elements.
Animation
The ‘Sustainability Games’ consist of various modules, each requiring the user to complete a certain challenge. To facilitate a smooth experience, I animated the basic gestures before each challenge. This helped users understand what was expected of them, making sure the app could be used by a wide range of users.
I also animated visual feedback users receive upon scoring points. This animation drew their attention to the fact that they could earn points and compete against their colleagues.
Using After Effects and ‘Lottie’, I also created storytelling animations called ‘Natural Steps’. Players were asked to identify aspects of the animation, making each one a puzzle with hidden clues:
In order to introduce the app’s themes in an engaging manner, I also animated and edited cutscenes:
Nordwin College – intro cutscene
Gemeente Utrecht – intro cutscene
The following video is an ‘animatic’, a moving storyboard to get a better feel for movement. I also included lines from the initial script, so I could better discuss the desired end result with One Future Play. For reference, view the final motion graphic at the top of this page.
Implementation
After the customized app was filled with new content, the whole sequence was internally and externally tested before a major release. The release was in most cases paired with some event, where multiple employees/students were challenged to complete the modules and compare their results.
Conclusion
Working for One Future Play was a great opportunity to encounter many different corporate/educational environments, each with a unique audience. This trained me to quickly assess core needs and to create an experience that closely matches the target audience’s own environment.
Some lessons learned from my time at One Future Play:
- Wide audience = simple interactions; when you need to design for many different audiences, it’s best to keep interaction patterns as simple as possible. Discover what users generally are already familiar with and benefit from that existing knowledge.
- Reduce complexity without losing the user; it’s quite challenging to distill complex subject matter into a character-limited A/B question. And yet, it has to be done if you’d like users to complete the full experience. The last thing you want is a user quitting out of frustration.
- Creativity breeds enthusiasm; by finding creative leeway (even in strict corporate settings), users are engaged far quicker and share their experiences.
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