Research Quest: Six Design Boxes and Six Iterations towards a Game to Teach Critical Thinking

Research Quest: Dino Lab is designed to encourage the acquisition of higher-order critical thinking skills of middle school students. In order to arrive at the design for the game, the team conducted several participatory design sessions utilizing the Design Box methodology. In doing so, the team was able to gather data and elevator pitches from the end user (students), stakeholders (teachers), and the development team itself. This process was undertaken concurrently with the development of the game, encouraging iteration as well as maintaining buy-in from participants. The team conducted six Design Box sessions and six iterations as illustrated in the poster. This work enabled the team to quickly design and iterate upon game prototypes in order to find the right design for the game. Through this process, the team was able to create a game that will be undergoing testing in public school classrooms.