CoffeeQuest
Concept and design by James Harris Experience Design (senior year) Teacher: Julia Pellicciaro Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design October 2012
www.dawnpaladin.com
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table of contents
1 Intro 5 Personas 7 Stu Owen 9 Michelle Britz 11 Victor Schuss
13 Scenario
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It’s a coffee shop where you play board games and make friends.
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Amazing new board games come out all the time, but people don’t buy them unless they have friends who’ll play with them. This coffee shop supplies the games and hopes you’ll find friends on the spot who’ll have you coming back again and again.
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Let me tell you about your new favorite coffee shop.
Every month, CoffeeQuest staff pick the hottest new game on the market and buy a copy for our customers to play with. Visit our shop and you can enjoy the best new games on the market, along with classics like Chess and Settlers of Catan, all in the comfort of our elegantly-designed lounge while being served frothy drinks by our attentive staff, who are fully trained in the rules of all our games and are available if you need a referee or another player. We stock rulebooks, accessories, and expansions for games like Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and Pokemon, and we hold regular tournaments and game nights.
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Never played anything more advanced than Checkers? That’s fine! We’re happy to explain gameplay and recommend a game you might enjoy. Wednesday nights we run D&D Encounters, an ideal introduction to role-playing games and a perfect place to make friends. You’ll also find a generous collection of comic books, novels, and scientific literature if you’re not in the mood to socialize. And the free wifi we provide is faster than any you’ll find at a competing coffee shop—which is good, because it keeps the latency low on our in-house TF2, Battlefield, and Minecraft servers.
Come for the games, stay for the friends you’ll make. 4
So what sort of people might you expect to run into at CoffeeQuest?
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Personas Let’s meet some of the regulars...
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Stu Owen Full-time student Age: 34 Priorities: Quiet, comfort, connectivity
Gaming knowledge - Coffee knowledge - Social level - Tech usage level - Visit frequency
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“Your strategy, like your candidate, is inadequate to the challenge at hand.”
Stu is midway through his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. He’s a driven, focused young man, with little patience for anything standing in the way of his dream. His friends have learned not to bother him when he’s plowing through a mountain of homework, but they admire his dependability in a crunch. In his rare free moments, Stu enjoys intricate strategy games, discussing politics, and Indian Pale Ale beer.
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Michelle Britz Socialite Age: 25 Priorities: Comfort, atmosphere, meeting new people
Gaming knowledge - Coffee knowledge - Social level - Tech usage level - Visit frequency
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“You’re sweet, but I want a man with a higher K/D ratio.”
Michelle works as a hairdresser in a local salon. She’s extraordinarily bright, scoring a 1550 on her SATs, but isn’t able to afford college and couldn’t acquire a scholarship. She isn’t happy at her day job, which keeps her on her feet all day and doesn’t provide stimulating conversation. She wants a place where she can sit in a comfy chair, kick ass at her favorite board games, and sharpen her wits against fellow fans of Sailor Moon, Battlestar Galactica, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She’s also on the market for a date, but finding someone who can keep up with her in conversation is a challenge...
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Victor Shuss Power gamer Age: 18 Priorities: food, knowledge, winning
Gaming knowledge - Coffee knowledge - Social level - Tech usage level - Visit frequency
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“Magic? Yeah, I can show you how to play. Heh.”
Anyone who needs a rules clarification, no matter how obscure, can always rely on Victor. Somehow he’s memorized the rules to every game in the store and has opinions on the merits of each. He’s happy to show off his knowledge, which makes him a valuable resource—and a dangerous opponent. No-one knows how he affords his vast collection of games and comics, or why a black armored van drops him off for each tournament. Victor never, ever talks about himself, so the world may never know...
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Scenario Victor’s Story
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Having finished that regrettable business with MI-6, Victor found himself hungry. The loss of his pilot meant that he would likely be stuck in Denver for at least a few weeks, and the Libyans were probably watching, so instead of reaching out to his contact network, he did what any ordinary tourist would have done and opened Google Maps on his phone. The screen showed the usual sprinkling of coffeeshops and fast-food chains, along with something new. Tapping at his phone to bring up more details, Victor raised an intrigued eyebrow. This will do nicely.
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Victor strolled inside CoffeeQuest and up to the counter. The drinks on the menu were numbered one through twenty, formatted in the style of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and a small sign offered guests the opportunity to roll to determine their order. Charming. Victor ordered a sandwich (BLT, and make sure the lettuce is fresh) and turned to examine his surroundings.
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A game of Settlers of Catan was in progress nearby. The players were arguing loudly over the rules for a victory condition; Victor smoothly moved in and explained the apparent contradiction. His words explained the nuances so skillfully that the players invited him to join the next round, which he won.
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Rather than rubbing it in, Victor elected to sit out the next game and chat about the nuances of the game with a girl named Michelle. He noticed her tapping at her phone, and she mentioned the CoffeeQuest app; he downloaded a copy and was pleasantly surprised at its functionality. Not many coffeeshops awarded experience points, much less titles and discounts for leveling up. Victor could tell he was going to like it here and resolved to visit again the next time he was in North America. CoffeeQuest would make a fine home-away-from-home when the Queen’s business wasn’t calling him to more urgent matters...
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Research Appendix Preparatory to this design project, I conducted research to determine what sort of new coffee shop was needed most, as well as Denver’s economic climate. I visited six local businesses, conducted interviews with employees, and talked to patrons to determine customer expectations and create the personas listed on pages 7-12 of this document. Sadly, CoffeeQuest is but a fantasy. I’d be thrilled to visit a shop like the one outlined in these pages, though; if you’re an enterpreneur with loads of cash, permission is granted to steal this business model and turn it into a success. I’ll be a loyal patron. Contact me (dawnpaladin@gmail.com) if you need someone to design an awesome visual look!
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I’d like to express my thanks to several different business which helped to inspire CoffeeQuest. First is the two-story Borders Bookstore which used to occupy a place of prominence in Colorado Mills Mall. They had a great little lounge and a broad selection of D&D books, and I spent many happy hours there with my laptop working on design projects. I was truly saddened when it vanished, and angered when its memorable signange was appropriated by the sofa store that moved in to replace it. Thanks also go to The Wizard’s Chest, gaming store and costume shop par excellence, and a primary pillar of the gaming community here in Denver. Finally, I’d like to recommend Fireside Books & Coffee, which sheltered me into the wee hours of the morning when I was slaving over this project. The world needs more 24hour coffee shop/bookstore combinations. Check them out! 22
www.dawnpaladin.com
Š2012 by James Harris