Electric Sporran
Electric Sporran · Design Services

A small design
practice.

Game design and gamification consultancy, for game developers and educational organisations.

We have over a decade of experience in gamification and serious game design, working across higher education, healthcare, research and service design. We work with game developers who want rigorous design input, and with educators and institutions who want to do more than just bolt points and badges onto a course. We're particularly interested in helping to gamify your serious education ventures, with plenty of experience across higher education and public sector environments.

Services range from quick idea reviews through to comprehensive gamification audits of entire courses. If you have a project you'd like to talk through, get in touch. We'll tell you honestly whether it's a good fit, and point you elsewhere if it isn't. We can help you to transform your activities into card games, table-top board games, or even escape rooms. We're open to digital solutions over a longer period, so please get in touch to discuss your ideas.

§I

Services

All pricing discussed on enquiry
Stream A

Game Design
Services

For independent developers and small studios.

01Design

Game design consultancy

Feedback and advice on your game design. Depending on where you are in development this might mean a GDD review, an analysis of your core loops, a look at a specific mechanic, or something broader. Delivered as a written report, a call, or both.

  • GDD review & critique
  • Game loop analysis
  • Mechanics & systems consultation
  • Progression & pacing
02Clinic

Drop-in design clinic

Thirty minutes on one topic. Good for a quick sense-check, feedback on a specific problem, or just talking something through when you've been going in circles. Priced to be accessible, particularly for hobbyist and early-career developers.

  • Bookable as a single 30-minute session
  • One focused topic per session
  • No written deliverable, just a direct conversation
03Research

Player research & playtesting protocols

Designing feedback instruments that give you something useful to act on, not just an enjoyment rating. Survey and questionnaire design, structured playtesting protocols, interview guides, and analysis support.

  • Playtesting frameworks & protocols
  • Survey & questionnaire design
  • Feedback analysis & reporting
04Advisory

Serious games advisory

For developers thinking about the education, healthcare or social impact market. How procurement works, what these clients actually need, and how to pitch to them. Based on direct experience across higher education, the NHS and the charity sector.

  • Market orientation & positioning
  • Procurement & commissioning guidance
  • Pedagogical design principles
Stream B

Education &
Professional
Services

For universities, professional educators and organisations using game design to improve learning and professional development.

05Gamification

Gamification strategy & design

Helping institutions design gamification that actually works, rather than just adding points and leaderboards to something that didn't need them. From a quick audit of an existing course to a full strategy across a programme, with mechanics, implementation plan and facilitator guidance. Custom activity design (escape rooms, card games, tabletop exercises) is also available as a standalone.

  • Gamification audits & opportunity reviews
  • Strategy & framework design
  • Custom activity & game design
  • Facilitator resources & training support
06Research

Research & evaluation

Designing studies and feedback approaches to measure the impact of educational innovation. Useful for teams preparing grant applications or publications, or those who need to demonstrate that what they've built is actually working. Covers study design, instrument development, ethics support and analysis planning.

  • Impact evaluation design
  • Survey & instrument development
  • Grant & publication support
  • Data analysis & reporting
07Digital

Educational app & digital tool design

Design consultancy for institutions building digital learning tools, based on experience across more than twenty healthcare education apps. Design and specification work, not software development: requirements, user journeys, wireframes and a full functional spec ready for your development team. Review of existing tools also available.

  • Concept, scoping & requirements
  • Wireframes & functional specification
  • UX & pedagogical review
§II · How we work

Four steps, nothing fancy

i

Letter

Tell us a bit about what you're working on. We reply within a week, honestly, even if the answer is no.

ii

Sketch

A short paid scoping pass. Rough directions, a fixed quote, a start date. About a week.

iii

Make

The work itself, taken seriously. Weekly check-ins and working files throughout.

iv

Hand-off

Final files and a short usage guide. We check back in after a month.

A good fit if

You're probably us-shaped if…

  • You're a small studio or solo developer with a game idea.
  • You want focused, direct input rather than an agency process.
  • You want advice based on meaningful experience.
  • You want to own and keep using the work when we're done.
Probably not, if

You should look elsewhere if…

  • You need something turned around in 24 hours.
  • You need a large-scale multilingual build.
  • You're looking for AI-generated key art.
  • You want it to look like a current AAA studio.
Get in touch

Got a project in mind?

Tell us a bit about what you're working on and what you need. We reply within a week — honestly, even if the answer is no.

We're a small studio and we read everything.

Electric Sporran Ltd · Edinburgh