This document describes a collaboration between Mindgrub Technologies and the Howard County Public Library System to develop a mobile game for their new HiTech STEM Lab. It outlines Mindgrub's process for acquiring the project, ideating with students, designing and developing the game through workshops, and marketing the finished product. The goal was to create an engaging game that would expose kids to technology and make STEM concepts more appealing.

1. Mobile
Games &
Culture
Mindgrub (Alex Hachey)
Mindgrub Technologies, LLC.

2. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Mindgrub Technologies
WHO ARE WE?
• Technology Innovation Agency
specializing in mobile, social
and web application
development
• Mindgrub Games
• Mindgrub Labs
WHAT DO WE
DO?• Mobile applications
(iOS/Android/Windows)
• Branded games
• Gaming IP
• Enterprise Web development
• Technology Solutioneering

3. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Project Overview
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?

4. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Pitch to Delivery
ACQUIRING
GRANTS• Library Digital Learning center
• Focuses on science,
technology, engineering and
math (STEM).
• Launching point for STEM
career pipeline
CLIENT/
PROJECT GOALS
• Exposing kids to technology
• Making technology cool
• Tangible deliverable
• Kids physically being in the
space
PARTNERING
WITH MINDGRUB
• Finding the right advanced
technology project
• How HCLS discovered
Mindgrub
• How HCLS engaged with
Mindgrub throughout the
project

5. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
What did we actually do?

6. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
What did we actually do?
THE BIG CHALLENGE WITH GAMES

7. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Client/Student
Engagement
DEMONSTRATED
CAPABILITIES
• Demonstrated latest game
“Rescue Jump”
• Discussed how it was made
ASK SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS AND
LISTEN!Played specific mobile games with students and asked specific
questions:
• You mentioned “Jetpack Joyride” was more fun that “Where’s
My Water,” why? Is it the amount of action? The difficulty?
The controls?
• When/how often do you play Temple Run vs. Angry Birds?
• What about this design do you like better than the other
design of the similar game?
Taken from HiTech STEM Lab Flickr set

8. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Project Kickoff
BUDGET ON
SCOPE
IMMEDIATELY• Agree on high level boundaries
• Give realistic itemized time
estimates
• Create a strict timeline! (Karen)
• But be able to break it! (Alex)
COMPARTMENTALI
ZE DESIGN
• Set milestones and benchmarks
for decisions that can’t be turned
around
• Agree on the rules and get a
contract signed
Taken from HiTech STEM Lab Flickr set

9. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Client/ Student Ideation
SELECTIVE
BRAINSTORMING
• The easiest idea to sell a client, is
the one they just gave you
• Keep going until it doesn’t stink
DIRECTED
ENTHUSIASM
• Mr. Alex’s caffeine habit
• Quick! “Yea, and then what- go!”
• Intense engagement
• Heavy praise and branch off great
ideas immediately
• Ignore bad ideas?
Taken from HiTech STEM Lab Flickr set

10. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Mindgrub’s Process
USER-CENTRIC DESIGN
*Brainstorming &
Functional
Requirements
*Information
Architecture
& Wireframes
*Interactive
Design
& Animation
Programming &
Writing Code
Play test
*Testing & Evaluate
Refine

11. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Teaching a Process
REVIEWED CURRENT IDEA
• “Escape from Detention” idea from last Technology Symposium
• Lecture review: “Functional Requirements > Information
Architecture > Design > Development > Test > Evaluate –
Launch”
WORKSHOP #1- IMPACT OF DESIGN ON BUSINESS GOALS
DIRECTION & FRAMING IDEAS
• Prepare with examples to show
• Focus on best ideas from brainstorm
• Remind everyone that it was there idea
• Sneak in new “re-interpreted” ideas
• Build engagement & direct subtly
• REMEMBER THE SCOPE!
The Classroom 3- addictinggames.com

12. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Teaching a Process
WORKSHOP #1- DESIGNERS AND CLIENTS WORKING
TOGETHER
HIGH LEVEL
FUNCTIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
• Storyline- what is the setting? Why is it relevant?
• Concept- what is the major mode of gameplay?
What’s the object of the game
• Characters- what classes of characters are there?
• Levels- how many levels? How are they organized?
• Objects- obstacles? Barriers? Power-ups?
• Controls- what is the central action of the character? How do you
move?
• Scoring Methods- artificial time-limits? Collecting objects?
Reaching goals?
Game Dynamics = motivating behavior = User-
centric Design

13. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Synthesizing Ideas
REVIEW STUDENT F.R.
• Review all of the students ideas
• Vote on our favorite ideas
• Participate!
WORKSHOP #2- USER CENTERED DESIGN
LESSON IN WIRE FRAMING
• Structuring game play for easy
implementation
• Classifying items in the Functional
Requirements
• Illustrate purpose of the game
• Show cause & effect relationships
between all interactive behaviors
• Be factual and concise

14. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Creating a Workflow
REVIEW STUDENT WIRES
• Discuss and organize the “user-
experience”
• New objects and ideas added based off
F.R.
• Ask for details? How does that work?
WORKSHOP #3- PROBLEM SOLVING
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
• JUST LIKE CARTOONS! (storyboard)
• Piece together all interactive features
in order
• Identify everything in each wire-frame
• This is where the “rules” are created
• Intuitiveness is key

15. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Organizing & Codifying
REVIEW INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE• Established comprehensive “Play Book”
• Voted on what to keep and what to throw out
• Participate!
WORKSHOP #4- USER CENTERED DESIGN
NO MORE IDEATION
NO TURNING BACK
• Total agreement on the obstacles,
character types, barriers and power-ups
• Total agreement on total level & settings
ASSIGNMENTS
In class: LEVEL DESIGN
Outside class MOODBOARDS

16. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Level Design Workflow
THE “PLAY BOOK”
EXAMPLE- PROBLEM SOLVING

17. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Design
REVIEW MOOD BOARDS
& VISUAL LANGUAGE
• Motivates behavior and interaction
• Design paradigms in games
• Art style
• Pros and cons of different perspectives
WORKSHOP #5- USER CENTERED DESIGN
VOTE ON
CURATED VISUAL
OPTIONS• Color: flat? Complex? Gradient?
• Character style: cartoon? realistic? anime?
• View: top down or isometric?
• Interactive objects: outline? Glow? Sparkle?
*The only control you have is over what you
show

18. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Mood boards
EXAMPLE- USER CENTRIC DESIGN

19. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Queue Mindgrub
ILLUSTRATION
• Students all drew pictures of themselves
to be incorporated into the game
• Described what clothes and “style” they
wanted their characters to have
• Students described how teachers should
look based on the “type of vision”
ILLUSTRATION DESIGN- USER CENTERED DESIGN
ANIMATION

20. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Queue Mindgrub
INTERFACE DESIGN
• Menu selection
• Level selection
• General user interface
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
GAME ENGINE
• Structuring major
gameplay
• Character controls
• Scoring
methodologies
• Event triggers
GENERAL DEV
• Optimizing memory
& code
• User interface
screens
• In-app
currency/storefronts
DEVELOPMENT

21. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Queue Mindgrub
TESTING
EXPECTED THIS…

22. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Queue Mindgrub
TESTING
BUT ACTUALLY WITNESSED THIS… 

23. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Marketing Push
MARKETING
DISTRIBUTION IS 50% OF THE GAME

24. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
In the News
COMMUNITY AWARENESS
LOTS OF ORGANIC NOISE

25. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
HiTech Stem Lab
RESULTS
INCREASED TRAFFIC
WORKSHOP
TEST DAY

26. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
HiTech Stem Lab
RESULTS- STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

27. Q & A
Mindgrub Technologies, LLC.