Creating a conceptual design for a game-based artifact
Abstract: Research on game-based artefacts has increased over the past decade due to the popularity of game-based learning. Many research game-based artefacts have a short shelf-life, however, either because of limited use in its research context, or poor translation of design requirements into working prototypes. Despite numerous development methodologies that are available, a mistake often made is starting the development of the artefact without target user input. Conceptual artefacts are needed to validate design requirements with end users. The purpose of this paper is to present a strategy for creating a conceptual design for a game-based artefact. The strategy can be used to guide the development of the conceptual design, as well as a method for reporting on the process. The development methodology of the conceptual artefact is grounded in the iterative nature of design science research. A participatory design strategy is followed that includes participants from the target user group and domain experts. Design requirements are obtained through participatory workshops prior to game development. These are then translated into a conceptual design. The conceptual design is presented to participants to confirm that the design requirements were correctly understood. Adding a conceptual design to an artefact development process can be used to visually validate the target group’s requirements, ensuring that the resulting game-based artefact more closely represents user expectations.