Escape The Infected :
Brighton's Last Stand
An award-winning online educational escape room game designed to guide new students in mastering the effective and efficient utilisation of the Aldrich Library at the University of Brighton in an interesting and gamified manner.
Timeline :
2023 ; 8+ Weeks
Tools :
Genial.ly, Figma, Photoshop, Miro, Trello, MS Teams
Category :
UX Design, Game Design
The Problem
The University of Brighton's Aldrich Library offers extensive facilities to its students. However, despite comprehensive orientation programs, new students often struggle to retain essential information and lack the understanding of the library. This lack of comprehension hinders their ability to utilise the resources and benefits offered by the library to their full potential.
The Objective
The project aimed to develop an educational escape room designed to help new University of Brighton students navigate the library effectively. Through an engaging gaming experience, we wanted to make sure students had a complete grasp of the library systems and encourage their active engagement
The Process
The design thinking process was used for this project as it provided a systematic approach. This strategy was essential in establishing the structure and executing the research.
01
02
03
04
05
Empathise
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Testing
Empathise
The initial step in developing the game involved conducting thorough background research. To streamline this process, we divided the empathise phase into two key components: Observational research and Survey/Interviews.
Observational Research
Our research commenced with an exploration of the library's functionalities and services. A comprehensive study was conducted, covering both the physical and online services provided to students.
The physical library encompasses various features such as availability of vast variety of books, research papers and journals, book check-out and return kiosks, computer access, a help desk, quiet individual study areas and designated spaces for group study.
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Whereas the online library offers the convenience of OneSearch, the library's search engine. Users can remotely reserve study rooms through the online library service for quick and easy booking of study spaces. Additionally, the platform allows students in finding books online as well information on their hard copies, along with access to audiovisual media via Box of Broadcast. Specialised technical assistance is also available.
Survey & Interviews
We conducted an online survey among undergraduate and postgraduate students, using thoughtfully crafted questions to gather qualitative insights into their understanding of the library, utilization of various facilities, and preferred learning styles.
Along with the survey individual interviews were held with both librarians and students to comprehensively grasp the perspectives from both sides of the library experience. Key insights from these interviews were consolidated into an affinity map, providing a clearer understanding. Some of the issues faced by students during these interviews included:
Some of the issues faced by students during these interviews included:
Students faced difficulty in finding library books
Students are unable to comprehend OneSearch, library's search engine
Students face problems in finding and booking group study rooms
Students are unaware of Box of Broadcasts, university's educational audiovisual channel
Define
User Persona
Based on the insights gained through interviews with undergraduate and postgraduate, two personas were developed for this project. These personas helped in capturing the traits, interests, requirements, and goals of both student groups.
Ideate
With a clear understanding of user requirements, we commenced the game design process. The first pivotal step in this design phase was to establish the narrative that would drive the overall gaming experience.
Starburst
We brainstormed ideas to strengthen the narrative and settled on the zombie concept as our chosen direction. Utilising the starburst technique, we expanded on this idea, developing in-depth content to form the foundation for the entire game.
Storyline
Presented below is the storyboard created of the finalised concept, to visually represent the gaming experience, mapping out events and interactions cohesively.
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Puzzle Designing
After finalising the storyline, we used mind mapping to brainstorm various puzzle ideas for the game. Various sections of the library were explored, and a range of puzzles were considered for an engaging player experience.
Prototype
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes
The final game was built using Genial.ly, a platform which helps to designing online games. The story unfolds as the player embarks on a journey to find clues and solve various puzzles within a one-hour timeframe, all aimed at helping Eva, the non-binary librarian who has fallen victim to zombies.
Wish to play the game? Click here!
The game features a variety of puzzles and ciphers, including pigpen cipher, morse code, sudoku, letter-number cipher, etc. Difficulty increases with each level, offering a challenging and dynamic experience to the players.
Testing
In order to evaluate this project, the game was tested with 20 diverse participants, including library experts, newcomers, and students. Three members from a tabletop gaming club with escape room experience provided added insights. Two methods of testings were used - Tasks & Severity Testing and Think Aloud. These methods provided valuable feedback on game's usability and learning impact.
Tasks & Severity
Participants engaged in specific tasks within the university library before, immediately after, and one week following their gameplay. Upon evaluating their memory retention, with repeating the same tasks, an impressive 80% successfully completed all assigned tasks.
Debriefing Leaflet
A debriefing leaflet was given to all the players after they had finished playing the game. This reinforced and recapitulated all the learnings they had while they were playing the game.
Think-Aloud
The participants were required to share their thought process while playing the game.
This not only helped in determining the effectiveness of the game but also provided valuable insights that contributed to further enhancements.
In essence, an overwhelming majority expressed that they thoroughly enjoyed playing the game and found it to be a more engaging learning experience compared to traditional methods.