Collaborative Design Practice | Client Presentation

Melvin Yung Khun Yew | 0357241 | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Collaborative Design Practice

Week 12 — Week 15

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CDP Project: Client Presentation

Following the final visual refinements based on our previous feedback session, we were ready to present the final outcome of Gluconomy to our clients: the original game creators. In addition to the client presentation, we conducted a series of playtesting sessions with students from various academic backgrounds. The goal of these sessions was to identify any latent design issues, observe how our visual overhaul affected the gameplay experience, and pinpoint specific areas for future iteration.

Meeting with Gluconomy gameplay creators

These are the jump links to each part of this portfolio

• Instructions
• Work Process
• My reflections

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Instructions

Mr Shamsul Hamimi, my lecturer for the Collaborative Design Practice module for this April 2025 semester, gives us a heads-up on the upcoming tasks and requirements.

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Work Process

Our team met with the original creators to share our progress and present the final physical prototype. We recorded these sessions to capture their technical feedback and, more importantly, shared a live gameplay session with them. It was a rewarding moment to see the original "architects" of the game interact with our redesigned vision.

Team leader Winnie showcased the design concept to our client Tan Yee Qin & her team

1. Feedback from the Original Creators (Tan Yee Qin & Team)

Overall Rating: 10/10

The creators praised the transition to a pastel-toned color scheme and the "adorable" mascot, noting that the visual identity felt cohesive and professional.

• Key Strengths: They highlighted the decision to separate the Base Camp, Daily Stock, and Investment areas from the main board, noting that this modular design made the gameplay much clearer than their original version. They also appreciated how the biological science concepts were integrated without losing the economic gameplay hook.

• Areas for Consistency: They noticed slight variations in how we interpreted certain mechanics (e.g., the Insulin Attack card and ATP conversion rates). Their advice was that these changes are acceptable as long as the rules are applied consistently.

• Pro-Tip: They suggested adding a dual-compartment container for glucose tokens to separate "player stash" from the "bank" for smoother handling.

Play testing with the team

Play test timelapse

2. Target Audience/User Testing: The Student Perspective

While I was unable to attend the external testing sessions due to being out of station, my teammates Winnie and Guo Ying successfully facilitated sessions with students from Design and Finance backgrounds to test the game's intuitive nature.

Participant	Background	Rating	Key Feedback
Chong Cheng Tao	Design	8/10	Loved the mascot and "short learning curve." Suggested higher color saturation for impact and clearer placement outlines on the Mitochondria board.
Teu Yu Tian	Design	9.5/10	Commended the "cute and casual" feel. Suggested the Mitochondria board be enlarged to prevent token clutter and add facial expressions to tokens.
Yofa	Finance	9/10	Appreciated the color-coding (Green for Bullish / Red for Bearish). Suggested renaming the "Investment" feature, as the current high-risk mechanic felt more like "Gambling."

Play testing with the peers

Play Test Timelapse

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My reflection

Looking back on the module, it has been an intensive but rewarding journey. Beyond the constant design iterations, the project required significant logistical management—particularly regarding the funding and production of a high-quality physical prototype.

Seeing our designs well-received by both the original creators and our peers made the effort worthwhile. This process taught me that a successful board game isn't just about beautiful art; it's about how visual hierarchy and physical components can simplify complex systems like biology and economics for the player.

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