Storyboard In The Tea-tails: innovativeness and potential
Client 1:
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I like that you added a smell to the room. That's an easy way to increase immersion. How high are you placing the topmost jars that need to be rearranged? You have to be sure that at least one person in every group can reach them. When two players pose to match the picture at the end of the game, where do the rest of the players stand so they don't get in the way of whatever sensing mechanism is looking for those two players? Alas, we can't have hidden doors in these rooms - the exit door has to act as a fire exit, so it has to be visible at all times. This room is what we call a "Mystery" room. That means that the main challenge of the room is figuring out what to do - and once the team has figured it out, actually completing the room is easy. Since that is the case, you don't need to give slow groups the extra hint of the code/key. If a group can't figure it out on the first try, they'll just come back and do it later. The code/key removes all the challenge from the room by giving the answer to the mystery. I like that you wouldn't really have to "reset" this room after one group before the next group comes in - you could just have a different scroll (showing a different arrangement of jars) unfold when the next group comes in.
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Client 2:
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The room as described has the potential to be visually striking and impressive. Rearranging jars doesn't sound particularly fun by itself, but the added time pressure and tactile experience of quickly moving large and interesting objects can make this great!
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| Reviewer 3:
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How much time do you anticipate giving people? Assuming that they reach the half-point mark, they still have to solve two tasks in less than half the time. This could act as in inhibitor rather than a helper. This newly revealed hint will draw people's attention to that game and take away from rearranging the room.
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| Reviewer 4:
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Great rearranging game. Consider also changing some of the teapot sizes/shapes (while keeping the base the same for placement purposes) in addition to the drawn patterns. My only concern is that there are infinite combinations the room could be left in because of failures. Too much or too little work may need to be done, especially if you have 5 vs 2 players. A digital screen would probably be better, allowing an infinite number of room layouts to ensure a good bit of rearranging always needs to be done and can be scaled to the number of players in the room.
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| Reviewer 5:
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Super fun - I love how important and integrated the theme is. It's definitely not too difficult, but I think that it has potential to be difficult enough to be interesting. Maybe instead of just a picture showing where to put the jars, there's a puzzle that they have to solve, or something they have to decode? I love also that there is potential for multiple players to participate.
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Potential, feasibility, user experience and human factors shown in the concept sketch, Antique Tea Leaf Storage Jars
| Client 1:
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I love that the jars are decorated with traditional Chinese patterns, and that you've considered that the jars have to be large so that players don't take them. What will the jars be made of? It can't be ceramic, because these jars are going to get dropped, a lot. From the picture, I can't figure out what you mean when you say "pocket cutout." If you mean that you're going to recess the entire bottom of the jar except for the edge, so that it's easier to carry, that kind of makes sense, but it also means that the sensor on the bottom of the jar will always be a few inches away from the shelf it's placed on, so you have to get sensors that are strong enough to read the shelf (to determine if it's the correct position) from this distance. (Shouldn't be difficult, just a consideration.) Also, making the jars like that decreases immersion a little, because jars wouldn't have been shaped that way in ancient China, but it does make the jars easier to carry. I'll let you decide whether that's a fair trade-off, I genuinely don't know.
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| Client 2:
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This looks feasible, though the jars are going to have to be fairly light and very, very durable. This is perhaps the sticking point of the design. A number of sensors can be used to detect which jar is where, and should be very feasible.
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| Reviewer 3:
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The criteria for the jars have been well thought out. The aspects of how the player will interact with the jar as well as how the jar contributes to the game were taken into account.
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| Reviewer 4:
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Good use of recessed placement areas to direct players. The pattern makes the jars easy to distinguish from one another. If the tops come off when the players initially enter the room and search through the jars, there's nothing stopping them from leaving them off. A hinged design may not be as authentic, but it prevents players from walking off with the tops.
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| Reviewer 5:
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I think this idea has potential and is extremely feasible. One thing to bear in mind is that people will probably drop the jars, so they will need to be very sturdy. It would be nice to have put what material they will be made out of, and what type of sensors are at the bottom, but both of those things shouldn't be too hard to figure out.
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Potential, feasibility, user experience and human factors shown in the concept sketch, Double Picture Scroll
| Client 1:
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I like this a lot! Like I said, I love that you don't need to reset the room - you just need to change the picture you give the teams. Just three questions: 1. Where is the mechanism that powers the movement of the picture? Just remember you have to fit it somewhere. 2. When do you recoil the previous team's picture - before the next team comes in, or right after the next team comes in? If you wait until after the next team comes in and simultaneously recoil the first picture and open the second, it will be pretty obvious to the team what they're supposed to do, because they'll see differences in the pictures. Your other option is to recoil the picture for the first team before you let the second team in, and just unfurl the second team's picture while they're in there. 3. Can you build this so that it doesn't break if someone grabs the scroll and pulls on it, to try and unravel it further?
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| Client 2:
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This is a great mechanism to change which image is shown to groups for an A/B state switch. The scrolls will probably need a weight at the bottom to fall reliably when unwound. Material selection for these images may be difficult, as groups will try to tear/crumple these scrolls quite often. The hint scroll described may take too long to decipher for struggling groups. If a group is disengaged enough to not realize that they need to match the picture of the room with the jar positions, they likely will also struggle with the deciphering puzzle.
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Reviewer 3:
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Nicely done. The two scroll method is something that will add great appeal to the game and I think you should try to work more with that idea.
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| Reviewer 4:
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Good concept and depiction, I recommend a digital screen that can more easily be adapted to changing difficulty/complexity based on the current state of the room and number of players.
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| Reviewer 5:
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Awesome idea, and neat reset mechanism. Seems to have high potential and feasibility. I think the system of giving another hint automatically is also really good.
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Potential, feasibility, user experience and human factors shown in the concept sketch, Little Countdown Teapot
| Client 1:
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I'm conflicted about this one. I really like that you're giving players an idea of how much time they have left by using something that's organically in-theme, instead of just placing a countdown or hourglass somewhere. It would also be easy and cheap to implement. On the other hand, rearranging the jars has nothing to do with the tea currently boiling... players might hear the sound and think they have to do something with/for the teapot to win the room, even if they were previously on the right track. Maybe playtest this and see if it causes players to abandon the jar-ordering that would have won them the game?
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| Client 2:
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This is great! This feedback mechanism fits the theme perfectly, and will likely add some anxiety and pressure to the experience. It may get annoying though, if it goes on too long. Perhaps only fire up the noise as the timer begins to run out?
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| Reviewer 3:
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You may want to make it a bit more apparent that the teapot is symbolizing a timer. I could easily see people getting confused that "they are doing something right" and causing the tea pot to boil as a result. Maybe add colors to it to symbolize a sense of urgency.
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Reviewer 4:
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Good drawing and "authentic" way of counting down the time in the room. However, I don't know what will actually give the players the indication that this is a timer. Should there be a haunting voice telling them to fix the room before the tea is ready to be served for guests?
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| Reviewer 5:
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I think this idea is so funny! There's no sound that makes me rush more than a kettle that's boiling, and this extreme rush should definitely make them feel more stressed/have a harder time thinking.
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Sketching technique, clarity of storyboard and concept sketches, and their web presentation
| Client 1:
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Except for the angle on the bottom of the jar sketch, everything you showed was super clear! I like that you have explanation text typed below the picture as well as labels on the picture itself. I also like that I can navigate through the storyboard and concept sketches easily, and can even get to different parts of the storyboard easily.
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| Reviewer 3:
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I am not the biggest fan of the storyboard layout. The slideshow format inhibits the flow for me a little bit. If I could scroll through the slides, it would have made the story flow easier for me. Also when i want to go back and look at the slides, I have to jump to different tabs and then scroll through the presentation just to look for one picture. It would have been a better idea to provide titles to for the concept ideas rather than simply "Concept Sketch n" as it gives me no context to what I am going to see when clicking on that tab.
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| Reviewer 4:
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The story board and concept sketches were very good, and the website easy to follow. I like being able to view the entire storyboard at once, but this method also worked. The drawings were very clear and had remarks to help orient the reader.
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| Reviewer 5:
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Great! Super clear sketches, and I love the little details like arrows/lines for emphasis, and the white outline of the hand when the person is scratching their head. Website is also very nice and easy to navigate. Only thing I'd say is that it'd be nice to have Previous | Next buttons at the top as well, so I don't have to scroll all the way down
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