Assignment 4: Redesign with CARP

The game I chose for this assignment was part of the PBS Engineering Games that was

given as a suggestion. The game I chose was called Build-A-Bot. The purpose of the game is to

find the body part that the robot needs based on a scenario. For example “the robot wants to play

music”, the learner would then choose the arm that has the musical instrument in it’s hand. This

game seems appropriate for 1st-3rd grade. Some of the reading required is a little difficult for a

younger gamer.

Contrast

When considering contrast in the game Build-A-Bot by PBS, the choice of colors stands

out. In the following screen shot, one can see the vibrant colors used to create contrast.

According to the textbook Visual Design Solutions (2015), it states that “the most obvious type

of contrast is to use different colors. The more separated they are are on the color wheel, the
more they will contrast” (Malamed, p. 189). As you can see the designers chose to use the

primary colors as the main colors in the game.

When looking at the image closer, one can also notice that the game uses “contrasting

temperatures (cool and warm). You can contrast the cool colors (blue and green) with the warm

ones (yellow and orange)” (Malamed, 2015, p.189). The gamer can see that the robot and sky

are cool colors while the background colors are warmer colors.

The colors to me are almost to much of a contrast. I would prefer the colors to be

contrasting but not quite so different. The designer could consider using different values and

saturations in varying colors, therefore making it not quite such a stark contrast.

Alignment

The game has the learner pick the appropriate piece based on a description. To show this

the designers organize the game in a very specific manner. As one can see below; the right side

are the choices for the learner to pick from to match the description on the left side. This style

alignment could be considered creating functional space. According to the textbook, “combine

or group similar types of content” (Malamed, 2015, p.50). The designers did this by grouping

the different types of arms on one side and the robot on the other.

Another area to note is that this image has a blue frame around it. According to the

textbook it states that “a frame encloses the space and gives it definition. Images, shapes, and

text have a dynamic relationship with the frame” (Malamed, 2015, p.48). The frame in the game,

as you can see below helps separate the foreground from the background.
 For the purpose of this game, I believe the alignment works well, and it makes it clear to

the learner on what they need to do. By grouping the image it makes it very easy to understand

with very little directions. When I first started the game, I did not need to listen to the verbal

directions, I already knew what I needed to do.

Repetition

When viewing the game, there are two areas that continuously have repetition. The first

image below that depicts the repetition of the small images that tell the user where to go. The

repetition makes it user friendly in where to navigate. The repeat of similar images, gives unity

to the design as well. Malamed discusses that “one of the most effective ways to achieve unity is

through repetition in the design element” (2015, p. 174). The image below is an example of

unity through repetition.

 Another area of repetition is when the learner chooses the correct part of the robot to

connect to the main robot. The different types of arms or legs repeat themselves and create

another example of unity. The designer uses repetition well in this game, and makes it easier for

the learner to understand what is going on.

Proximity

The above image is a great example of proximity as well. According to Visual Design

Solutions, it states that “use proximity when you want to show that elements in a graphic have a

common functions or meaning” (Malamed, 2015, p. 198). This is exactly what the designer did

to show the grouping and proximity of the robots arms. Because the designer groups the arms

together it makes it easy to see what the learner is suppose to do. The textbook also states to

“position buttons with similar functionality close to each other” (Malamed, 2015, p. 198). The

designer does this with page navigations and with the robots arms.
 Reference

Malamed, C. (2015). Visual design solutions: principles and creative inspiration for
learning professionals. Hoboken: Wiley.