Usability and game design : improving the MITAR Game Editor

Abstract

Creating MIT Augmented Realty (MITAR) games can be a daunting task. MITAR game designers require a usable game editor to simplify this process. The MITAR Game Editor was the first editor to provide game designers with the means to effectively create MITAR games, however, there were several areas that needed improvement. This motivated the development of several other incarnations of MITAR editor, each with its own unique usability strengths. However, these editors haven't seen much use by the game designers, and so much of the usability research that went into their development has gone to waste. In this project a new MITAR editor, the Full Editor, was developed. It combines the most usable portions of the newer editors together with the features of the original Game Editor into one game development solution. In addition, the Full Editor also introduces a new feature, the Flow View, which increases its usability further. Heuristic analysis and informal testing suggest that the Full Editor is a highly usable MITAR editor that will replace the Game Editor as the primary development platform for MITAR games.