During the last weekend I’ve played a lot the new Prince of Persia. Which, I think, is a quite mediocre game. But that’s not the point.
It occurred me that we can learn a lot from how videogames deal with the princess figure. So I started to think about how princesses fit in game design. And realized that it is a pretty good metaphor of a feature in a web application.
As for now, I found three kind of archetipal princesses that you can use to see if it make sense including a certain feature in your design. It si of course semi-seriuous, but I think could be good to see things from a different perspective.
So, this is the princess test.
Number one: the princess as an end
Archetipal Princess: Peach, from Mushroom Kingdom (Super Mario Bros.)
Description: princesses like Peach are extremely important. Their captivity is why the player starts playing a game in first place. They are the very end of the game, always hiding in another castle.
In web applications: princesses like Peach represent, in web app, the core features. The application itself cannot exist without them. They just won’t make sense. As an example, think about a blog post text form in a blogging application. Princess Peach features should never be ignored. They are vital.
Number two: the princess as a gameplay element
Archetipal Princess: Yorda, the ghastly princess
Description: Yorda, from the videogame Ico, is not only an end. The game takes place when you meet her and decide to save her. She’s delicate and weak and scared. So you have to take her by hand, to proctect her, to find easier routes for her. She changes the gameplay from inside. Without Yorda, Ico would have been the usual action adventure.
In web applications: Yorda-like princesses can really make the difference in an application. They can change the way people uses it. The downside is that they can change the interaction in an undesired way. A positive example could be the 140 character limit in Twitter, which created a new way to blog. Yorda features should be implemented, because they can really make the difference in your app. But keep an eye, beacause they can change the environment too much and become confusing.
Number three: the princess as a coreographic element
Archetipal princess: Elika, the Persian hot babe
Description: Elika is the mysterious princess from the last Prince of Persia. Although always present in the game, and quite functional for the narration, she has no real effect on the gameplay. She can perform some actions, but they could have been implemented in other ways without changing the game meaning. She is not even an end, because saving her is not the only point of the game (you have to save yourself also).
In web applications: Elika is the kind of feature that apparently can be seen as meaningful. you think it actually is changing something, but in the and it’s only an aesthetic variation. A good example could be the timeline view in Plurk. What changes in the overall experience? Nothing, it’s just a different way to see the same information. I won’t say that you shouldn’t implement such features. Eye candy is important, after all. But pay a lot of attention; these features require time and don’t improve so much the experience. If you are on limited budget, or the milestones are approaching fast, don’t be afraid and cut them away.
If you think there are other princesses around, please tell me.
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