To look at conceptual collaborative design in terms of a game, with its internal rules and different interests competing with each other, can be revealing for the involved "players". We have therefore tested different "design games" in different settings. In these design games the participants have been equipped with a set of cardboard or Lego pieces which can represent any chosen objects or functions and be arranged freely in different relations with each other. With these pieces different layouts of the future environment have been arranged, "discovered" and negotiated. During the last year we have worked with the task how to integrate our experiences from the design games into the development of an integrated modelling and VR-visualisation tool. Our endeavour was to investigate how a digital design game would work and expand its use when it could be possible to transfer the 2D card board pieces to a 3D/Virtual Reality world. Computer Games in Architectural DesignThe rapid technological and artistic development in the game industry compared with the more military/industrial oriented professional VR market is a challenge to research. We have in parallel followed the development of the VRML standard for communicating 3D models on the Internet. Both these tracks has in more than one way led us to the conviction that there are alternative paths away from the "professional standard" to work with Virtual Reality and 3D as design-and communication tools in architectural design. Modern real-time computer game engines (Quake, Half-Life etc) are advanced 3D/Virtual Reality modeling and representation tools. They provide rich graphical environments where you are able to interact in a multi user environment (over the Internet). They are widespread, cheap and easy accessible and can be used on a "standard" PC. Advanced modeling tools are available for free. Games are easy to learn and fun to use, that means stimulates creativity and fast learning. We selected the game Half-Life because it is very open with a SDK available for free. It is very easy to set up and manage your own server. It also supports different kind of level editors such as Worldcraft and Quark, which are both good modeling tools. The method of building libraries with prefabs makes it easy to customize for every session and objects can easily be reshaped and exchanged.
This paper is concerned with an investigation into a structured, user-centered design methodology using a case study approach. The case study selected was a new genealogical information system (GIS), to replace the University of Port Elizabeth's genealogical information system (UPEGIS), which exhibited a number of usability problems. The methodology selected was the Method for Usability Engineering (MUSE). This paper wiIJ show that the use of a user-centered design approach, coupled with a structured methodology, resulted in a useable design. Several limitations were, however, discovered in the use of the MUSE methodology. Specifically, MUSE was found to need extensions in the areas of object modelling and detailed user interface design.
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