SEARCH

Tuesday was Cinco de Mayo. To celebrate, Taco Del Mar offered up the Burrito Challenge: Eat a 5-pound burrito in 30 minutes, and they would give you $20. After purchasing the $17.99 burrito and paying due tax, you could walk away with almost 30 cents!

After weighing the pros and cons, most people in the office decided that while we did need to see the 5-pound burrito, and hopefully see someone eat it, nobody was willing to try. Except Joe.

Here is a rare peak under the hood of the creative process behind our contribution to Zune: the game Sudoku. The game is available now as part of the Zune firmware update.

Challenges

As with all projects, there are a few parameters from the client and expectations for a successful product:

-    Create original art and assets for use with XNA development practices.
-    Work with Zune development team iteratively and remotely.
-    We would not be able to “preview” assets in real-time or use an emulator.
-    Design for localization (English, Spanish, German, French, etc).
-    Full traditional 9×9 grid and smaller mini 6×6 game play.

Wireframe

The objective of Sudoku is to fill a 9×9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine block regions contains the digits from 1 to 9 only once. The Zune team supplied a basic wireframe and a few game play suggestions. Playing Sudoku on paper is a consistent experience, but playing online varies widely – with very few conventions. We started our design process by playing some of these versions online and thinking about extrapolating behaviors to the Zune controls.

Visual Concepts

The visual design was our major contribution to the project. There are already quite a variety of themes already on the web, so we tried to develop 3 very different visual directions for the Zune team to consider. Giving the concepts names – “Telephone” “Tron” and “Japan” - not only made it easy, but instantly crystallized the inspiration. It’s a technique that we plan to move forward with in future visual explorations.

Refining the Direction

The Zune team went with “Japan” and we collaborated back and forth on elements of game play and adding a little more visual distinction to the game. This included developing the menu style, refining the commit/notes mode interaction and the mini game version. During this phase, we iterated closely with the Zune team on image production assets (or sprites) for the XNA development process.

We affectionately refer to the final look and feel as “Genghis Khan” or “Indiana Jones” It was rewarding to see it come out last November… and who knows, hopefully we will get the chance to do more games like Sudoku.

- T.

Roshamboom began with just another fun distracting link from Jesse. Someone had taken the time to create a game of Rock Paper Scissors using 101 different gestures. Its tag line was “The most terrifyingly complex game ever.”  It was displayed in a kind of chart of what beats what, so you and a nerdy friend could memorize the 101 gestures and 5,050 outcomes and intrigue and baffle everyone that sees you playing it…awesome. This reminded me of my quest to produce the most difficult maze in history. Ah, high school.

Around the same time Jesse introduced us to this game, we were having a much belated wrap-up on a project that didn’t sail so smoothly: designing and building a load of Silverlight controls. Nobody in the design department was familiar with building anything Silverlight, but we were confident and optimistic. Our positivity died painfully. While working on this project the tension in the design loft grew arms and legs and ran around stabbing us all in the side with thorns. We could also hear screams next door from the dev loft. The theme of the meeting was how to avoid this monster tension in the future, and we all decided it was best to make a Silverlight GAME! For FACEBOOK! Because there weren’t any yet and we’re THAT GOOD! I believe it was Andy that suggested we build “The most terrifyingly complex game ever” in Silverlight. It could have been Lisa. Everyone agreed. Yes, this was the solution to our chagrin.

I took another look at the RPS101 website, and found that the more I familiarized myself with it, the more impressive it was. The creator didn’t just figure out the game, he gave it real hilarity. The ridiculousness of “Paper covers Rock” was furthered 5,047 more times in ways like “Monkey flings poop at King,” and “Queen’s bosom is Mountain.” Genius!

Ian, Stephanie, and I had fun designing the controls and working out the functionality. Inspired by airplane safety information cards and the ViewMaster, we all came up with different screens and eventually married them all to create what is online now. I believe it was Matt that suggested we ask Lisa’s friend’s class of 2nd graders to draw some of the more appropriate gestures, which Stephanie used to design the ranking system.

We showed it to the creator, David C. Lovelace, and he had this to say:

“Roshamboom is awesome! Everyone at Plexipixel really did a great job with it. RPS-101 took a year to develop on my end, so I was impressed at how well its complexity was preserved in this very engaging, addictive new version. I like the “view all” functionality, the challenge history, and the interactive way it publishes match outcomes on your page. It’s just brilliant. I can finally play this game the way it was probably meant to be played — not even I can really be sure! — since I never expected anyone to actually remember all 101 throws, and certainly not all 5,050 non-tie outcomes!”

Hooray!

Do you process your files digitally in RAW format? We’re looking for several photographers to come in to our studio this Wednesday afternoon for a 20-30 minute product research survey.

Wednesday, March 11th
2:00 – 4:00pm
Lower Queen Anne

The survey will take 20-30 minutes, and in exchange for your time we’ll give you a $25 gift certificate to Glazer’s Camera. Please give us a call at 206-781-1405 if you’re interested for more info and to find out if we have space left.

So get this, I was the grand prize winner of the “Extra Special Totally Rad Preferential” version of the KidScreen Summit (okay, that wasn’t really the official name). What I was to receive was a suite upgrade at the Manhattan Hilton, limo rides between JFK Airport and the hotel, a $50 Starbucks gift certificate, and a private lunch with a decision-maker at a kids’ entertainment network.

The particular “kids’ entertainment network” just so happened to be Cartoon Network International. As soon as I found out which network, I contacted my friend Debbie Reber. Debbie is an author with amazing integrity; she produced videos for CARE and UNICEF and has written books that help guide and mentor teen girls. Debbie also worked as Director of Development for Cartoon Network.

Now we here at Plexipixel have been working very slowly on a super secret project together with a very talented artist in Portland over the last year or so. This super secret project was nowhere near prime-time but I knew a few things:

1. private audience opportunities that may involve alcohol don’t happen often,
2. Cartoon Network just has a great philosophy on how they like to work with Creatives, and
3. I know two very nice people who either work for or have worked for Cartoon Network and they’re mighy fine people.

With those three arguments, I knew that we had to have something to show my KidScreen lunch date.

I bribed Debbie with a delicious lunch at Kisaku and procedeed to pick her brain. I subjected Debbie to the “proof of concept”, very rough super secret animation we’ve been working on. She gave me a couple of tips on what I should try to take away from the meeting (”ask as many questions about what they’re looking for as you can”). Finally, Debbie also kindly let me know that she knew the person I was meeting with and that he was “a very nice guy”.

There were still a few weeks left before the Summit, so I continued my fact finding. I met with our dear friend Tom Doughterty who has not only pitched a number of game and TV property projects to networks in the past, he rubs elbows with folks like Erik Wiese (co-creator of the Mighty B!). He gave me a plethora of ideas and pointers: examples of pitch material, what to put in a “leave behind”, why having breakfast for dinner is never wrong…

I took all of the pointers back to the studio. We put all of our heads together and came up with a game plan that was inspired by Stephanie’s Gocco (and all the many cool things it can do), Patrick Tribett (of gold paint huffing fame), and the Portland artist whose amazing art we’re getting to work with. I worked on the pamphlet content, Troy laid out the pamphlet design, Ryan was responsible for the DVD label and the aqua paint-splattering, Stephanie Gocco’d and made Fimo bagels, and Matt continued with the animation like a mad man. Jamie made sure that everything was all packed and ready to go for the big trip. Talk about team work!

Next blog post from me… report from the actual trip!

Interactive projects start innocently enough… a few wire-frames, examples of related functionality, some polished comps, maybe even a robust prototype or two. But the reality is that folks want to fast-forward to the end… and that is when the real work begins.

“You know… I will know when I see it, feel it, hear it and can play around with it. Then I can show it to a few others and let them do the same. Then I can give you feedback.”

You know what? They’re right.

You can call this Client-Doesn’t-Know-What-They-Want syndrome, but I prefer to use a phrase lifted from the 9/11 commission: “Failure of Imagination”. And it is a condition that affects everyone in the industry, whether designer, programmer, manager or client.

Historically, the technology has not been there to support this cut to the chase.

A console game needs character art, game play mechanics and level design before someone can “play around with it”. Ask any game developer, and they will admit they (or you) really don’t know if a game is fun or not until all the pieces are in place together.

In interactive design, tools and platforms such as Flash, Java Script, AJAX, Wordpress and Facebook offer the potential of near-instant feedback and execution.

As an interactive designer, I used to chalk it up to the world being impatient when a client wanted to see the final version right away. But then I realized – I am just as guilty. We designers don’t imagine – we try out 14 different color schemes or 22 ways to situate a 3rd party logo on the header. Then we show clients the best two options to choose from.

In my experience, I see the processes proposed early in the days of the internet dying out. Stepping clients through rigid or formal phases and methods is tedious, but also has a dangerous consequence – it ultimately may not serve the end product.

Let’s consider a practical example where you are the client: apartment hunting.

“Like New Unit. 1200 square feet, 2 bedrooms, great location and easy bus access.”

Ever looked for an apartment without seeing it? You feel blind no matter how much hard information is given without “checking it out” or experiencing it yourself firsthand. Before plunking your money down on that space, you want to know exactly “What it will feel like.”

So how do we face this challenge in the interactive world?

We can’t build apartments, townhouses and residences in every locale and possible configuration looking for the exact right fit.

I don’t have the silver bullet (I would love to hear your thoughts), but here are some initial ideas (and a few hard realities).

- Acknowledge Customers Always Expect More. We are a service industry… and like drive-thru espresso, high speed internet and call ahead restaurant reservations, (we as) consumers expect service to get quicker and better.

- Trust. This is earned and not given. I think most designers try to play this as a trump card, but I find it more effective as a gentle reminder: “You hired us for our talents, right? We’re in this with you together.”

- Don’t Ignore Steps. You may choose not to expose every scrap of an idea to the client, but trying to ignore things like project objectives to start working on visuals will always come back to bite you.

- Learn What Not To Do. As GIJoe would say… knowing is half the battle. Learning how NOT to repeat prior disastrous paths is step one in repeating success.

- Iteration. Personally, I have found this to be the most successful. I have worked with and under a number of processes (Agile, Scrum, Daily Check-ins, rapid prototyping frameworks, a combination of all of the above, etc.) In the end, it simply comes back to executing an idea and proving it works.

- T.

Following up on my post a few weeks ago — the new comedy sitcom In The Motherhood, based on the MSN web series that Plexipixel worked on the original site design and initial development for, is set to debut Thursday March 26 at 8/7c on ABC!

Mark your calendar, set your TiVo, and be ready to watch the first episode featuring hilarious stories inspired by real life viewer experiences.

Recently, the In the Motherhood web series was featured in a list of “14 hilariously effective online campaigns” on iMedia.

The people at Suave and Sprint are clearly much smarter than we were. Their “In the Motherhood” series generates millions of voluntary views, driven by the quality of the stories and the decidedly female POV. By humorizing the daily lives and situations mom faces, “In the Motherhood” rings the bell for brand relevance and fondness.

Anyone that creates a product of ANY kind needs to know the answer to this question. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a no-brainer. From websites to winnebagos, the more you know about how your product will be used, the better off you’ll be. It’s always interesting to take a look at a product that, in my opinion, completely missed the boat when it came time to decide on a visual identity. The people behind FABULOSO didn’t only miss the boat; they forgot to buy a ticket.

I’ve walked by this product six times in the last three days. It’s currently sitting on the sink in our design studio. EACH time I pass it I wonder if someone has set out a tasty beverage they’re wanting to share with the rest of us. See those apples and pears on the label? Yum! Looks fruity and refreshing. And the new, easy grip bottle? Reminds me of a jug of Ocean Spray. From the see-through plastic to the 2-liter lid, Fabuloso sends off enough “DRINK ME” signals to make me parched every time I walk by it. I’m tempted to gulp it down even when I know what it is. And what it is is toxic.

Fabuloso is a multi-use cleaner, a product that’s supposed to get rid of soap scum and make your linoleum sparkle. It’s not supposed to look drinkable. And yet it does. It looks like something you’d pour yourself a glass of after a trip to the gym. It looks like it replaces electrolytes. It looks like the drink a thirsty child would grab if they were all out of Sunny D. It’s suffering from a serious design problem. To be fair, the makers of Fabuloso have designed their product with a child safety cap, but if it didn’t look so appealing, children probably wouldn’t reach for it in the first place.

Do the makers of Fabuloso want their product to appear fruity and delicious? I’m sure they don’t. A design team made some poor decisions in portraying what the product is used for. It’s a mistake that could have serious consequences.

By fully understanding how a product should be used (and in this case, how a product SHOULDN’T be) a designer can make solid choices that help eliminate any confusion as to what the product is. They can ensure the choices they make will be perceived accurately, in accordance with the product’s intentions. A big reason many of us got into design in the first place is to make the world a little less confusing, and products like Fabuloso are a great example of the power that design has on our senses and perceptions. No one should get thirsty when they see something toxic. Designers can communicate a lot better than that.

For the record, I’d much rather have my multi-use cleaner look like this. This doesn’t look thirst-quenching. Not in the slightest.

My Allbusiness.com blog post Xbox: Advertising Game-Changer? is being highlighted and syndicated across a number of sites including the SF Chronicle, CBS News, the Washington Post, and CareerBuilder. Cool… I just wish that the editing tools let me fix that ugly typo (and a few poor grammar choices made way too late at night).

A recent article on iMedia highlighted some solid numbers from the Sprite Obey campaign headed by MediaVest that we helped develop a few years back. Working in partnership with MSN, we brought their team’s design to life by developing a website that was integrating with both MSN’s backend system and ispott’s mobile scavenger hunt platform. Using our proprietary Flash 3D engine, we created a pseudo-3D experience that engaged teens in the online scavenger hunt and kept them coming back for more.

“MediaVest reports 1.5 million teens participated and spent more than 3.1 million minutes online with the brand during the campaign, in addition to time spent scavenging for photos and encouraging peers to participate. Campaign analysis shows Sprite Obey resulted in a 26 percent increase in teens’ weekly consumption of the soft drink.”

Check out the full article at iMedia Connection.