Bubble Function is a TIGA shortlisted, maths game aimed at 9-12 year olds to help develop their understanding of function machines.
It is written in HTM5 and uses the phaser engine on the Mangahigh platform. It can be played on mobile, tablet or on a desktop.
The Team
Agile, Cross Discipline- CEO Leadership
- Maths Specialist Education
- Developers In house and remote
- Artist/Animator Remote contractor
- Games Designer Design
My Role
Design Lead- Concept Creation
- Manage development of MVP
- First iteration of visuals
- Testing
Timeline
3 months totalDiscovery & Research
Initial research and concept development phase
MVP Development
Core gameplay and basic functionality
MLP & Art
Final polish and visual improvements
My Design Process
1. Define
Replacing an old game - Mangahigh were discontinuing Algebra Meltdown and wanted a new algebra game to take its place. After speaking with sales and support, users loved the function machine element but found the game as a whole too difficult.
I focused on the function machine element and started looking at a way to simplify the mechanic.
2. Ideate
Concept Sketches
The idea of a function machine is when a number passes through the machine a change happens. I combined this with the classic bubble shooter mechanic.
3. Prototype
Paper prototypes
Testing out the concept on paper first I planned out puzzle levels and tested it with colleagues to get a feel for how fun and intuitive it would be.
Standard Game Assets
While creating the basic bubble function assets I used these as a base for a games template which contained all the standard screens. This allowed us to quickly prototype future games.
Games Design Document
The document was given to developers to finish off the code while I stared on the next project. I continued to test in house with each new release.
4. Test
Testing
I went into a school with a small team and we tested bubble function on a range of students we had around 10 levels to test. This provided useful feedback and we did lots of minor adjustments.
MVP
Once the MVP was released I finished working full time on Bubble Function to start a new project. I supported the handover process to ensure new members fully understood the game which allowed them to develop it further.
Release
The game was released again a couple of months later with updated graphics
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