What is it about?
This article tells the story of how the Pack game was created over eight years. It explains how the museum used research to design and improve digital learning tools, how the game and its resources were used in classrooms and museum programs, and what the team learned along the way. The project was part of a federally funded education effort, and the lessons from it can help others make digital tools that include and engage all learners.
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Photo by Husniati Salma on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Our article comes at a moment when museums and educators are increasingly focused on how to design digital learning tools that are both research-driven and inclusive. By reflecting on eight years of developing the Pack game, we contribute a grounded example of how long-term, iterative collaboration between researchers, designers, and educators can produce meaningful learning experiences that bridge formal and informal settings. This perspective is especially timely as the field looks for sustainable models of digital tool development that move beyond short-term projects and center equity and access. We hope our lessons will inform and inspire others working to create digital resources that meaningfully connect computational thinking with diverse learners.
Perspectives
I hope readers will see how museums can act as “third spaces” for STEM learning—places that connect to formal education but offer experiences that are distinct and complementary. Through our work on the Pack game, I want to show how museums can contribute to the STEM learning ecosystem by designing research-based, inclusive digital tools that engage learners in meaningful ways. I also hope people will recognize the participatory approach we have developed over years of working closely with visitors, using formative research and collaborative design to create learning experiences that are both impactful and grounded in real-world interactions.
Laycca Umer
New York Hall of Science
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Designing with Purpose: The Role of Formative Research in a Science Museum's Computational Thinking Game Development, Games Research and Practice, November 2025, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3773081.
You can read the full text:
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