Project Authors
- Alessandro Canossa – Associate Professor
- Alexis Emanuel Lozano Angulo – Research Assistant
- Luis Fernando Laris Pardo – Research Assistant
- Mauro Martino – (https://www.mamartino.com/)
Description
The simulation consists of a web game, designed to facilitate the knowledge transfer of circular economy for food concepts. The visualization will represent the impact of user actions on the simulation’s ecosystem.
We ran preliminary tests, where the anecdotal results showed that the game increased the players’ knowledge. Nonetheless, the simulation and the evaluation methods can be improved.
Several challenges had to be taken into consideration for the project:
The depth of the simulation’s gameplay and user interface affecting the potential knowledge transfer between simulation and player. During an organized workshop where visual designers and sustainable food experts conceptualized ways to visualize the simulation’s state, different technical constraints would appear depending on the visualization’s final output.
Lastly, the AI required preliminary data to model their behaviour, which we provided and generated using testers playing through the simulation prioritizing different objectives.
In order to validate the simulation’s impact on users and generate material which could be used to submit and publish papers, a new battery of tests had to be designed and was applied to a wide number of participants, using more precise and analytical methods.
The simulation’s gameplay was also expanded, in order to cover concepts of circular economy for food and sustainability more comprehensively. The simulation’s UI was also improved based on the findings from usability tests.
The project has a visceral visualization, aimed at triggering a holistic and poetic impression of the simulation’s state. The symbiosis between the simulation, the visualization and the AI bots provides material which can be used at a physical or virtual exhibition.
Special thanks
Modl.ai for providing AI tools for the project – https://modl.ai/
