CIS 577 Assignment 4

Winter 2008

For your fourth project, your task is to describe the design of a collaborative application that could be implemented in a Multi-User Virtual Environment like Second Life. Ideally your application should take advantage of the positive features of the target environment while working around its limitations. You may work with a partner if you wish.

Your application can be an interactive exhibit, virtual store, game, historical reenactment, or anything else approved by me that does not already exist in Second Life (or another virtual environment). To receive full credit your pitch document will need to contain non-trivial sections as defined below. Your write up should be 10 to 15 pages long (including the storyboard) and is due two weeks from today.

Overview

Briefly describe your vision for appplication its contents and special features. Use this to hook the reader and to foreshadow the rest of the document.

Objective

What will the users experience or learn from this application?

Audience

Who is the application designed for? Describe them in terms of their age, gender, experience, etc. Are the users likely to be physically near each other or far apart?

Context of Use

Where would your application be used (home, school, training facility)? What is the likelihood that the application will be used more than once? How long would a single session take to complete?

Motivation

Once the novelty has worn thin, what will sustain user enthusiasm to repeat this experience?

Avatars and Roles

Who are the users acting as? Themselves? Someone else with a pre-specified point of view or goal? What will their avatars be wearing? If there are costumes, how will they be distributed to them? (Will the players need to have some scripted gestures or other scripts that you provide?

Objects and Locations

What other virtual objects will be needed? What will they look like? Will they contain any scripts that control the way they interact with players? Where will this application take place (describe environment)? Does it depend on players being in a particular place in Second Life or could it be staged anywhere?

User Goal

Is there an end state that users are striving for? If so, describe it. If not, explain how users learn what is available to do in your application.

Play by Play

Describe step by step how users will interact with each other in your applications. What happens first? Then what? Are there branches in the script? Illustrate this section with a storyboard for your application.

Assigned: 3-20-08

Date due: 4-03-08