Exploring the role of drama and storyboarding in learner-centered scenario generation

Involving learners at an early stage of learning environment design enables the researchers to base a system around their needs. This approach is particularly advantageous when designing innovative system that encourages the experiential and entertaining activities of learners in areas such as social learning. The paper describes the learner centered design process which was used to develop a visual representation for interactive narrative in Shimpai Muyou! focusing on the difficult and often devastating problem of bullying in schools. Early consultation with our users through the use of drama and electronic storyboarding techniques ensured that the representations we proposed could be comprehended and subsequently generated by children in the target age group. A rich picture of the process and effects of children involvement in the creation of believable synthetic characters and engaging scenarios has been presented that has revealed several important design implications.