I developed the Brain Games project for scientists and researchers in medicine and social science to test short-term memory and accuracy. I incorporated xAPI to track the results and timing.

  • Audience: Scientists and researchers testing memory and attention span

  • Responsibilities: Instructional design, story-boarding, visual design, and development

  • Tools Used: Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, and Articulate Storyline

The Context

Massive changes in technology has led to a transformation in the way society functions, one of those being in brain processing, especially in the younger generation. I created this prototype project in order to help scientists and researchers in medicine and social science test those effects. If successful, the project could be expanded, using xAPI, to test many other factors, such as long-term memory, attention span, etc. and hopefully the results of those findings could be implemented in business, policy, and education.

My Process

I researched ways to test memory and brain accuracy, organized the data, created visual design mockups in Adobe XD, developed the project in Articulate Storyline, and then incorporated xAPI to collect data.

Visual Mockups

After choosing three games to test brain function, I organized the images on a mood board and then iterated with different colors, fonts, images, and positioning on wireframes in Adobe XD.

Full Development

After collecting feedback from the instructional design community on the visual design of the project, I set out to develop it in Articulate Storyline. I included a timer and scorekeeper meter.

Game


Scorekeeper Meter


Next, I added learned and wrote the JavaScript code needed for the project on CodePen, and then implemented whatever necessary changes in Articulate Storyline to execute the code.


Finally, I tested the project and checked the LRS, in this case “Veracity LRS,” to ensure everything was working smoothly and properly. From the data, one can view whether the user completed the game correctly or incorrectly, as well as the time spent on the game. This information grants insight into the speed, accuracy, and overall short-term memory of the user. With this type of information, one can just imagine the type of possibilities that xAPI-oriented projects can be used for, whether in business, education, and many other fields!


Results and Takeaways

The purpose of developing this project was for me to learn and implement xAPI, and that is exactly what it did. I really enjoyed designing the games and developing them on Storyline. One thing I want to continue to work on is to find a way to display the times for each game on the end screen.


As for the xAPI and LRS part of the project, while there was a lot of trial and error in learning and applying the code correctly, by the end, I found it to be quite rewarding. I realized the potential benefits and uses for companies to incorporate xAPI into eLearning, and hope to explore this further.