“How Do Innovators Think?” A good question.

In the interview conducted by Bronwyn Fryer entitled “How Do Innovators Think?”, he sits down with Professor Jeff Dyer of Brigham Young University and Hal Gregersen of Insead to discuss how successful, innovative leaders achieve their innovations.

Both professors likened the thought processes of such individuals to young children who are always inquisitive and curious about the world around them.  They [innovators] like to associate ideas and things that are often unrelated and create something new that profoundly changes the way we perceive and do things.  They’re not afraid to experiment and see how things turn out, even if they are bad, because mistakes can also lead newfound knowledge that boosts the success of their next endeavor.  The professors noted that these are the main differences between innovative executives and executives that stick to traditional methods.  The innovators are the individuals that haven’t lost their childlike sense of wonder and kept asking questions as they grew older.  The average executives followed the beaten path of learning to suppress their childhood curiosity as they got older because the world required “right” answers instead of alternative ones.

I very much agree with the viewpoints expressed during this interview.  It seems that only recently, when innovators and creative design thinkers became necessary to progress stagnant, traditional processes to new, better and more profitable levels, we have begun to give children the credit they deserve.  So often we dismiss their attitudes and ways of thinking as being nothing more than a short stage in their lives.  We push those early curious urges down because the “right” answers we instill in them are the only ones that will make them succeed in life.

Now, we are directly correlating these early experiences of very successful innovators with the way they think today.  A small, but growing number of people and teachers are helping to encourage young children to act on their inquisitive instincts because they recognize that there is potential for them to become great leaders and thinkers.  I believe it’s important that we all do this.  It will also perhaps bring about more creative and peaceful solutions to the larger issues of the world than we have right now (war and offensive accusations by different world politicians are not solutions-they are the catalysts to more problems).

Think of the children!

“Forget Design Thinking and Try Hybrid Thinking” and my views

The article mentioned in the title above was written by Dev Patnaik and drew a bit more interest to me than did “The Making of a Design Thinker” by Tim Brown.  Reading both in succession, with this being second, I was more inclined to agree that the type of thinking needed in the workplace is one that involves many knowledge bases coming together.  Reading the comments below the article also helped me get a clearer perspective on the theme and I was able to evaluate it from both sides of the coin.

Designer thinking seems to only be about what people who have design backgrounds and focuses think about when trying to solve a problem.  Hybrid thinking is more about bringing in diverse backgrounds and forms of knowledge that may contribute something useful to the solution of a problem.  Design is almost always about changing something to solve an existing problem or bring a fresh take on a situation.  Many people can be designers, not just people whose careers involve full-time design.  It actually profits a person and their company more when they have multiple talents that can be applied to an issue because one talent may succeed where another falls flat.

Now, I don’t recommend having too many areas of knowledge because it may lead to being spread too thin and excelling in none of those areas, but having a few different specialties helps more than being limited to one area of expertise.  That is why more companies are requiring skills in different programs from their employees and new hires.  They see the potential benefits of having employees with different skillsets to tackle new challenges.  There are companies that want too much, though, and there are many people that don’t feel qualified enough because of the one or two programs from the list that they don’t know.

Review of Game Level Design

Ed Byrne’s book, Game Level Design, is a very well written “instruction book” for level designers for the video games industry.  It almost reads as one of those how-to books you so often see in book stores that show you how to do something in a certain software (even looks like one inside and out), but the content is more about guidelines to being a good or great level designer.  He aims the book at both novice level designers that are either making levels for the industry or hoping to get a foot in the door from creating levels on their own; and at game players who just want to know more about what game and level designers go through to create fantastic levels in the games they play.  From the start of the process to the end, complete with examples and interviews of other professional level designers, Ed describes what goes on behind the scenes at a game company.

The first part of the book talks about the general building blocks that need to be in place before a game can be properly made.  He gives a brief overview of the history of level design from all the way back to the abacus to modern day levels.  Some basic theories of level design are pointed out for those not in the know.  A well-organized team and pipeline is needed that consists of many specialized talents (depending on the size of the team).  Throughout these chapters and the rest of the book, there are interviews of professional level designers on different subjects of level design in the field today.

Later on in the book, he details out more specifics of the process to create a good to great level.  He first goes in-depth on the pre-production stage, describing the kind of documentation and sketches and ideas that level designers need to have before any 3d work even gets started.  That documentation must always contain your ideas for a level that can also be clearly communicated to anyone on the team.  He emphasizes that this is probably the most important stage, as most errors can be caught and ambitions toned down quickly and easily.  He then describes the beginning stages of building the 3d parts from the design documentation.  Although he says that there is not one workflow or pipeline that works best for everybody (I’m inclined to agree), practices like white-boxing (creating basic geometry that shows the overall layout of a level), AI scripting, and gameplay essentials are crucial to get right before all the artists put the work into making the pieces that go into the level.  Visual design comes next, with putting all the assets the artists created into the level and lighting it.  All the while theme, atmosphere and the overall feel of the levels in relation to one another are important factors to consider while making design decisions.

While creating the levels, he mentions that there are painful sacrifices that always need to be made.  Sometimes a game can be overly ambitious and parts or whole levels sometimes need to be cut to make the deadlines. Game testers are also important to the process because they look for bugs or glitches that can be ironed out before a game ships to ensure  that it isn’t technically broken and can be evaluated more subjectively.

As an example to support everything he explains earlier in the book, the last chapter is a case study of a level in a game that was wildly successful.  All the processes are there and show that it was well received.

I really enjoyed reading Game Level Design.  The style of writing was plain and uncomplicated.  As a level designer whose job depends on clear and well-executed communication to his team, Ed writes in layman’s terms and produces a flow throughout the book that was only (unfortunately) interrupted by the need to sleep at night, my job, and class.  Anybody who understands only a little bit about games will understand what he is saying.  At the same time, any level designer or wannabe would benefit from his common sense approach and enlightening advice.

There are a few minor qualms I had with the book (nothing is flawless).  At a couple instances, I didn’t absorb all of the information he was talking about (although this might have  been due to the time at which I was reading them- late at night).  And I already knew lots of the terminology and background behind this part of the field because I’m going into the industry.  Also, it would have been nice to read about, even briefly, what makes a successful level in different genres of games.  His book is more about a general approach to making a level that works for many types of games, so I can’t fault him for not wanting to get too specific with the details, but he does provide interviews with level design pros. that have different game backgrounds.  Those would have been the perfect opportunities to gather insight into what makes a great level for different specific genres.  As I said, though, these are only minor issues that detracted very little from my enjoyment of the book.

On the whole, it is an excellent book with smooth writing and info targeted toward everyone from a curious gamer to the savvy developer.  With only a couple minor faults that are mostly subjective, it’s probably one of the best books out there for level design.  I haven’t read any others, but can safely assume that this one would be hard to top.  I recommend it to anyone with any sense of curiosity toward the inner workings of games.

The 10 heuristics of the Wacom Intuos4

The company Wacom has produced various kinds of pen tablets for different audiences.  While their line of Bamboo tablets is more intended for home users and casual users and the Intuos series is aimed more at professionals, both can be used by both audiences.  The tablets are intended for use in 2d art and design work and, as such, don’t work with 3d programs really well.  I have an Intuos3 at home, but have used an Intuos4 before and think it a definite upgrade.  That’s why I intend to evaluate it with the 10 heuristics described by Jakob Nielson.

Visibility and system status- The Intuos4 and all of its predecessors tell the user what’s going on by obviously showing them where their pen is on the screen compared to their tablet and responding to pen strokes and touches with the same strokes and touches on the screen.  There is no lag time between a user’s inputted action on the pad and the output on the screen, unless the computer itself is taking up too much memory or the file being worked on is so large that there would be visible slow-down anyway.  Though that wouldn’t be the fault of the tablet.

Match between system and the real world- The tablet is designed to look and feel just like the canvas, paper, or other medium an artist would work with in traditional fields.  It is flat and rectangular, and the way in which someone uses the stylus to interact with it is just like if they would take a pencil, pen, paintbrush, etc. and use it those traditional mediums.  Although it’s not as direct as other tablets where the screen is the pad and artists feel like they are exactly replicating the feel of drawing or painting, the Intuos4 does an excellent job at making those artists feel immersed when working.  It’s also much less expensive than the screen-pad counterpart.  The terminology of the different pens and strokes one can make with them also matches those of their real-world equivalents.

User control and freedom- As a tablet, the Intuos4 is an obvious choice over the mouse and much better than competitors in terms of user control and freedom.  The undo and redo functions are dependent on the program in which they are used, but whatever program iwith which they work well will do the same for the tablet.  Users can make pen and brush strokes with ease and they have as much control as their hands and minds will allow them.

Consistency and Standards- All Wacom tablets behave essentially the same.  The Bamboos, Intuos’s, and Cintiqs (screen-pad line) all have the same functions, but only differ in their underlying structures and presentations.  The Intuos4′s controls are dependent mostly on the current program, but it can be customized to have consistent commands across many programs.  The most basic functions and important controls (like pen strokes, eraser tools, and pen pressures), however, are standardized across all programs.

Error prevention- This one was harder, as I have never really had an error with any of the tablets I have used.  I suppose this is a testament to how well they and the Intuos4 are designed.  Any errors that come up are usually the fault of the program and not the tablet.  There might be people out there that have experienced glitches where functions in the tablet are not behaving properly or something they have customized into the functions of the tablet aren’t registering properly, but they are not widely known and it is often easy to fix those problems.

Recognition rather than Recall- The different options and functions on the Intuos4 tablet are either visible in the easy-to-navigate “Wacom Tablet Properties” menu, found in the Control Panel section on a PC or on the hard drive of a Mac, or within the buttons on the tablet itself.  As the user can customize the tablet to fit their needs, the tablet buttons would already be recognizable in the placement of the functions that the user has determined.  Therefore, it’s easy to recognize and remember where controls are and how to switch functionalities because the user organized them that way.

Flexibility and efficiency of use- As I mentioned, any user has the flexibility to customize the functions and controls in whatever way is most efficient to them.  Although the driver must be downloaded from Wacom’s website first to be able to do this.  For novice users, the process of finding the right one and installing it is easy, intuitive, and free.  If one doesn’t wish to install the driver or doesn’t know about it, they can still use the Intuos4 in any program; they just won’t have all the opportunities or flexibility available when the driver is installed.  The tablet itself has buttons mirrored on each side of the central wheel to accomodate both right-handed and left-handed users.

Aesthetic and minimalist design- the Intuos4 tablet and all it’s accessories have followed Apple’s example and taken this aspect to heart.  From the simple screen to the 6-8 customizable buttons and wheel to all the pens and pen tips, Wacom has designed the tablet to have no distracting buttons or features.  All the specialized pens have one button at most to accompany the eraser and drawing tip that is standard in all tablet tools.

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors- As I mentioned above in the error prevention paragraph, I haven’t experienced any errors that came from the tablet or pen themselves.  If they do occur to some people, they are usually technical glitches that don’t register in the computer as being an error that necessitates a message.  Most people go to other resources for errors anyway.

Help and documentation- Every Intuos4 tablet comes with a small instruction booklet (as does every piece of electronic hardware out there) with the usual warnings and setup procedures.  It also includes frequently asked questions and provides useful answers to them.  Even when a user can’t find what they need in the small booklet provided, Wacom has a customer care link on the front page of their website in which they dedicate much effort into helping people out with problems.  There is also a community section where users and sign up and post problems on forums to get responses from other users who either have the same problem or know how to solve it.

I thoroughly enjoyed putting the Intuos4 to the heuristic test.  It has passed with flying colors.  While inexperienced users may not fully understand all the bells and whistles enjoyed by experienced users, there is enough on the basic level for them to enjoy.  I enjoy my Intuos3 and will likely get a 4 when I need one.

Would you like to see a design of mine?

Here is the final project of my ZBrush 2 class.  For those not in the know, ZBrush is basically a digital sculpting program with which you can sculpt as basic or complex details and objects as your imagination (and computer processing power) permits.  This is a culmination of most of the skills I learned in both classes.

For some truly awe-inspiring pieces, I suggest visiting http://www.zbrushcentral.com/index.php and visiting the galleries of professionals that have been doing this for years.

“Game Design Narrative for Learning: Appropriating Adventure Game Design Narrative Devices and Techniques for the Design of Interactive Learning Environments” Review

This article, by assistant professor of instructional design and technology at Miami University of Ohio Michele Dickey,  is a brief, but concise and surprisingly comprehensive approach to the role of narrative in game design and the general learning environment.  I found it both informative in that the in-depth details of the article support many of the reasons I enjoy the video games that I play and also a bit disjointed at times.  She also mentioned a few genres that involved narrative in their structure besides Adventure, but didn’t really elaborate at all how they worked or differed from each other.  Even though the intent of the article was mainly to explain narrative in adventure games and how they could be applied to real world learning, it would have been interesting to know just a little about how narrative in the other genres did the same thing.

There were several instances early on where she used complex words in multiple instances like multimodal, extrinsic and intrinsic fantasy, exogenous and endogenous fantasy, and epistemology to describe different aspects of narrative.  While I don’t condone using intellectual words to describe something (as long as they apply), I dislike the style of using the same word too many times within a short period such as a paragraph.  I like using other words that are similar in meaning but don’t make it look like you’re repeating yourself too many times.  Her use of these complex words also contrasts to the rest of the article, which I believe flows more smoothly, which uses no complex words to describe the points she is making.

Back to the content of the article, I think it’s interesting how she describes that the relationship of the narrative in adventure games to the gameplay as being more involved and instructional than other genres.  She says “the adventure genre is one in which narrative typically plays the most prominent and defining role in the design. In fact, for some of the most popular games of this genre, the story line is the game (e.g., Myst, Riven, Syberia, and The Longest Journey).”  (Dickey 5-6).  Although my favorite genre is the role-playing genre, I agree with her point of view that adventure games most often incorporate story into the gameplay.  Many of these games tell a story less through cutscenes and non-interactive sequences seen more commonly in other genres and more through different points, characters and objects that the player interacts with, often reciting a script or giving hints that entice the player to continue through the story.  This style of storytelling is conducive to “a problem-solving environment.  Players are placed in scenarios in which they must synthesize diverse information and analyze strategies. Within the adventure game genre, narrative provides two main functions: both motivation and a cognitive framework for problem solving.”  (250 DICKEY).

Even though the article focuses on the strength of narrative in adventure games, I also think that narrative in other genres is growing larger as time goes on.  Many gamers are growing tired of having story separated into cutscenes and non-interactive events that have little or nothing to do with the gameplay (other than the environments being visually connected).  The call for more interactivity of narrative and gameplay has been answered and slowly integrated into more games across many genres over the past few years.

Dickey, M. (2006). Game Design Narrative for Learning: Appropriating Adventure Game Design Narrative Devices and Techniques for the Design of Interactive Learning Environments. Educational Technology Research & Development,54(3), 245-263. http://168.156.198.98:2136, doi:10.1007/s11423-006-8806-y

I believe this article is a credible source because there is an extensive list of sources (25 of them), all from other articles or books that are also credible sources.  It is also free of bias, mentioning that information came from its various sources at least 2 or 3 times a paragraph, was published in a peer reviewed journal in 2006, which makes it pretty current.

tive typically plays the most prominent and defining role in the design. In fact,

for some of the most popular games of this genre, the story line is the game

(e.g., Myst, Riven, Syberia, and The Longest Journey)

Newspaper truths by Jack Utko

A recent video I saw on TED talked about the newspaper industry.  Jack Utko, the speaker in the video, mentioned that newspapers are a relic from the past that is quickly dying out due to many advents in technology in the past couple decades.  Although he still works on designing them and printing them the old fashioned way(there is still a market out there for them), I think he realizes that it won’t be long before you see them only inhabiting museum exhibits.  It is a view that I happen to share.

I have had the same kind of experiences.  I used to subscribe to a gaming magazine that gave all kinds of news, reviews, letters, and stories.  I soon found that I could get all the information I wanted and skip over everything I wasn’t interested in just by going onto a site to which the magazine was also affiliated.  Free.  That meant no more money for yearly subscriptions,  paper was being saved, and the information I wanted to know was right at my fingertips.  Another reason for the transition was that the magazine was gradually growing smaller in page number, most likely due to increased activity online and the cutting of publishing costs in the current economy.

The only things I miss about them was the “new-page-smell”(which were probably chemicals applied to the paper and not eco-friendly) and the experience of getting something exciting in the mail; not just bills and junk mail.

He’s right about the designers, though.  They are key to any kind of media, whether print, online, utilitarian, or anything that requires one.  Power to designers!