Screens and pages tend to be scanned in a Z, starting at the top left corner of the screen.
Less than 20% of words written on web sites are read when someone ‘reads’ the page.
People/players, want to scan and don’t want to read.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_stats_are_in_youre_just_skimming_this_article.php
As a result, Web pages have to employ scannable text, using
“Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done - is essential”
Chuck Green Ideabook.com on commercial ‘graphic’ designers, with many parallels for game design.
http://www.ideabook.com/tutorials/1_view/5_principles_of_good_design.html
edited with comments;
“Design is more than meets the eye … The purpose of design is to communicate an idea. It is as much, if not more, about function as it is about looks. It is as much intellectual and visceral as it is visual. If you don’t have a clear, well designed message, you don’t have a design. Design is marketing, marketing is design”
The purpose of game design is to provide an enjoyable experience. Focus on a clear defined core experience as a base.
“Design is about communicating benefits… No matter what you’re selling or giving away, if I am your prospect, I want to know what’s in it for me. I have hard-earned money or time to invest and I rarely part with either without the promise of some return. Are you going to entertain me? Educate me? Inspire me? Solve my problems?”
Is the core experience something that players want, will identify and enjoy?
“Design is not about designers … The good designer pleads “Create a design that answers your client’s needs.” The bad designer commands “Don’t be an idiot—design something that’ll look good in your portfolio.”
You are rarely, if ever the target audience. Understand what the experience your audience will appreciate.
“Design is not an ocean it’s a fishbowl … Design and marketing ideas are not always interchangeable—be careful about the principles you apply and how you apply them.
High concepts and designs are not the same thing.
“Design is creating something you believe in … The saying goes something like this: “great advertising will kill a poor product faster than no advertising at all.” The same is true with design—good design will attract an audience faster than poor design. …Step away rather than compromise your values.”
Form over function leads to shallow experiences, function without engaging form is a dry game. Good function is the bedrock of game design.
“We don’t ask consumers what they want. They don’t know. Instead we apply our brainpower to what they need, and will want, and make sure we’re there, ready.”
Akio Morita, Founder of Sony
“If an expert pauses while testing a new program, that’s where a beginner will fail.”
Norman Brenner
Research suggests that a bias towards higher priced goods may have something to do with the way that the brain links price with pleasure, and leads people to make assumptions about quality. NYT.
Professor Rangel, Caltech, said that there were reasons to suspect that price tag bias occurs in many contexts. Given the human love affair with high priced luxury goods, and their association with status and power, it’s possible that we’ve come to experience a cerebral shiver of delight in response to things that promise cachet.
1. The best ideas are usually easy to understand and easy to explain to others. Ideas that are not easy to understand are unlikely to get anyone’s attention
2. Build on or borrow ideas from other people
3. Keep all your great ideas - write them down and save them in one place
Advice on product selection and prototyping;
Paul Graham
http://pages.citebite.com/m2e7w5c5xqaa
The Goldilocks Rule. Don’t give people too little or too much.
Give them just the right amount for what you want them to achieve or experience.
Rule of Four. Don’t expect the audience to keep in mind more than four groups on a slide. Car license plates and telephone numbers are as long as they are because of how much information we can easily store in our short-term memories: on average about four groups.
Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Reindeer Rule. What’s different stands out, be it a red nose, a large graphic, or words in bold.
Create and Strictly Follow an “Aroma First” Rule
“I believe we overlooked the cause and the affect of flavor lock in our stores. We achieved fresh roasted bagged coffee, but at what cost? The loss of aroma — perhaps the most powerful non-verbal signal we had in our stores; the loss of our people scooping fresh coffee from the bins and grinding it fresh in front of the customer, and once again stripping the store of tradition and our heritage?” - Howard Schultz email
Since coffee is Starbucks core, and scent is the strongest cue for our senses - make aroma the highest priority. (Yes, even more important than perceived increased sales). Maintain Howard’s original desire to preserve aroma and implement an “Aroma First” rule. It’s simple, for every decision; ask, “Is this going to negatively affect aroma in any way?” If the answer is “yes” do not do it… http://www.idea-sandbox.com/blog/2008/02/starbucks_and_the_aroma_first.html
What are the ‘Aroma First’ rules for game design?
‘Always Allow Progress’ - from the moment that player starts they are on a journey; developing skills, being challenged, being rewarded, anticipating rewards or challenges and be reminded of their progress along their journey.
“…the Palm has “intuitive” interaction design, which makes using it pleasurable.
I believe that this hits us at a deep, animal level. Just as we get pleasure from the form and tactility of good industrial design, we get pleasure from good interaction design, both as we learn it and as we work with it. Learning things that make sense, working with tools that work right; these things make us East African Plains Apes happy right down to our DNA. So instead of saying “intuitive” or “easy-to-use,” at Cooper we often talk about designing interactive products that deliver power and pleasure to the people who use them.” - Jonathan Korman
A time limited power up, a temporary shield or an ability that can be triggered by the player. Can be used as a secondary currency or reward mechanism. Collecting enough, enables the ability or effect. When triggered it lasts for a temporary period - until the currency runs out, or fixed time.
An optional finite resource is useful as a secondary system, providing a skilled or knowledgable player the option to save for and choose when to use enhanced abilities.
It’s not your fault
Simple things should stay simple
Fewer choices mean fewer worries
Your data is sacred
Your train of thought is sacred
Good interfaces create good habits
Modes cause misery
It’s easy to learn
…silence, contrast, relatives, dynamic range, white space…
(http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2007/06/when_there_is_n.html)
Trends are created by people copying each other, small numbers of innovators create new things. Some of these things get copied over and over, some/most get ignored.
http://pages.citebite.com/p1i8w2f7d0gsc
http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/article/1357/influx-interview–dr–alex-bentley–random-copying-and-culture.html
Do Fuss. Do Sweat The Details. The devil may be in the details, but a Divinely Good product requires attention to detail.
