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Overview

In this small menu-based concept project, I took a product from my own household and developed a customer-facing e-learning module to demo some interactions I’ve been working on.

Analysis

A pattern machine is a math-oriented toy for young children. However, adults are often stumped about what it is and what they should do with it.

Action-oriented objectives of this project:

  • Parents will be able to name at least 3 product features
  • Parents will be able to name 2+ open-ended tasks or challenges for themselves or their child to try with the pattern machine
  • Parents will refrain from showing or telling their child how to use the machine, but will use open-ended questions to introduce the toy
  • Parents will be able to name at least one way pattern machines can support children’s mathematical thinking

Design

I designed the project with a quick sketch in a notebook.

I shared the design idea with my husband, who had previously expressed confusion about the purpose of the pattern machine. He suggested some additional components.

I initially designed the product with bright, playful colors and a more conversational tone:

Screenshot of original design using bright, playful colors and conversational tone

Ultimately, I revised the design in order to achieve a more streamlined look that could appear on a company website.

Development

I developed the module using Storyline 360.

For the ‘purpose’ page, I wanted to include an original promotional video with voiceover. I recorded the videos using an Iphone, used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the videos and add music, transitions, text, and voiceover. I used Storyline to add captioning to the final video.

Editing the video in Premiere Pro

All the interactions, buttons, layouts, and states in this project were custom-made by me, except for the expanding menu interaction (FAQ). For this, I started from a template shared by Karlis Strogis in the Articulate user forum.

Evaluation

To evaluate the usefulness of this mini-module, I posted the project on twitter with the #patternmachine hashtag, and tagged friends, teachers, and researchers who have posted about theirs in the past. Replies to this tweet are still incoming and will help me assess and revise the design.