| dc.description.abstract | There has been a growing study of intuitive interaction with user interfaces that offers more insight into what insight is, what it means to measure different aspects of intuitive interaction and guidelines for designers to design interfaces that are intuitive. Research in intuitive design has mostly focused on interfaces with a utilitarian purpose, but very little research has been performed on the field of video games. Usability is a very important aspect of video games which could benefit from more research in intuitive interaction.
This paper is written in collaboration with Umble, a ux- and desig studio based in Trondheim, where I work as a developer and I am also in charge of play testing. In Umble we are working on game on behalf of the Sami parliament. Umble has previously not had any experiences in creating video games, but has a lot of experience with consultant work like branding and website creation. Working with this design team on the game has proven to be a very interesting experience because the design team has a lot of knowledge of intuitive interface design. The design team has incorporated a lot of interface design principles like Don Normans' in the design phase of the game interactions, which is a topic that has not been explored previously in research papers. This paper will explore if interface design principles can be used as general guidelines to help create intuitive game mechanics, using the Sami game as the test subject.
Nowadays, the general public has little knowledge about how it is to be a Sami person in modern society. People generally only know Sami people as northern tribe people that herd reindeer and ride around in snow scooters, but the truth is that there are many Sami who live among the general public as normal citizens. The goal of this game is to immerse the players in a story about a modern Sami to both educate people and make people interested in the modern Sami culture.
The game is an interactive drama for the mobile phone that is about the challenges of growing up and finding their identity. Noa spends his childhood summers with his cousin Inga and their Sami family located in northern Norway. As Noa grows older he grows steadily further and further away from his family. Not before meeting Inga again in the future does he understand what his family and heritage means to him. | |
