What is Eterna?
Ete.RNA is a community science game where players participate in competitions to design RNA molecules. Experience player designs are then created and tested in a real life Stanford biochemistry lab to determine the “winners”. Each round of designing and testing improves the overall understanding and effectiveness of the community.
Summary of Project Structure
After working on a small research project for Fold.it during my time at Carnegie Mellon University, I was invited to join the development team of their next project, Ete.RNA.
I was the only UX specialist on the team. My role was to help the team incorporate user-centered design and testing feedback into their design process. On the design side I was responsible for designing the gameplay controls when players are interacting with a puzzle.
My Assignment:
- Be an advocate for the players in a room full of developers.
- Make a very complex game more approachable with efficient controls and whimsical interaction design.
- Collect and present playtesting data on a regular basis in order to infuse the player perspective into the design process.
Key Contributions
1. Use the UI to remind players of science facts that are hard to remember.
2. Add ability to “paint in pairs”.
3. Add bubbles for errant clicks; make usability fun!
Achievements
The game is still flourishing many years later. https://eternagame.org/
It has been featured in many publications:
Want to know more? Shoot me an email at uxnoah@gmail.com, or schedule a time with me here.