A Five-Stage Research Project for Designing a Visual Arts–Based Mobile Game

• In Event: Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Design Issues in Virtual Learning Environments

Abstract

Gaming applications catering to visual arts learning generally perform poorly by way of standards of user engagement and learning about aesthetic elements such as line, color and shape. The objective of this paper is to present a two-year project involving five research phases for designing a mobile game geared towards children aged 7-13 for use in a visual arts museum. The following phases are explained: the study of archival letters, naturalistic student observations, persona development, prototyping, and play testing. The results yielded in this procedural study provide insights into arts education theory and practice as well as the efficacy of mobile gaming with respect to an informal approach to student engagement in visual arts.

Authors

• Joseph John Paluck, Drexel University

• Aroutis Nathaniel Foster, Drexel University

• Jen Katz-Buonincontro, Drexel University

• Lynn Berkowitz, The Barnes Foundation