Subject 001
Science Background:Taken high school science (bio, chem.)
Majoring in ecology
Fairly extensive background
Technology Background:Doesn’t own a computer
Uses roommates
Pretty comfortable
Comic:Read prior to playing
Doesn’t remember much about it (read it 2 days before)
Was wondering about the significance of it while reading it
Pretest:Seemed perplexed by pretest
Two days later, said he felt ok with it
Learning New Programs:Get on it right away and try it out
If he has questions, he usually tries to figure out on his own.
Interview 1
Reads directions and speech bubbles
“Am I supposed to just monitor this?”
“What do you think so far?”
“I really don’t know what I am doing”
Reads content from moving mouse (You see this, You see that….)
Reads information on bottom bar
Doesn’t know how to start
“Did you guys receive any training at all on how to use this? Practice or anything?”
“No. Right now I am basically figuring out what I am supposed to be doing.”
Reads
“I guess I take it that we explore Planet Oit and we come across certain stones which we need to find information on and identify it.”
“Do you think training would help in the beginning?”
“Yes, because as of right now, I do feel lost.”
Reads
“How do I buy things?”
Perplexed by the idea of buying things – doesn’t realize what/where Crazy Eddies is
Has difficulty opening windows
“I guess education before would be helpful. I don’t know what kind of money I have. I can see it is based upon exploration and they give you hints on what you need to find and then you gotta go find them”
Do you feel like when you first signed on if there was a page of directions or something.
Well definetly I mean giving you a rough idea of what was going to be approached…what you are going to be confronted with. I guess if there is any strategy to prepare yourself. In class I was never notified if we needed to know our notes very well. It shows you that you have to sit through the game – it tells you.
“I have no idea what I am doing here.”
Are you feeling frustrated at all?
Yes I am. I don’t really know exactly. I know I need to get out of here I guess.
What do you think about those windows that pop up?
“Right now there are too many. Mind-boggling.”
Realized can close them.
I would think once you leave a certain setting, a room, all the bubbles with words would be eliminated. Kinda confused me, but now I know they remain on there, I close them up then.
“I should have monitored where I went. I thought I did, I can’t remember now. At the same time I got the supposed tools I believe I need. But we’ll see.
Trying to navigate; Exploring environment
I know it’s not in here, but I guess I am just exploring – trying to get myself a little familiar.
Do you think you know what fluorite looks like?
No. I believe….
(Thought he saw it in the first room he went into because it showed up on display. Didn’t realize all rocks/minerals show up, not just the one you are looking for.)
Now that I think about it I am not quite sure. Actually no I don’t know.
How do you think you would do that? Say you didn’t have your notes?
I would go back to…
Figured out how to get to bookcase
Oh this stuff really helps. I guess um, hints to guide. I ran around there for a while and this is something
Things to get here faster
Yeah just to help because I mean I explored…if it’s a matter of time…this would be helpful…direct you to this, tell you what you need to find, give you hints about what fluorite is, and then I guess at the same time that is what exploring is about, but I need the details about what fluorite is, at least it my case.
So you are making notes in your notebook?
Yes, I guess since right now being I am unfamiliar with it, um I feel a little lost, the layout of it, I have hard time remembering where I went…each window brings me to another room, etc…I write it down.
What do you think would help?
I’d say, maybe being limited technology wise, but 3D would be perfect. You can walk and have an idea…develop a sense of what direction you are going and how far to go this way and that way. A sense of location. This is a broad one, only way indicating is just a little dot even thought the background is what they are explaining. A little more detailed map/layout which you can navigate through, would be easier.
I take it the help refers to the terminology of words. I am going to look up a word.
Using bookcase help tab to look up words from description of fluorite.
One thing I would say is refer someone to the bookcase here and advise them to explore that right off the bat to give them more, if there is no training session prior, this would help. I guess that is what the tutor is for too, but this definitely helps.
Did the information for fluorite help you any?
Yes it did. I believe, um, right now from my recollection of (description of outcrop), I thought that was somehow what I really needed, so I went just exploring, and I noticed there were other rock features they described. Where I took that one (first) as the main one. Misinterpreted right away. The goals are nice, the subject is fine. Gives you a good idea of what you should be shooting for.
Reads
Do you understand that map? Anything confusing about it?
I believe you just need to familiarize yourself with it. I am right here and the layout main primary is based on the horizontal view of going back and forth. So if I am correct….
Tries to move around. Doesn’t understand what the red dots mean.
I should’ve got a rock pick. I am going to go back.
This set-up here it goes through all the tools. Helps understand tools that are used in geology.
So you think having to buy the tools is a good idea because of that?
Yes…
I guess I wish I knew what I had for total money. What I have to spend. I wonder if I had an unlimited amount or…
What do you think will happen if you just keep buying?
I don’t know. I don’t want to get in a predicament where I overspend myself and don’t have the correct tools in order to extract the rocks I need and take it in for identification.
Well, I am going to get out of here and go back and find out if I need anything else.
Explores, reads
So what do you think about those tools that you were just at.
As of right now, I guess it’s nice. Shows a list of what you have and I take it you can only use one at a time, but right now I don’t even know how to use it.
Somehow I got the rock I need. (sample appeared in inventory)
How do you think you did it?
I don’t know. Beings I am in the right room and I had the right tool. Or if not that I went to my hand I – it says pick up and drop samples.
Message saying left the room containing your goal fluorite appeared.
Why do you think they keep telling you that?
I must not have it I guess. (Thinks just because he has a sample, he has identified it)
To me I see that I have obtained it, whereas it is telling me that I haven’t.
Figured out how to identify (report) by accident
I would say further instructions on how to find that process (identification), maybe just a lack of exploration, but I found it difficult to navigate my way through the software.
Reads new specific and general goals
What do you think about it (general goal)?
I take it now that I have some kind of experience with the tools. When you come across a rock, make sure you have a sample which would be located in your inventory. And then if you have the correct tools you can identify them. Whenever I stumble across a rock, take it, and see it, and go into bookcase to find it. See what they look like and see how they recommend to identify them and then go back and get a tool.
Are you more comfortable now that you figured out that first one?
Yes
It’s fun once you understand the material and format a little more.
Good that it gives you information about the rock/mineral in bookcase. Now that he knows where to go to get it. Now he knows the terrain a little it helps that they tell him where to go to find it.
Thinking about what tools he needs. Goes back to Crazy Eddies to see what tools would apply to lake setting.
Realizes list in catalog repeats (loops)
Trying to get sample of garnet in sand. Rock pick sinks in sand. Hasn’t yet realized you don’t need a sample to make an identification.
Back button helps
Museum helps because you can see samples that you see in the settings. This would help esp. if you had not been in the bookcase
Do you think it would help if they told you how to make a report?
Yeah. Well the second time, now I understand…Directions: Once you know what the rock is, push this to indicate what it is.
Has a general goal, but no new specific goal (game was messed up).
Why are you going back to the museum?
…Trying to find information regarding what it (a rock or mineral) looks like.
Reads descriptions in museum and compares to rocks he finds in settings.
Specific goal not coming up. Has to do general goal to earn points.
What are you writing in your notes?
I am trying to monitor where I go and all the rocks I stumble across, I am writing their detailed description and I am trying to keep in mind…where I find them. And then I am going back to the lab (museum) where they describe the rocks and see if I can fit the description. And then I am going back to the site because I believe you have to be there to identify them.
What did you identify there?
I identified granite because I recognized it.
So you just recognized it from prior knowledge?
Yeah from looking in the lab (museum)
What do you think of this help menu (in bookcase)?
It’s nice, it’s really extensive though.
Is it good that it is really extensive or bad?
Bad. I’m still trying to figure out strategies on how to identify. I don’t really want to leave the location. So I go in there and they have pictures which I am using, but it is not a very efficient way to do it.
Because you have to look through all of them.
What do you think they could do to that?
Right now I am finding it difficult to identify rocks, find the information I need. Right now I want to go back – I don’t know where I am going.
Getting frustrated with navigation, hasn’t figured out how to use map.
Is the general goal harder than the specific goals?
Yeah, much harder. I don’t find enough information. I am using the pictures, which you should not be using. It seems the general info they give you is quite vague. I don’t even know…I am going around and looking at the pictures that look familiar.
So why did you leave the museum? Did you think you found something?
Not really.
Got tired of looking at it?
Yeah. It’s so vague (reads description)?
How would you find more information?
I don’t know. We have this huge gigantic list of rocks.
Works
I had an image in mind and I went to the lab I haven’t found it.
What do you think?
That they are not all in here.
Works
Right now I am having difficulties navigating, I don’t know where I am.
Works. Identifies pumice.
So how did you know that the rock was pumice?
Reads description.
Did you learn that from the game?
I remembered it from class.
Decided to take samples of a bunch of rocks to take back to museum to compare the sample pictures with the museum pictures.
Did you identify sandstone because…
I just knew it from looking at picture (in museum)
Accidently closed game window. Restarted. Everything was messed up
Just identifying off of visuals – taking things back to lab. If you use the tools, you get the information from the tests, but at the same time it’s so extensive (the list) that it is hard to limit it down. You do need to have geological knowledge before hand to help identify rocks. I guess with time it will come, but for the time being it takes time. Other than visuals, I am not really learning.
Interview 2
Identifying outcrops is time consuming
So you are just moving over all the outcrops to figure out what they are?
Yeah.
Does the topographic map help you to color the map?
Yeah because I think certain triangles tend to be on the same topographic line….
Confusing because messages pop up too slowly.
Some of the outcrops do not have outlines, Only appear in the viewer. Hard to find which ones are and which aren’t ones to ID.
Have to ID things twice before it turns red.
Flickering is annoying.