Doing it for the kids: Tate Online on engaging, entertaining and (stealthily) educating six to 12 year olds Sharna Jackson - Tate Kids Editor Rob Adamson - Application Developer

Tate Kids pre (re) launch…

Tate Kids today

Tate Kids had to… appeal to a diverse audience

appeal to a diverse audience

Tate Kids had to… appeal to a diverse audience … while stealthily educating them

appeal to a diverse audience … while stealthily educating them

Tate Kids had to… have a unique but fitting visual style , with well written copy

have a unique but fitting visual style , with well written copy

Future plans Promotion New content Extend the brand Forge partnerships Win the Webby

Promotion

New content

Extend the brand

Forge partnerships

Win the Webby

Tying it all together Integrating game client- & server-sides Integrating games with My Gallery

Integrating game client- & server-sides

Integrating games with My Gallery

Tate Kids Games 4 basic interactions: create save (publish to game-specific gallery) send to My Gallery send to a friend (email) Constraints: must be able to use without logging in content must be approved before being displayed to other users

4 basic interactions:

create

save (publish to game-specific gallery)

send to My Gallery

send to a friend (email)

Constraints:

must be able to use without logging in

content must be approved before being displayed to other users

Tate Kids Games Tate Paint client-side developed externally, in Flash server-side developed internally, in Java Street Art client-side developed externally, in Flash server-side – re-use of Tate Paint server-side Tate Tales client & server-side: Wordpress (HTML / PHP)

Tate Paint

client-side developed externally, in Flash

server-side developed internally, in Java

Street Art

client-side developed externally, in Flash

server-side – re-use of Tate Paint server-side

Tate Tales

client & server-side: Wordpress (HTML / PHP)

My Gallery Integration Goals: Allow a user to add works created in the games to their gallery Respect moderation status of work Support a convenient moderation workflow Allow for new games Allow for evolution of My Gallery Flexibility to handle any changes to hosting

Goals:

Allow a user to add works created in the games to their gallery

Respect moderation status of work

Support a convenient moderation workflow

Allow for new games

Allow for evolution of My Gallery

Flexibility to handle any changes to hosting

Design Strategy Minimise coupling no shared state (databases, files) use messaging between My Gallery and games Whole transaction per request simplifies locking and database transaction handling simplifies protocol “ Parameterise from Above” (Kevlin Henney) no hardcoded external references configure from outside (“above”) the code

Minimise coupling

no shared state (databases, files)

use messaging between My Gallery and games

Whole transaction per request

simplifies locking and database transaction handling

simplifies protocol

“ Parameterise from Above” (Kevlin Henney)

no hardcoded external references

configure from outside (“above”) the code

The Protocols My Gallery and the game back-ends provide web services (XML over HTTP) for each other Game back-ends provide interface to Flash front-ends Flash cannot send files using multipart/encoded! So send the file as the content (image/jpeg) and put the data in URL parameters Game front-ends only talk to their back-ends, not to My Gallery directly

My Gallery and the game back-ends provide web services (XML over HTTP) for each other

Game back-ends provide interface to Flash front-ends

Flash cannot send files using multipart/encoded!

So send the file as the content (image/jpeg) and put the data in URL parameters

Game front-ends only talk to their back-ends, not to My Gallery directly

A client/server protocol Tate Paint / Street Art save (POST, image/jpeg) parameters: name, title, age, country, galleries response: id of the new painting send (POST) parameters: id smg = true | false (send to My Gallery) My Gallery username & password stf = true | false (send to friend by email) friend's name, email address, personal message GET methods: image (jpeg), gallery (xml), painting (xml)

Tate Paint / Street Art

save (POST, image/jpeg)

parameters: name, title, age, country, galleries

response: id of the new painting

send (POST)

parameters:

id

smg = true | false (send to My Gallery)

My Gallery username & password

stf = true | false (send to friend by email)

friend's name, email address, personal message

GET methods:

image (jpeg), gallery (xml), painting (xml)

A client/server protocol URL base of back-end is passed to client via Flash parameter <param name=&quot;flashvars&quot; value=&quot;tateURL=http://kids.tate.org.uk/paint/&quot; />

URL base of back-end is passed to client via Flash parameter

<param name=&quot;flashvars&quot; value=&quot;tateURL=http://kids.tate.org.uk/paint/&quot; />

Integration Protocol Games are registered with My Gallery using the online admin interface The registration record comprises the service URLs URLs pertaining to an individual work are specified in a template form e.g. http://kids.tate.org.uk/paint/painting/ {artRef}

Games are registered with My Gallery using the online admin interface

The registration record comprises the service URLs

URLs pertaining to an individual work are specified in a template form

e.g. http://kids.tate.org.uk/paint/painting/ {artRef}

Integration Protocol Game registration includes: game homepage URL game icon URL work showcase URL work data URL (XML) approved work list URL (XML of references only) approve action URL reject action URL

Game registration includes:

game homepage URL

game icon URL

work showcase URL

work data URL (XML)

approved work list URL (XML of references only)

approve action URL

reject action URL

Integration Protocol My Gallery presents: artifact upload (POST) Parameters: username, password, game reference (as registered with My Gallery) unique reference (e.g. painting ID) Response HTTP response code indicates success or the type of error This URL is specified in each game's context or webapp configuration, via JNDI

My Gallery presents:

artifact upload (POST)

Parameters:

username,

password,

game reference (as registered with My Gallery)

unique reference (e.g. painting ID)

Response

HTTP response code indicates success or the type of error

This URL is specified in each game's context or webapp configuration, via JNDI

Lessons learned Know what scenarios you need to support Communicate with all implementors Find out constraints Parameterise for configuration and for flexibility Don't assume there will only ever be one instance Test, Test, TEST! make sure you can!

Know what scenarios you need to support

Communicate with all implementors

Find out constraints

Parameterise

for configuration and for flexibility

Don't assume there will only ever be one instance

Test, Test, TEST!

make sure you can!