Computing · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Game Design Principles: User Experience

Active learning builds students’ understanding of user experience by letting them test design choices immediately. Year 3 students need to feel and see why clear controls or helpful feedback matter, rather than just hear about them.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: Computing - Information Technology
• KS2: Computing - Digital Literacy

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs Prototyping: Intuitive Controls

Students pair up to sketch controls for a simple maze game, labeling buttons for move, jump, and pause. They test each other's sketches by acting out plays without verbal help, noting confusions. Pairs revise based on feedback.

Explain how to make game controls intuitive for a player.

Facilitation Tip

During Pairs Prototyping, circulate and ask each pair to explain why they chose certain button mappings before testing.

What to look for

Students playtest a classmate's simple game prototype (on paper or using a block-based tool). Ask them to answer: 'What was one thing you found easy to do?' and 'What was one thing that was confusing or frustrating?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 45 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Playtest Rounds

Groups build a basic game in Scratch Jr with actions and feedback. They rotate devices to play each other's games for 5 minutes, logging intuitive elements and frustrations. Groups debrief to suggest improvements.

Differentiate between a challenging game and a frustrating one.

Facilitation Tip

During Playtest Rounds, remind students to record one moment of confusion or ease for every tester.

What to look for

Give students a card with a scenario: 'A player just collected a special coin in your game.' Ask them to draw or write how they would use sound and color to show this success to the player.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Feedback Walkabout

Students display printed or drawn game interfaces around the room. Class members circulate, adding sticky notes on sound or color feedback effectiveness. Teacher leads vote and discussion on top designs.

Design a game interface that uses sound and color to signal success or failure.

Facilitation Tip

During the Feedback Walkabout, ask students to point to the visual or audio cue that helped them succeed or failed.

What to look for

Present two sets of game controls for the same action (e.g., 'Press A to jump' vs. 'Press the big blue button to jump'). Ask students: 'Which set of controls is more intuitive and why? How does this relate to making a game less frustrating?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 20 min · Individual

Individual: Redesign Challenge

Each student receives playtest feedback on their prototype. They redesign one element, like adding color cues for success, and explain changes in a short annotation. Share one revision with the class.

Explain how to make game controls intuitive for a player.

What to look for

Students playtest a classmate's simple game prototype (on paper or using a block-based tool). Ask them to answer: 'What was one thing you found easy to do?' and 'What was one thing that was confusing or frustrating?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with concrete examples students can touch and move, like paper prototypes or block-based tools, because abstract rules about UX don’t stick yet. Avoid long lectures; instead, let mistakes become teachable moments during live testing. Research shows young learners grasp intuitive design faster when they see peers struggle with unclear cues.

Successful learning shows when students explain why simple controls work better and adjust their own designs based on peer feedback. They use sound, color, and labels to guide players without extra clutter.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs Prototyping, watch for students adding extra buttons because they think more features make the game better.

  Pause pairs mid-prototype and ask them to test their game with only two buttons. If testers get stuck, they’ll see clutter firsthand and simplify.

• During Playtest Rounds, watch for students assuming players will win every time without clear feedback.

  Ask testers to point out any moment when they felt stuck or unsure. Guide designers to add a color flash or sound for each success or failure.

• During the Feedback Walkabout, watch for students believing controls are obvious because they designed them.

  Give each walker a sticky note to mark any unclear icon or button. Designers collect notes and swap one element before revising.

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Methods used in this brief

• Outdoor Investigation Session