This Week’s Goals
This week focused on getting the project moving in two ways:
- Align on project direction after visiting our client and confirming goals
- Start early discovery by reaching out to professional welding educators for insight
Our Team
Yuelin Liu
Producer
Experience Designer
Barry Yuan
Assistant Producer
Technical Artists
Ethan Wills
Game Designer
Sound Designer
Alvin Li
Technical Artist
Sound Designer
Zelin Chen
Programmer
Techical Designer
Client Visit
Dina El Zanfaly
School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University
Mixed Reality In-situ Welding
At CMU’s Design Department, researchers are developing a new way to train welders by applying emerging technology.
With financial support from the Manufacturing Futures Institute (MFI) seed funding program, Dina El-Zanfaly and Daragh Byrne, an associate teaching professor in the School of Architecture, worked with a team of researchers to develop an extended reality (XR) welding helmet and torch system to help welders acquire the embodied knowledge they need to master the challenging skill.
Client Needs
The existing system focuses on traditional, skill-based welding simulation. Our role is to explore how we can add a gamified experience layer that improves:
- Motivation to keep practicing
- Overall engagement
- User retention
Project Goal
A gamified VR welding experience that transforms players from having little interest or confidence in welding into learners who develop genuine curiosity, confidence, and motivation to pursue welding more seriously.
Brainstorming
Through quick playtests and informal feedback with classmates and faculty, a strong early preference emerged:
Players liked the idea of being a maintenance worker in outer space, with an urgent goal that makes welding feel meaningful.
Professional Resource Outreach
With extensive experience teaching metalwork and supporting research-driven projects, John offered valuable insights on what to keep in mind when designing our game.
John Fulmer
College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
“Hurrying is the worst thing. Take your time. Do it right, over and over again.”
“Sticking things together is… kind of addictive, like the cocaine effect.”
