CREDS researcher Michael Fell and UCL colleague Alexandra Schneiders reflect on their experience of developing an energy board game.
In a new Comment article for Nature Energy, we (CREDS researcher Michael Fell and UCL colleague Alexandra Schneiders) reflect on our experience of developing an energy board game.
We focus on ways we think it has helped our research practice, with the aim of encouraging other researchers to consider if a similar approach could work for them. We highlight three benefits in particular: prompting creative research thinking and conversations; improving our focus on the users of our work; and fostering genuine two-way engagement. We also briefly set out how we went about employing an agile, user-centred approach to develop the game. Check out the article for more.
If you are thinking about developing a game and would like to discuss, please feel free to get in touch on michael.fell@ucl.ac.uk. Our game Watts the Deal? aims to prompt discussion around the idea of peer-to-peer energy trading, and is currently available in online and print-at-home versions (and will be going back into production as COVID-19 guidance permits).
Reference
Fell, M.J. and Schneiders, A. Make fun of your research. Nature Energy, (2020). 10.1038/s41560-020-0623-8
Banner photo credit: Output from Flexibility workshop