WATERLIFE: Series of Educational Games
Interactive Website
https://games.noaa.gov/waterlife.html
https://games.noaa.gov/waterlife.html
1. What is the Interactive about?
The interactive ‘Waterlife’ games present two games that provide educational information about coastal resources and how pollution affects marine animals in the ocean. These educational games provide in-depth learning experience and presents information that anyone can understand. ‘Waterlife’ games also help provide facts and solutions to preventing these marine destruction. These helpful games aid the understanding of saving ‘Waterlife’ and how to protect them in many ways.
2. Who is it designed for?
These ‘Waterlife’ games are specifically designed for students specifically within grades sixth or seventh but this can work for all primary students. ‘Waterlife’ games presents a simplistic educational game where primary teachers can use this information to present pollution and its effect on the ‘Waterlife’. Using marine figures such as turtles and otters help signify the cause and effect of the contamination of plastic bags and bottles. Children are able to understand and take knowledge of these consequences, this could also persuade children to pick up their litter and recycle in order to protect these marine lives thus “Waterlife” has created an effective use to assure students to clean up and be weary of the damages of pollution
3. What knowledge does it assume of the target audience? I.e. digital literacy.
The site assumes very minimal digital literacy knowledge, a basic idea of web page navigation and HTML and Java interactions are expected.
The site however, is clearly designed for a younger age group, it is obvious steps have been taken to minimize confusion that the user may experience whilst playing this game. There are two educational and interactive games or ‘interactive designs’ that feature on the WaterLife page. These games are ‘Sea Turtles and the Quest to Nest’ and ‘Where Rivers Meet the Sea’. Both games also provide, rather than assume knowledge on these marine topics.
4. Describe the type of User Interactions and User Interface.
The user interaction level on this site is very high as the games are point and click games where the user must reach a certain goal – whilst also ‘filling your Field Guide’ with information about our oceans and ocean life.
5. What can you say about the visual design- layout, colour, and typography? – How would you describe the style?
Layout –
The layout of the website is quite dull and unappealing to the target audience. The reasoning behind this is because the website being owned and managed by a national government organisation focusing on serious global issues and have no interest in producing a well-executed and appealing children’s web page. This results in the very boring and linear page layout of the Waterlife web page.
Colour –
Very similar to the issues with the layout of the webpage, the colours used are very limited in accordance to the style of the government webpage which includes tones like navy blues and grays. However, when focusing on younger audiences, a good idea would be to include more captivating and brighter varied colours. The only situation where other colours are present are within the thumbnails of the screengrabs from the games. This juxtaposition suggests a very old-fashioned style to the webpage.
Typography –
The typography is arguably the better design choice of this web page as the web-designer chose a sanserif font which provides a simpler feel and allows for easier reading for those younger audiences. Contrary to this, there are more youthful font choices that could and should have been used as this font does seem like a default choice that had no second thought.
6. What improvements would you suggest?
The user interaction of the web page is quite simple which is effective for the youthful audiences which happen to be the target demographic, so the main improvements that could be implemented are focused around the visual components of the site. The layout could be less linear and possibly in a grid fashion which would provide a sense of exploration when exploring the website. Furthermore, a carefully thought out inclusion of other colours which allow the branding of the website to keep its colour palette whilst providing an alternative more child friendly aesthetic would be a considerable improvement. And finally, A typeface that doesn’t appear so ordinary and default whilst maintaining the simplistic sans serif style to upkeep the clarity for younger audiences should be implemented.
Goran's University 