M. Regalado
CS 476A, F19
-- there is an aesthetic to interaction
There is an aesthetic to interaction and an interaction (affordance if you will) to aesthetic — which harmonizes the creation of human-centered experiences. This principle embodies mentally what Principle 5.3 (bodies matter!) exceptionally well; however, I want to focus on experiences and tools on themselves and how we are given affordances to best interact with these entities. Yet, the best ones create a sense of flow and ease throughout the experience.
A place where this is prevalent is in games. Human-centered designed games showcase aesthetics to interactions in ways in which we have such joy while playing, and are successful in interacting with them. The perfect game synonymous to this principle is Monument Valley, by usTwo.
Monument Valley was created with the intent of a game where architectural inspirations from M.C. Escher, and where the creators wanted to seek “opportunities to deliver novelty and delight” (usTwo, Monument Valley ). Coined as the ‘UX game of games’, it features intuitive interactions and experience based solely on the individual player’s envelopment of princess Ida’s compellingly poetic narrative.
The basis of the game is to travel through stunning, surreal architecture throughout an elaborate story. There’s an interesting balance of encouraging curiosity from the player and visual ‘nudges’ where interaction is encouraged. For example, if the tool in the game has the sole purpose of rotation to open another hidden mini-puzzle, then the tool has the visual affordances of tools we are familiar with — matching our mental models — of an entity that rotates.
Monument Valley, release trailer (2014)
These tools are sprinkled throughout the entire game experience and create a delightful experience. Though no spoiler alerts as there is the initial game that was first released in 2014, and the second one that takes the narrative to princess Ida and her mother through a separate quest in championing their narrative.
For a game that was released in 2014, creating an impactful mobile game experience, it has outdone itself — and just for context, the phone of the year was the iPhone 6... so let that sink in on the balance of this aesthetically impeccable visual and the phone that just barely reverberated the look and feel of mobile phone paradigms for the next half-decade! A personal goal would be to create a final project with at least an ounce of aesthetic and intentionality for the final project in this course… an artful designer can dream and make it possible, no?
M. ✌🏽