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Kursusnavn (dansk):User Experience and Prototyping 
Kursusnavn (engelsk):User Experience and Prototyping 
Semester:Efterår 2015 
Udbydes under:cand.it., spil (games) 
Omfang i ECTS:15,00 
Kursussprog:Engelsk 
Kursushjemmeside:https://learnit.itu.dk 
Min. antal deltagere:12 
Forventet antal deltagere:20 
Maks. antal deltagere:40 
Formelle forudsætninger:A wide knowledge of game design literature and of games is desirable but not required. Programming skills are required as students will be developing game prototypes individually. 
Læringsmål:After this course, students should be able to:
* Compare and contrast different key user experience (UX), interaction design (IxD), player experience (PX), participatory design (PD), and prototyping methods in the context of players and game design.
* Conduct design research for the purpose of learning about players.
* Harness design research findings to inform and inspire game design and game mechanics.
* Establish different ways of prototyping a game mechanic or other game design concept.
* Develop prototypes to effectively communicate various aspects of game play, including aesthetics and kinesthetics.
* Reflect on the process and challenges of incorporating UX, IxD, PX, and PD methods into game development. 
Fagligt indhold:Please note, that due to technical challenges, changes may occur before the start of the semester (week 35) – this applies to all sections of the course description.

This a studio-based course, where students will work with different user experience and prototyping methods to qualify the design choices of their game production. In this course, we will examine the current state-of-the-art of design methods related to prototyping, play testing, and player experience. But we will look further afield than game design and game studies research and explore user experience and interaction design methods and how they may be re-appropriated for a game development context.

We will look at how to use iterative prototyping processes and use prototypes to develop an understanding of player experience. Some of the prototyping methods we will explore are: paper and other forms of physical prototyping techniques, video documentation, and digital prototyping: including aesthetic, gameplay, and technological aspects.

Construction and development of actual prototypes are essential to the course. The students are required to develop a game design of any kind, but must contain some digital elements to it. Students may develop for any platform of their choosing, provided that they are themselves able to develop for that platform. 
Læringsaktiviteter:14 ugers undervisning bestående af forelæsninger og øvelser

14 weeks of teaching consisting of lectures and exercises.

Each week, the course presents new theories and concepts about user experience and protoyping, which we will explore through hands-on experiences. As such, theory is used to inform practice, and it is therefore essentiel that student engage in active discussions about the presented theory.

The learning activities throughout the semester are structured such that students gradually work their way towards developing individual final prototypes. Leading up to the final prototype, students will carry out design research (i.e. applying design research methods covered in class for the purpose of inspiring design concepts), and develop early prototypes based on the research, which will get refined over the course into what will eventually develop into the final prototype.

The final prototype that the students submit must be based on the design research and the earlier prototypes, and must represent the core mechanic and aesthetics of the envisioned game. This prototype will be assessed formally, and will count towards the students’ final grade, along with a written report.

To qualify the student’s work, we will, throughout the course, have 'arcade critique sessions', where the student engage in mutual, constructive discussions on their work and prototypes. 

Obligatoriske aktivititer:The specific deadlines will be announced by the beginning of the course

– Each student must present a text from the curriculum for the rest of the class and relate it to a game design context.
– Active participation in three critique sessions with external experts. 
Eksamensform og -beskrivelse:C: Skriftlige arbejder uden mundtlig eksamen., (7-scale, external exam)

Student will be assessed based on
– a final prototype (50% of the grade)
– a reflective paper (50% of the grade)

The exam paper is a reflection on the student’s process. The students must reflect both on his/her own design choices based on both methodical insights and theory.  

Litteratur udover forskningsartikler:Throughout the course, students will be assigned particular games (digital and
not), videos, and other media that they will be expected to play/watch/explore.