Project Two Final - Ann

Mazes

Mazes are simple. All you have to do is navigate from point A to B. It isn't very difficult to design a difficult maze, all you have to do is make a lot of decoy paths (this is when too many affordances adds to a design). I believe many people have fun with mazes because it of the simplicity of the task involved, even if the solution to a maze may be quite challenging. I find mazes very meditative. I prefer 3-dimensional mazes (like the one on Centre Island made from hedges) but a 2-D maze like the one I made is an easy metaphor for its 3-D counterpart.

Solving mazes can be frustrating, but there are many people like myself who enjoy the challenge. I think my mazes may have been too difficult for someone who gets frustrated easily, but it's a really good way to kill time if, for instance, you have a broken leg or something. The acetates and overhead markers included with the mazes means that if the solver goes down the wrong path, he or she can correct their mistakes instead of having to start a brand new maze. Also, they can pass the maze along to a friend or trade with them for another maze.

The removable acetates also allows the user to see the line drawing he or she has made by finding the right path out. In the case of the first maze (difficulty 7.5 out of 10) there is no representational drawing made by the out path, however in maze 2 (difficulty 6 out of 10) the way out makes a dirty picture that I will not post here. If you like, you can print it out and solve it at home. My only hint is that the way out, according to Superbad, is a symptom of a common syndrome afflicting one in ten children of pre-pubescent age.