1960's Escape Room

This 1960s-themed virtual escape room showcases my technical skills in Articulate Storyline, creativity in story and graphic design, and problem-solving expertise through an engaging and customizable gamified experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Designer & Developer
TOOLS USED: Articulate Storyline, Adobe Illustrator, Google Docs
PURPOSE: Professional Development / Portfolio Project
YEAR: 2023

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THE BACKGROUND

In search of a fun and interactive way to sharpen my technical development and creativity, I decided to create a virtual escape room. My goal was to hone my skills in Articulate Storyline and Adobe Illustrator while designing an engaging and challenging activity that had potential to be adapted as a gamified learning experience.

I designed and developed a 1960s-themed virtual escape room that invites users to explore, solve clues, and discover a 10-digit code to open the door and "escape." The game's flexibility makes it endlessly customizable for various audiences and themes, creating opportunities for engaging learning or team-building experiences.

THE PROCESS

Concept and Design

I started off by brainstorming the storyline, 1960s aesthetic, and basic mechanics of the escape room. Using Adobe Illustrator, I designed and built the "room" and its features, isolating and customizing elements from vector files or drawing elements to align with the theme. Use the arrows to scroll through a few examples.

Planning

To ensure a cohesive and logical flow, I used a detailed planning document to map out the hints, clues, and dependencies required for gameplay. Each puzzle was carefully designed to challenge users while providing an intuitive experience. Use the arrows to scroll and see more of the planning document.

Development in Storyline

I built the escape room using Articulate Storyline, leveraging complex variables, triggers, layers, and states. Manipulating audio, video, and graphic elements, I created immersive clues that captured the 1960s vibe. Extensive testing and trial-and-error refined the mechanics and flow of the game.

Compare a few key game screens to their "under the hood" counterparts in Storyline:

TAKE A LOOK

Do you think you can solve the mysteries of the room? Explore the finished product and see how all of these elements came together by visiting the link below.

The four walls of the room

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RESULTS & TAKEAWAYS

Team Testing

Once completed, I led the extended training team in a fun group game! Participants collaborated on teams virtually to solve clues and uncover the unlock code. The game was a hit! My colleagues were then able to provide me with valuable feedback to enhance the game’s play and impact in future iterations.

Skills Gained

Technical Mastery: Developing the escape room stretched my proficiency with Articulate Storyline, particularly in managing a large number of triggers and complex dependencies while ensuring logical gameplay.
Creative Growth: I honed my visual design skills, customizing images in Adobe Illustrator to create a cohesive 1960s aesthetic.
Problem-Solving: Designing logical and engaging puzzles reinforced my ability to think strategically and plan effectively.

Next Steps

This project demonstrated the potential for gamified learning experiences and opened doors for creating custom-themed escape rooms for other use cases if the puzzles and gameplay were linked to more content-focused learning objectives.

For example, the Sales team has expressed interest in adapting the concept for new hire onboarding with a custom company-themed escape room in which participants were uncovering and engaging with new hire information.

I’m excited to apply lessons learned to future projects, further refining my skills and creating even more impactful and engaging games.

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