Design games as a tool, a mindset and a structure Kirsikka Vaajakallio

Fig. 44
Predesigned game materials utilised in the Project Planning Game.
Four people – Kirsikka (me), other researcher Vilma, and Hannu and
Nina from the bank – are standing around a table on which there is a
large paper and some pens. Kirsikka has previously described the aim
of the gathering and provided a brief step-by-step description of the
unfolding of the game. Nina takes a leading position by telling about
a typical project model at OPK. She turns occasionally towards Hannu
and asks “Isn’t it like this?” Kirsikka presents clarifying questions to ensure
she is following Nina’s explanation, and sometimes Hannu adds
something about practical experiences in the previous projects. Vilma
remains mainly a silent observer standing away from others.
When Nina and Hannu agree that they have managed to give an appropriate
description, they move on towards the game. Kirsikka places
a plain paper to the centre of the table and distributes black title cards
that illustrate several stages of the UCD process – such as familiarizing,
deepening, and user study – while explaining them to Nina and
Hannu. Soon everyone is engaged in the conversation about what the
distinct phases should contain in the case study. The lively discussion
and sorting out of cards takes around fifteen minutes, after which
there is agreement of six titles from a total of nine as the main phases
that would be nice to have in the case study. Following that, Kirsikka
provides new game materials that are used to settle the goals and
allocate resources accordingly. When that is done everyone receives
a set of method cards that are used to envision the line of activities
in the case; each explains in turns what methods or a combination of
those methods they would like to try out, for what purposes and in
what phases of the process.
After two hours, they have a common vision about the coming project
with certain phases, methods and resources. It is compared to a similar
plan created by the other group simultaneously. (Project Planning
Game with OPK, March 2009, translated from Finnish)
Describing
typical
development
process
Playing
the
game
Comparing
the
propositions
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