Feedback Loops in Game Design [Infographic] FEEDBACK LOOPS IN GAME DESIGN as observed by Jesse Catron, Jay Barnson, Kyoryu Design: Daniel Solis (danielsolis.com) In a feedback loop, the output affects the input. POSITIVE FEEDBACK AMPLIFIES the output and tends to destabilize the system. For example, the runaway leader. One player takes an early insurmountable lead. In Settlers of Catan, the player with the most productive settlements will generate the most resources, which enables him to build more settlements and gain even more resources. NEGATIVE FEEDBACK DIMINISHES the output and tends to stabilize the system. In Settlers of Catan, players are less likely to accept trades with the leading player. Balancing feedback loops is an important skill for all game designers. [ + ] You can use low value “copper” cards to buy higher value “silver” and “gold” cards, thus leading to greater and greater amounts of buying power later in the game. [ + ] Once a driver takes an early lead, they can shift to high gear to increase speed.
Bokardo - Interface Design & UX by Joshua Porter Digital Scarcity | Tuhin Kumar "2 Billion Likes per day on Facebook. 400 Million Tweets per day on Twitter. 50 Million likes per day on Instagram." We live, for most part, a life that is eerily being encroached by the digital. Every day we find a part of the analog being replaced by the digital. An app to replace a board game, a website to answer a question instead of asking a friend, an app to know what's happening instead of looking around and talking. As time goes by, digital, which is even today seen as a secondary dimension, will replace physical as the primary dimension in which we spend our time. You might answer back, one can like something or fav it or share it and that is an intent of telling others, this is GOOD. But it is not just WE, as the users of these systems and tools, who are to be blamed for this state of affairs. At the risk of sounding elitist, I urge fellow craftsmen to build systems that make people think, ponder, wonder and admire. Think about that for a second. See. Recommended Reading:
Make a better game: Limit the player [In this piece reprinted with permission from Stardock producer Jon Shafer's blog, the former Civilization lead designer explains the benefits of keeping limits in your game, pulling examples from his own design decisions with Firaxis' strategy series.] Okay, okay, I know what you're saying. "Limiting the player makes a better game? Are you crazy? Games should have fewer limits, not more!" Players should always feel like they have options -- but having limitless options is definitely not a good thing. You go to the grocery store because a friend asked you to pick up some flour for a recipe. Your next destination is a much more typical grocery store, and this time around you find but three different kinds of flour: all-purpose, bread and cake. While this story is a bit silly, the obvious lesson is that contrary to what you'd expect, presenting someone with a huge number of options does not give them more 'freedom' -- in fact all it does is overwhelm them.
Step by Step UI Design eBook In this eBook, I’ll take you through my process for designing Kandan (an open source chat app) from start to finish. I’ll explain every iteration (including mistakes and wrong turns), and you’ll learn the reasons behind every design choice. It‘s just like watching over my shoulder while I work, except without having to listen to Lil’ Wayne! Note: Kandan itself is not out yet, but you can sign up to know when it's ready! What's Inside? 20 steps that take you from blank canvas to rich web app 11 design principles that you can apply to your own project 38 PNG screenshots for every intermediary step Illustrated examples from other apps and sites [Deluxe Edition] A well-organized PSD with all the elements What's not inside: anything about HTML/CSS implementation Read a sample chapter
Why Your Links Should Never Say “Click Here” by anthony on 06/20/12 at 10:39 pm Have you ever wanted your users to click your links, but didn’t know how to get them to act? When some designers run into this problem they’re tempted to use the words “click here” on their links. Before you give in to the temptation, you should know that using these words on a link can affect how users experience your interface. “Click” Puts Too Much Focus on Mouse Mechanics Using the word “click” on your links takes the user’s attention away from your interface and on to their mouse. “view” relates to the users task, while “click” puts the focus on mouse mechanics Instead of using the word “click”, look for a different verb you can use that relates to the user’s task. “Here” Conceals What Users are Clicking Some links don’t use the word “click”, but instead they use the word “here”. when your link doesn’t just say “here”, users can skip the verbose text and go right to the link when each link is labeled, they’re a lot easier for the user to distinguish
Card Design Commandments | Hyperbole Games Post by: Grant Rodiek I have a thing for card games. I like playing them and I like designing them. Every time I try to veer away from cards to tackle another component like dice, I always end up right back with a box full of index cards and penciled scribbles. As I design card games, play card games, and give advice to other designers about their card games, I see a few patterns emerging. Text should be easy to read: Two smart individuals, Chris Farrell and Daniel Solis, have already written about this (and many topics in this post) at length. Bottom line, it should be incredibly easy for people of all ages to read the text on your cards. Use icons where possible: If you’re using a term or rule often, create an icon. Good iconography saves space on cards and immediately gives the player an idea of the card’s purpose at a glance. Sample Poor Abby proto card Sample icons I made for my prototype That’s a great amount of information to process, but luckily this is an advanced card.
Videos and Presentations Polymer: declarative, encapsulated, reusable components Eric Bidelman Chrome Dev Summit (Mountain View, CA) November 2013 Web Components: A tectonic shift for web development Eric Bidelman Google I/O 2013 (San Francisco, CA) May 2013 Web Components are here to fundamentally change the way we think, build, and consume our web apps. The Modern Workflow for Developing the Mobile Web Matt Gaunt Google I/O 2013 (San Francisco, CA) May 2013 Building for today's mobile web, getting 60fps across all target devices, while still delivering a fantastic user experience is a huge challenge. Point, Click, Tap, Touch - Building Multi-Device Web Interfaces Boris Smus & Rick Byers Google I/O 2013 (San Francisco, CA) May 2013 PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, hybrids, televisions and more: touch-AND-mouse-enabled devices are coming. Mobile HTML: The future of your sites Paul Kinlan Google I/O 2013 (San Francisco, CA) May 2013 The mobile web is accelerating more rapidly than ever! Don't Guess it, Test it!
Just What is a UX Manager? Earlier this week, I wrote quick blog post, calling out seven lessons for UX managers from this year’s MX conference. Then on Twitter, Livia Labate, who leads the experience design practice for Marriott International asked, “Dear @AdaptivePath, what is a UX Manager?” Here’s my not-so-twitter-length response: UX managers come with all sorts of fancy-pants titles. This isn't about titles. Someone who manages user experience has stuck their neck out and said they'll deliver business outcomes through improving the experience that customers have with a product or service. That means you believe UX is a force that can not only improve people's experiences but that it can also drive business. Why I <3 UX Managers Okay, let it be said that I'm biased. I've spent the past six years trying to get to know as many of you as I can, either speaking at or chairing Adaptive Path's Managing Experience conference. What I've learned is that this is an emerging discipline. What UX Management Isn't
Features - Psychology is Fun [In this thought-provoking piece, psychology researcher and author Clark takes a look at how psychology and can must be applied to game development, to produce works that engage audiences -- offering up concrete examples of the right techniques.] Gaming's core is fun, and psychology is fun's touchstone. This article restricts itself to psychology's most foundational, most immediately-applicable methods for crafting sticky, captivating experiences. From behaviorism's methods for structuring overpowering rewards, to motivational theories on generating wants and needs, to hybrid theories like flow, it is no longer fiscally responsible for games companies to shun psychology. Pleasure first, and then, excuse from pain, shape every move that we will ever make -- so say the behaviorists. Whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not, behavior is shaped by reward. Operant conditioning, often associated with Edward Thorndike, then B.F. Not all rewards are created equal.