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Company: indigo multimedia limited
Project: The Real Game
Dates: Oct 2007 to Jan 2008
How did the project start?
Prospects are national organisation and leading provider of educational support services in the UK.
They approached Indigo to develop an online version of The Real Game, a series of classroom-based programmes developed to help students learn more about themselves and the opportunities and responsibilities of adult life in a fun and constructive way.
What options did you consider?
Until our involvement these learning materials had been paper based and in hard copy format, due to sheer size and increasing print costs the company was looking for a more sustainable approach. The online resource we developed contains many new and exciting features; it is character driven and has the functionality and flexibility to work in an offline environment. We also had to bear in mind the ease with which the resources could be used and accessed by those delivering the materials.
What help and expertise did you receive?
We worked with the existing product material to translate the brand and give it a dynamic interface. The approach to product development at Indigo is always very user centric, we worked with a cross section of young people in focus group environments to develop both the game environment and create the character.
In the Real Game students assume life/work roles and the learning is designed to be fun!
Did you face any challenges or learn any lessons?
One challenge was creating a product that would not alienate the existing client base, who were used to working with children in an offline environment. Because the Real Game was so popular in the teaching environment, introducing an online version required us to stay true to the brand and concept. We also had to make it scalable; there were a lot of technical requirements, due to the high traffic the site would take. We also had to ensure admin functions that teachers would use to manage the system in a classroom were flexible and easy to use.
What are the outcomes and how has it improved your business?
Prospects have really capitalized on the gap that existed in the market and the Real Game online has grown rapidly; it now has 33,000 users across the UK. The new, Indigo developed version has taken the resources into the 21st Century and the many new and exciting features ensure teachers can deliver exciting, effective and innovative careers education and guidance programmes.
What are your plans for the future?
The success of the Real Game as an online resource has been one of rapid growth; we are working closely with our Prospects to develop more exciting resources within the series for the future.
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