Affordance

What are Affordances?

Affordance are the properties of an object which show the possible actions that can be taken with said object. The most commonly used example is the handle one side and flat pad on the other side of a door. The handle affords that the door can be pulled, the pad affords that the door can be pushed. The characteristics of an object afford what can occur. It is a simple design process which follows the principle that an object should be presented with clear characteristics that make it easier to use. In this regard, if it isn't broken don't try to fix it. If you look at a light switch, it affords that it can be flipped in order to turn off or turn on the lights in a room. In this example, the design of a light switch is commonly used, which as a result makes it easy to recognise and be used easily by the user. Since light switches are so easy to understand and use, it, therefore, doesn't need to be changed to something more complicated like into a weight triggered pad. It's easy to understand and affords its function practically.

Examples of Good Affordances:

Below you will find examples of objects which have good affordances. The way they are designed makes their use simple and easy for anyone to understand.

Pathway

A pathway affords to a person that this may lead to somwhere that others have been too. Instead of wandering through a field, a person tends to stick to a path as it means other people have gone this route often.

Green to Go

At traffic lights the symbol for a person to stop is of a red man standing still. The symbol for a person to cross is of a gren man walking. In both examples the colour is used to represent stop and start, and the position of the man affords what an onlooker should be doing. If they see a still man, they themselves should reamin at rest, if they see the green man crossing they then know it is safe to cross.

Handles

handles suggest that a person can pull on an object. For the example above, car handles such a person can open the door by hand. The affordance is simple and easy for most to understand, especially as it is a widely used design.

Examples of Bad Affordances:

Below you will find examples of objects which have good affordances. The way they are designed makes their use simple and easy for anyone to understand.

Dials and Buttons

Although the action of a dial and button are simple to understand, the result and purpose of each button may not be so straight forward. I gave an example of a remote control which had good affordances as it was limited and had symbols to illustrate each buttons use, however in some cases there are not clear guidelines of what each button does. Above you can see a complex board of buttons and dials, although someone who is trained may understand them, most people will not undertand each individual pieces function. Therefore, although thea action of a button is easily afforded, the result and purpose of each button specifically, is not easily or quickly afforded.

Light Switches

A light switch or a button on its own is easy to afford. A user will tend to assume that a light switch affects the lighting in the room, making its affordance simple and recognisable. But a cluster of a good simple thing may cause difficulties and complications. I know what a light bulb typically affords, but in the example above, It would take a lot of trial and error to understand what each and every button and switch affords.

Why is it important in video games?

Affordances are used in video games to lead and direct the player to a specific action or item. Good affordances will mean that the user will be able to interact with the environment without the use of intrusive instructions. Affordances are useful in games design, as it helps direct the player through the experience. For instance, if an object is highlighted, the player knows they should interact with it. However, if a scene had no highlighted items, it may take the player a lot longer to search for what they need. This can have repercussions, as the player may give up early and quit the game, this is visible for most games, as many have an achievement to see what percentage of players complete a game. If the game is too difficult and contains poor affordances, then the player may not want to stick around and witness the full experience.

Examples of Affordances in Video Games

Below you will find examples of how affordances have been used in video games.

Colour

Colour sometimes holds a similar meaning across a genre of games. For instance, in the fantasy genre of games, red tends to represent health or heeling, blue tends to represent mana or magic, and green tends to represent dexterity or stamina. This seems to be a recurring theme, for instacne red represents health in Skyrim, Diablo, The Elder Scrolls Card Game, and Zelda. Red tends to generally represent an importance or a danger, so games tyoically use it to afford these messages to the player. In Call of duty, the screen gets reder when the player takes damage, its warning the player. It is a prominant colour that affords that the player should be paying attention.

Subtle Affordances

Subtle affordances blend in the background, but still convey an action to the player. In Rime, climbable ledges visually look different than standard ledges. In the image above, ledges which can be interacted with are covered in bird droppings. Its a subtle affordance, that doesnt require intrusive visuals.

Affordance Prototype

To test the affordances of objects in games, I have created a prototype of a scene with items which afford interaction to the player. Please click the button below to be taken to this page

Affordance Prototype

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Affordance

What are Affordances?

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Examples of Good Affordances:

Below you will find examples of objects which have good affordances. The way they are designed makes their use simple and easy for anyone to understand.

Examples of Bad Affordances:

Below you will find examples of objects which have good affordances. The way they are designed makes their use simple and easy for anyone to understand.

Why is it important in video games?

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Examples of Affordances in Video Games

Below you will find examples of how affordances have been used in video games.

Affordance Prototype

To test the affordances of objects in games, I have created a prototype of a scene with items which afford interaction to the player. Please click the button below to be taken to this page