Budget Prioritization as Play

Ever wondered how business process training could be both fun and relevant? 

For the second time, my colleague, Maddie Shellgren, and I challenged ourselves to design an educational escape room concept in just 15 minutes based on randomly generated parameters. Our dice roll gave us: community (context), conference organizers (learners), and business process (purpose).

Within minutes, we narrowed our focus to budget prioritization practices for conference organizers within a university system. We envisioned an experiential learning game where players encounter various stakeholder priorities, make budgeting decisions, and see their consequences unfold, complete with surprise elements like unexpected sponsors or venue changes.

By designing for replayability and adding in-game time pressure, we envisioned creating a space for "playful imagining." Conference organizers could experiment with different decisions (including the extremes: where does it “blow up”?) without real consequences.  And they could reflect on their learning with peers who may themselves have different priorities in conference budgeting. 

Not only was this rapid ideation challenge fun for us, but it models a way to start when you’re thinking about designing a learning experience. Whether you’re facilitating playful networking or teaching business processes, start with your learning purpose.

Want to see more of our process? Watch the 7-minute video.

Interested in creating your own escape room for learning? Email to book a free Escape Room Strategy Session with us!

Playfully,

Laura