1. Mobile
Games &
Culture
Mindgrub (Alex Hachey)
Mindgrub Technologies, LLC.

2. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Mindgrub Technologies
WHO ARE WE?
• Technology Innovation Agency
specializing in mobile, social
and web application
development
• Mindgrub Games
• Mindgrub Labs
WHAT DO WE
DO?• Mobile applications
(iOS/Android/Windows)
• Branded games
• Gaming IP
• Enterprise Web development
• Technology Solutioneering

3. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Project Overview
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?

4. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Pitch to Delivery
ACQUIRING
GRANTS• Library Digital Learning center
• Focuses on science,
technology, engineering and
math (STEM).
• Launching point for STEM
career pipeline
CLIENT/
PROJECT GOALS
• Exposing kids to technology
• Making technology cool
• Tangible deliverable
• Kids physically being in the
space
PARTNERING
WITH MINDGRUB
• Finding the right advanced
technology project
• How HCLS discovered
Mindgrub
• How HCLS engaged with
Mindgrub throughout the
project

5. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
What did we actually do?

6. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
What did we actually do?
THE BIG CHALLENGE WITH GAMES

7. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Client/Student
Engagement
DEMONSTRATED
CAPABILITIES
• Demonstrated latest game
“Rescue Jump”
• Discussed how it was made
ASK SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS AND
LISTEN!Played specific mobile games with students and asked specific
questions:
• You mentioned “Jetpack Joyride” was more fun that “Where’s
My Water,” why? Is it the amount of action? The difficulty?
The controls?
• When/how often do you play Temple Run vs. Angry Birds?
• What about this design do you like better than the other
design of the similar game?
Taken from HiTech STEM Lab Flickr set

8. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Project Kickoff
BUDGET ON
SCOPE
IMMEDIATELY• Agree on high level boundaries
• Give realistic itemized time
estimates
• Create a strict timeline! (Karen)
• But be able to break it! (Alex)
COMPARTMENTALI
ZE DESIGN
• Set milestones and benchmarks
for decisions that can’t be turned
around
• Agree on the rules and get a
contract signed
Taken from HiTech STEM Lab Flickr set

9. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Client/ Student Ideation
SELECTIVE
BRAINSTORMING
• The easiest idea to sell a client, is
the one they just gave you
• Keep going until it doesn’t stink
DIRECTED
ENTHUSIASM
• Mr. Alex’s caffeine habit
• Quick! “Yea, and then what- go!”
• Intense engagement
• Heavy praise and branch off great
ideas immediately
• Ignore bad ideas?
Taken from HiTech STEM Lab Flickr set

10. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Mindgrub’s Process
USER-CENTRIC DESIGN
*Brainstorming &
Functional
Requirements
*Information
Architecture
& Wireframes
*Interactive
Design
& Animation
Programming &
Writing Code
Play test
*Testing & Evaluate
Refine

11. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Teaching a Process
REVIEWED CURRENT IDEA
• “Escape from Detention” idea from last Technology Symposium
• Lecture review: “Functional Requirements > Information
Architecture > Design > Development > Test > Evaluate –
Launch”
WORKSHOP #1- IMPACT OF DESIGN ON BUSINESS GOALS
DIRECTION & FRAMING IDEAS
• Prepare with examples to show
• Focus on best ideas from brainstorm
• Remind everyone that it was there idea
• Sneak in new “re-interpreted” ideas
• Build engagement & direct subtly
• REMEMBER THE SCOPE!
The Classroom 3- addictinggames.com

12. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Teaching a Process
WORKSHOP #1- DESIGNERS AND CLIENTS WORKING
TOGETHER
HIGH LEVEL
FUNCTIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
• Storyline- what is the setting? Why is it relevant?
• Concept- what is the major mode of gameplay?
What’s the object of the game
• Characters- what classes of characters are there?
• Levels- how many levels? How are they organized?
• Objects- obstacles? Barriers? Power-ups?
• Controls- what is the central action of the character? How do you
move?
• Scoring Methods- artificial time-limits? Collecting objects?
Reaching goals?
Game Dynamics = motivating behavior = User-
centric Design

13. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Synthesizing Ideas
REVIEW STUDENT F.R.
• Review all of the students ideas
• Vote on our favorite ideas
• Participate!
WORKSHOP #2- USER CENTERED DESIGN
LESSON IN WIRE FRAMING
• Structuring game play for easy
implementation
• Classifying items in the Functional
Requirements
• Illustrate purpose of the game
• Show cause & effect relationships
between all interactive behaviors
• Be factual and concise

14. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Creating a Workflow
REVIEW STUDENT WIRES
• Discuss and organize the “user-
experience”
• New objects and ideas added based off
F.R.
• Ask for details? How does that work?
WORKSHOP #3- PROBLEM SOLVING
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
• JUST LIKE CARTOONS! (storyboard)
• Piece together all interactive features
in order
• Identify everything in each wire-frame
• This is where the “rules” are created
• Intuitiveness is key

15. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Organizing & Codifying
REVIEW INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE• Established comprehensive “Play Book”
• Voted on what to keep and what to throw out
• Participate!
WORKSHOP #4- USER CENTERED DESIGN
NO MORE IDEATION
NO TURNING BACK
• Total agreement on the obstacles,
character types, barriers and power-ups
• Total agreement on total level & settings
ASSIGNMENTS
In class: LEVEL DESIGN
Outside class MOODBOARDS

16. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Level Design Workflow
THE “PLAY BOOK”
EXAMPLE- PROBLEM SOLVING

17. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Design
REVIEW MOOD BOARDS
& VISUAL LANGUAGE
• Motivates behavior and interaction
• Design paradigms in games
• Art style
• Pros and cons of different perspectives
WORKSHOP #5- USER CENTERED DESIGN
VOTE ON
CURATED VISUAL
OPTIONS• Color: flat? Complex? Gradient?
• Character style: cartoon? realistic? anime?
• View: top down or isometric?
• Interactive objects: outline? Glow? Sparkle?
*The only control you have is over what you
show

18. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Mood boards
EXAMPLE- USER CENTRIC DESIGN

19. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Queue Mindgrub
ILLUSTRATION
• Students all drew pictures of themselves
to be incorporated into the game
• Described what clothes and “style” they
wanted their characters to have
• Students described how teachers should
look based on the “type of vision”
ILLUSTRATION DESIGN- USER CENTERED DESIGN
ANIMATION

20. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Queue Mindgrub
INTERFACE DESIGN
• Menu selection
• Level selection
• General user interface
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
GAME ENGINE
• Structuring major
gameplay
• Character controls
• Scoring
methodologies
• Event triggers
GENERAL DEV
• Optimizing memory
& code
• User interface
screens
• In-app
currency/storefronts
DEVELOPMENT

21. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Queue Mindgrub
TESTING
EXPECTED THIS…

22. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Queue Mindgrub
TESTING
BUT ACTUALLY WITNESSED THIS… 

23. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
Marketing Push
MARKETING
DISTRIBUTION IS 50% OF THE GAME

24. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
In the News
COMMUNITY AWARENESS
LOTS OF ORGANIC NOISE

25. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
HiTech Stem Lab
RESULTS
INCREASED TRAFFIC
WORKSHOP
TEST DAY

26. Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System
HiTech Stem Lab
RESULTS- STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

27. Q & A
Mindgrub Technologies, LLC.