Playing as a cultural dissemination strategy. Eco-bab: designing collaborative, playful and educational experiences

On the grounds of the outcome of a recent project about ecology based on collaboration and interaction, in this paper we explore the contribution that design can bring to the development of memorable playful experien- ces to informing, communicating, and engaging the public in complex topics. Within the broad and emerging realms of ‘gamification’ – a domain in which we have been lately increasingly engaged with several projects – our effort is to gain knowledge and skills in understanding how applied games and interactive technologies can be put to work to enhance the public’s understanding and appreciation of cultural and scientific heritage. In or- der to cope with such ‘wicked’, complex issues, and aiming at giving life to unique experiences through design, the paper discusses the steps that have lead us to develop “Eco-bab”. A playful collaborative experience that blends elements from the physical and the digital dimensions to spark the public engagement, the project aims at creating awareness about on the seminal role of phytoplankton in keeping our planet in ecological balance. In doing so, and on the grounds of the results gathered in a series of user-testing sessions, which proved the “Eco-bab” experience as functional and engaging, we will discuss how the design culture can foster the development of highly interactive and engaging informative experiences.