Games for Visual Thinking

Scott Kim • shufflebrain.comAdobe, Feb 5, 2009

Puzzles

I design puzzles

PRINT TOYS COMPUTER

Games for visual thinking

AMBIGRAMS DESIGN EDUCATION PHOTOGRAB

AMBIGRAMS

AmbigramsVisual wordplay

What letter is this?

Hint: it’s not L

Answer

A puzzle is a problem that is

fun to solve and has a right answer

As opposedto everyday“problems”

As opposedto a toy or agame

A puzzle is a problem that is

fun to solve and has a right answer

As opposedto everyday“problems”

As opposedto a toy or agame

A puzzle is a problem that is

fun to solve and has a right answer

As opposedto everyday“problems”

As opposedto a toy ora game

Ambigrams

One type of visual puzzle I’ve explored is ambigrams — wordswritten so they read in more than one way. Here are some

ambigram logos (not by me).

Ambigrams I’ve created

See more of my ambigrams at http://scottkim.com

Make your own ambigrams

chumpWrite this word in connected cursive, leavebowl of P slightly open. Instant ambigram!

USAWrite this so it reads the same right side upand upside down. S is easy. What about U/A?

AdobeWrite this so it reads the same upside down.Can you do it?

DESIGN EDUCATION

Design EducationPuzzles that change how you think

Working within a fixed form

Most puzzle designers work within an existing form

Topic: Letter parts

I let the topic dictate the form. For instance, whatpuzzle teaches the parts of letters?

Vocabulary

1. A vocabulary puzzle reinforces names, not concepts.

Multiple choice quiz

2. A visual quiz puzzle reinforces concepts.

Puzzle (adobe.com)

3. A perceptual puzzle, like this one from adobe.com,trains thinking. Match each detail with a letterform.

Counter Proposal (NewMedia)

Here’s a perceptual puzzle from NewMedia about fonts.Spaces in & around letters are “counters”.

Counter Proposal (NewMedia)

Match each counter with the letter it is from.

MystGrayscale painting

Elevation map

3D rendered image

The artists behind Myst converted a gray scale paintinginto an elevation map. White=high, black=low.

Cybermesh

I made this into a puzzle by using CyberMesh, aPhotoshop plugin by John Knoll, author of Photoshop.

Normal Face

Here’s how Cybermesh turns a grayscale image ofJohn’s face into a 3D mesh.

Inverted

Changing the grayscale image changes the mesh. E.g.inverting black and white turns the mesh inside out.

Posterized

Posterizing the image creates stairsteps.

Pinch

Pinching the image enlarges the nose.

Blurred

Blurring the image creates this ghostly face.

Finished puzzle

The finished puzzle: Match each image with a 3D mesh.

Surfaces of revolution

Surfaces of revolution

Match pairs of shapes made from the same cross-section.

Color

Morphing

Animation

Logo design

Magazine puzzles

A way of writing about a topic Regular puzzles increase loyalty Contests increase involvement

VizAbility

Interactive puzzles let you do more with 3D.

Vase/Profile

Figure/ground is a concept that works well as a game.The figure here is the vase, the ground is the faces.

Escher

Simplify

To make this visual illusion interactive, first simplifythe shapes by putting them on a grid.

Make Interactive

If you drag a black object, there’s white underneath.If you drag a white object, there’s black underneath.

Figure Ground game

Play this game at http://clockworkgoldfish.com/figureground/play.php

To play this particular puzzle, click on List, then scroll down to Sky.

PHOTOGRAB

PhotograbBrain games meet social media

Three trends

1. Casual games

BEJEWELED ROCK BAND

Electronic games are now for everyone, not just teenage boys.

Three trends

1. Casual games2. Mental fitness

SUDOKU BRAIN AGE

People want to exercise their brains, not just their bodies.

Three trends

1. Casual games2. Mental fitness3. Social media

FACEBOOK YOUTUBE

Media is now produced by everyone, distributed everywhere.

Games for healthy lifestyle

Healthy + Stylish = On trend

The three trends add up to games as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Photograb

Our first game is Photograb. Goal is to find details in a photo.Photograb exercises visual perception.

Photograb

Players can put in their own photos. This image is from Adobe Lightroom’s Melissa Gaul.Play this game at http://shufflebrain.com/standalone/photograb.html?mediaSetID=1096

Photograb

Player-generated content Syndicated games live on your site. Rating system

Next game: Wordstream

Conclusions

Conclusions

Games for visual thinking

AMBIGRAMS DESIGN EDUCATION PHOTOGRAB

Games can be used to teach and exercise visual thinking.

Interaction design

Like interaction design, puzzle design is about creating a gooduser experience. Except the path from start to end is trickier.

Thank You

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