Brainfunc Beats
A new game mode for the Brainfunc app where you train your brain by moving to music. We made it for kids, adults and seniors alike.
Most brain training apps feel like homework. Brainfunc wanted something people would actually look forward to...
The existing exercises felt clinical and repetitive
Both younger and older users lost interest quickly
The app had nothing that got you moving
THE PROBLEM
How might we make brain training fun for everyone, no matter their age?
THE PROCESS
Brief → Ideation → Rapid Prototyping → Playtesting → Iteration → Final Build
01
Brief & Discovery
We met with Knightec and Brainfunc regularly throughout the project. Early on we held ideation workshops and built lots of quick prototypes to test different ideas.
02
Playtesting
When people played it, two problems kept coming up: it was hard to tell if you hit the beat, and the difficulty didn’t fit everyone. We kept adjusting until it felt easy to pick up and fun to keep playing.
03
Build & Delivery
We built a working prototype in Phaser.js and collaborated through Git. The prototype was implemented and handed over to Brainfunc as a foundation for a new game mode.
THE GAME
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Inclusive by design
The difficulty adapts, so kids, adults and seniors can all play.
Embodied cognition
You play with your body instead of a controller.
Intrinsic motivation
It should be fun first. The brain training comes along by itself.
KEY FINDINGS
Players were a lot more engaged when they got to move.
People understood the rhythm part right away, without any instructions.
Getting the difficulty right was key to making it work for all ages.
The choice of music made a big difference in how much people enjoyed it.
Mixing movement, music and brain exercises made people want to play one more round. When you’re moving, it stops feeling like training.
Brainfunc Beats taught me that a health app doesn’t have to feel like one. If it’s fun, people come back.