{"id":464,"date":"2025-10-07T17:25:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T17:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/kicks-lab\/?p=464"},"modified":"2025-12-12T17:38:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T17:38:34","slug":"week-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/kicks-lab\/week-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Research and Foundations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This week, the team strengthened the conceptual groundwork of our project. We conducted in-depth research on shoe archetypes and materials<\/strong>, helping to establish a solid foundation for how the educational component of materials science can be integrated into the gameplay experience. This research will inform both design decisions and future iterations of our prototype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Playtesting and Educational Alignment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We also held our first full playtest session<\/strong>, gathering valuable feedback from participants on engagement, clarity, and learning outcomes. Afterward, the team cleaned up playtest notes and met with our project consultant to clarify the problem statement<\/strong> and discuss next steps for improving the prototype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Additional coordination with STEM educators, Arthur and Ryne, helped refine the educational framework, ensuring it remains aligned with classroom learning goals. The team also scheduled a session with Anthony to conduct a user survey<\/strong> with teenagers ages 13\u201318 to better understand how our audience approaches design-based learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interface and Visual Design Progress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We have our the first interface draft<\/strong>, offering an early look at how players might interact with the system. Alongside this, the visual design team developed a design space breakdown<\/strong>, created early character sketches<\/strong>, and began producing 3D assets<\/strong> to support gameplay development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Technical Coordination and Next Steps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The team worked on research guidelines<\/strong> and surveyed a sample audience group<\/strong> to validate design assumptions. Next week, the team will present the design space breakdown to Ansys<\/strong> to confirm that the proposed design environment remains within their technical scope for simulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n