As mobile devices are becoming more and more prevalent incorporate training, and companies are adopting bring your own device (B.Y.O.D.)policies, design and development considerations for mobile applications areevolving. While some software products claim to allow you to design and developtraining that can be exported to all devices, this strategy does not always workfor all online training.
Certainly, designing linear eLearning that adapts to mobiledevices typically does work. With eLearning, you can make interfaces responsiveand change formatting to fit screen size, but with mobile serious games, thereis more to consider. Different considerations and development strategies comeinto play for a serious game or training simulation on mobile devices. In thisarticle, I’ll identify some of these differences.
(Editor’s Note:Serious games are those that are not intended primarily to entertain, but toteach, to solve problems, to persuade, or to improve some aspect of health orsafety. Serious games may be entertaining, and the best of them are enjoyable,but this is secondary to their purpose. See Kate Pasterfield’s January 25, 2015article in Learning Solutions Magazine,“Timeto Get Serious: A Rough Guide to Serious Games,”for a discussion of the concept of serious games as a workplace learning tool.)
Develop for mobile first!
When designing a serious game for mobile devices, it isimperative to begin at the end: what devices are learners going to use? Whenyour project is complete, how will your learners access the serious game? Thepoint here is, develop for mobile devices first!
You cannot simply develop your serious game as you would for adesktop-based game, then expect it to look as good and function as it should onmobile. Mobile devices cannot be an afterthought, or 11th-hourdecision, you need to think about mobile delivery from inception.
With that said, here are a few key considerations to take intoaccount when developing mobile serious games:
- Processing power
- Screen size and resolution
- User experience
- Testing
Mobile processing power vs. desktop processing power
It is likely quite obvious that mobile phones have lessprocessing power than desktop computers and laptops—however, this does not meanyou cannot create an equally exhilarating experience for a mobile device.
Most computer games take considerable CPU power to run thehigh-end graphics and detailed worlds in which gamers roam. With mobile seriousgames, however, processing power is much scarcer. Keep this in mind whenthinking about design elements for your mobile serious game. For instance,computer games have super-detailed graphics and intimate attention to accuratesimulation because the hardware can handle it. However, with a mobile seriousgame, you may need to tone down graphics and modeling to match the capabilitiesof the devices for gameplay. Also, the screen resolutions of mobile devices aredifferent from the resolution of your laptop. Together, processing power andscreen resolution play a vital role in how a user experiences your seriousgame.
To mitigate potential issues, build your characters,environments, and design elements with an understanding of the limitations ofmobile devices. The more detail and graphically technical elements youincorporate into your serious game, the more likely users are to experienceslow and uncomfortable gameplay.
Screen resolution: Bigger assets for smaller screens?
Screen resolution dictates much of the overall user interfacedesign. How you arrange your interface, and the placement and size of elementson it, will change from desktop to mobile device. Making elements large enoughfor users to see and tap easily, while not overwhelming the limited spaceavailable, may mean you can only fit the essentials on-screen. However, thatdoes not mean you cannot get creative with your interface and navigation tomake better use of space and flow.
When developing mobile serious games, remember your learnersare going to view your serious game on screens ranging from four inches (1136 by640 resolution for an iPhone 5) to almost 10 inches (2048 by 1536 for an iPadAir 2). To ensure your learners are going to be able to easily view your buttonsand interactive elements, make sure they are 50 percent larger than they wouldbe for a desktop application. Why? When the build is condensed for mobile itdecreases the size of those features, which makes it more challenging for yourlearners to view and interact with your serious game. It may seem strange tomake buttons and interactive elements bigger, but think about how frustratingit is to try to tap tiny buttons and checkboxes when you access a non-adaptiveor non-responsive web site on your smartphone.
You also need to make text larger and edit on-screen promptsso your learners can easily read them and interact with your serious game. Inaddition, you need to eliminate rollover states. The desktop browser-basedversion of your serious game may let learners hover over an element to see adescription and larger image of that element; the mobile version cannot supportthat ability.
Creating a brilliant user experience
Think about the differences between your smartphone and yourlaptop. Besides the obvious visual and technical differences, think about howyou use each device. Typically, you use your laptop sitting at a desk or table;perhaps on your lap as you lounge. Compare that to a smartphone. Yoursmartphone is with you everywhere and you have likely used it in countlessdifferent scenarios and environments. How we use and interact with each deviceis different, and this plays into the overall user experience.
A mobile serious game is just that, mobile. So, what are theimplications of using something on-the-go? You may start, stop, start again;you get the picture. Also, you may be engaged in the serious game while thereare many other things going on in the background—you are sitting on the subway,in the waiting room at the doctor, out and about, waiting on lunch, and so on.Because of the way we use and interact with our mobile devices, you want toensure your mobile serious game is easy to pick up where you left off and caneasily re-engage learners. Additionally, due to all the distractionssurrounding your learners as they are engaged in your mobile serious game, itis imperative to create a user experience that is not only educational, butengaging and entertaining to your learners. How many times have you tried totalk to someone playing Candy Crush or Two Dots, only to get no response fromthe top of their head? When someone is immersed in a truly engaging experience,outside stimulus has less of an effect.
Testing, testing. Check one, two.
It is well known that testing is vital to any sort ofdevelopment success. However, with mobile development, testing becomes extracrucial. For example, you develop a serious game for desktops or laptops only.You do your standard bug squashing, functionality testing, glitch eliminating,and test across multiple browsers. Everything works and looks good? OK, great!With mobile serious games, there are a few more considerations.
Multiple devices means multiple operating systems and screensizes that can vary from 4” to 10”. Because of this, it is imperative to testthe responsive design of your mobile serious game and the functionality of allyour features throughout the development process. How does your interface scalefrom an iPad or Galaxy screen to an older iPhone 4? Does the Android device “playnice” with all your interactions and functionality? Can I view the serious gamein landscape only and are all my graphics showing up as they should?
By testing during the course of development, and not leavingtesting as a “final” step, you are far more likely to accomplish the following,than you will be if you wait to test:
- Catch bugs and glitches in time to fix the issue andre-test
- Iron out functionality and formatting issues
- Get valuable user feedback via focus groups
- Ensure all devices “play nice” with your serious game
Another important component of testing during development isthe ability to use the feedback gained from testing, and to incorporate that informationinto development. For example, after completing the user interface, John hashis team test usability and check for any glitches or issues across multiplemobile devices. In doing so, one of his testers finds the navigation gets a bitwonky when viewed on an iPhone, but seems to be fine on larger tablet screens.Because of this, John redesigns and tweaks the interface to appear much moreattractive on all mobile screens. Had John waited to test this afterimplementing more features, his team may not have had the opportunity, or time,to find a better solution.
Ready to mobilize!
With mobile devices showing an increasing presence in onlinecorporate training, it is vital to develop for these mobile devices first, not as an afterthought. Keep inmind that your mobile serious game is fighting for processing power, so its designelements and interactions must be easy to digest for these devices. Also, youdon’t have the luxury of a 13-inch+ laptop screen, so your design elements,interface, and text need to be easily visible on smaller screens. In additionto the smaller screen size and varying resolutions, how people interact withmobile devices is different, so you must consider that as well. Finally; test,test, and test some more!
Keep these considerations in mind whenapproaching a mobile serious game project and you are off to a good start!
