8.
Reduce short-term memory load: Organize and present information to a user in a minimalist form. Provide only necessary information for that given moment.
By following these eight rules, designers have the best chance of developing interfaces that are playful and bring out the human values inherent in games as well as develop the cognitive abilities in children. Interface design of serious games is an art and a science that requires the knowledge of multiple disciplines. There are many theories from the fields of psychology, pedagogy, sociology, and art that go into the development of useful serious game interfaces. It is a definite advantage for designers have a firm grasp of all these disciplines, though not necessary. Some are turning to the idea of involving children and teachers in the design process. Knowing that in order to create a good serious game, a designer must know and understand his/her intended user, their capabilities, and what they intend on learning through a serious game.
User-centered Design Researchers like James Gee and Kurt Squire are starting to take a serious look at new game development processes that will improve the effectiveness of serious games through their project, Education Arcade (Brown, 2008). They are part of a team of education and game developers from MIT and the University of Wisconsin that is designing serious games and looking to prove that they can be an effective teaching and learning tool (Barr, P. et al., 2007). The Education Arcade arose from MIT and Microsoft’s collaboration to develop game concepts that merge math, science, and engineering with the latest in gameplay (Bergeron, 2006). They and other researchers in these fields, like Allison Druin are looking at the concept of user-centered design (UCD), or in the case of serious games, learner-center design (LCD). Using the techniques of Creative Inquiry and Participatory Design (Druin, 2002; Bruckman and Bandlow, 2002), this concept includes a product’s intended audience into the design process. In the serious game field, the intended audience or users are children. Children work side-by-side with the designers providing pertinent feedback and thoughts on a game’s interface design. As a result, the designers gain a new insight into the capabilities and limitations of a younger user. At different times throughout the process of UCD, children can be included in a number of ways that will be explained shortly (Druin, 2002). In addition to including children in design research it is also vitally important to involve both subject experts and teachers. Experts bring insight and knowledge to the project that make game as realistic, valid, and meaningful as possible (Hartveveld et al., 2009).