Iowa State University
Water Rocks!
Case Study
COPPA Compliant 3D Interactive Web-based Educational Game
At a Glance
Client
Iowa State University’s Water Rocks! program
Project Phase 1
Re-imagined two dimensional game as a 3D immersive experience, with new options for land use.
Project Phase 2
Enhanced game landing page experience and added sound effects and game music.
Services Provided
13X engagement
As compared with previous
International Award Winner
2x ASABE Blue Ribbon award winner for technical merits and engaging delivery
COPPA Compliant
Required when designing for children
The Client
Based at Iowa State University, Water Rocks! is a dynamic, award-winning statewide youth water education program that serves as a leading voice in youth education and environmental stewardship across the state of Iowa. Water Rocks! combines science with music and the arts to inspire young Iowans to explore the critical importance and interconnections of water, land, and wildlife in our state.
The Situation
The Water Rocks! team first came to us with an idea for a game where middle and high school age kids could learn about water by choosing how to utilize several plots of land, and then seeing the results. The goal: help kids connect land use choices to the impact on the environment, especially as it relates to water.
As Ann Staudt, Director of Water Rocks! says, “Rock Your Watershed!: A Game of Choice and Chance seeks to help middle school and high school youth better understand the complex relationships between agricultural and urban practices, land management choices and the health of our water, soil, and biodiversity.”
The game needed to be engaging and fun for kids (and any adults they might bring into the game) while also being scientifically sound, incorporating the complexities of concepts like water quality, land management, erosion, nutrient transport, biodiversity, and climate science together into one immersive experience.
It was a perfect situation to invoke a compelling user experience to tell meaningful stories that would help kids learn these important concepts.
Take this with you
For even more screenshots and details, download the free PDF.
Results: Game Board
The Results Up Close
Results: In the client’s words
“PFT knocked it out of the park with their creativity, vision, technical expertise, and customer focus—they were the perfect partner to not only bring this project to life but take it to the next level to support our work in promoting environmental stewardship and clean water across the state of Iowa!”
Ann Staudt
Director
Water Rocks!
Security and compliance
Water Rocks! knew a secure, compliant solution was critical to achieve trust from educators and end users. That’s why we partnered with them to assess the current state of the app’s security and perform the needed upgrades so they -- and their users -- could feel confident.
A listing of our available services is provided below. We do not share specifics of particular clients’ security posture.
HIPAA Compliance
We’re fluent in HIPAA requirements and design our applications to protect personal health information from the ground up.
From secure authentication flows to careful handling of user data, our team is trained to recognize and respect protected health information (PHI) throughout the product lifecycle.
ADA Compliance
We follow WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines to ensure accessibility is built into every screen we design—not retrofitted later. Our designers and engineers are trained in accessible interface practices, and we routinely test for keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and color contrast to make sure your app works for everyone.
Security
Security isn’t just a checklist—it’s part of our engineering culture. We implement secure coding standards, have every pull request double-peer reviewed, and integrate with trusted identity providers. Our team is trained in secure development practices and routinely collaborates with client IT and compliance teams to meet or exceed enterprise security standards.
What sets us apart
Clients come back again and again because we offer:
Speed of delivery: We offer startup pace, with enterprise quality.
Empathetic UX research: We are skilled facilitators and researchers who will make the process easy for you.
Interdisciplinary collaboration: We emphasize a collaborative approach, bringing together UX, operations, security, compliance, marketing and data teams to quickly iterate on the best solutions.
Onshore development team: We are a fully remote team proudly located 100% in the United States.
Design QA discipline: We QA not only for functionality, but also for smoothness of use and aesthetic beauty. You deserve to be proud of your application.
Security & Compliance rigor: Security and compliance are an integral focus of our training and design from day one.