These principles shape how Daan and Jan-Willem design together: sharp in content, solid in technology and always aimed at learning that becomes applicable in practice.
A good learning experience doesn't happen by chance. We work from a fixed set of principles that ensure every story, choice and MicroGame traces back to a clear learning goal — and that the technology strengthens the experience rather than getting in the way.
Every successful design starts with a solid goal. Decide what you want to achieve, make sure it's attainable and set a way to measure progress. We turn well-defined learning goals into challenges for maximum intrinsic motivation.
Gameplay focuses on growing knowledge, and success comes from applying it. While skill and luck are part of gameplay, the player should strongly feel that progress is based on knowledge.
Knowledge grows when you recognise and understand the context. The closer we stay to reality, the higher the retention. Recognisable mechanics also make the gameplay more accessible and understandable.
Intrinsic motivation only arises when the player is emotionally involved with the material. It's about the desire to learn and to finish and achieve — and that emotion doesn't even have to be tied directly to the learning goals.
A training should be robust and as bug-free as possible. Interaction is logical and the player can get started right away without getting lost. Robust also means moving through the object at the right pace.
Every action — right or wrong — is followed by immediate feedback, with no delay. The feedback is clear and to the point, so the player knows exactly what's expected now and in future.
The player always knows what's expected, how to make progress and what they can do to improve it. The object feels logical and naturally gives a sense of accomplishment throughout the training.
In a single half-day we translate your learning challenge into a first concept — with these principles as the foundation.
You'll see straight away how our methodology works in practice.