Development of ‘Equation Transformer Game Board’ to Enhance Thinking Skills

The new economy, driven by digital technologies could help developing countries diversify output and foster economic growth. Building capacity for digital development enhances the country capabilities to promote innovation, create knowledge and disseminate information. Digital networks increase communication as well as allow people, regions and nations to collaborate and share information aiming at fostering growth and sustaining development. For developing countries, external knowledge enhances the economy readiness to diversify output, create employment opportunities and improve global competitiveness. In an era where critical thinking skills are essential, the need for creative teaching tools grows. This study aims to develop the “Equation Transformer Game Board” as an innovative method for improving cognitive thinking skills and problem solving. This game board combines elements of entertainment and education to provide users with a compelling platform for improving critical thinking, strategic planning, and logical skills. This research uses an explanatory research design. The sample of participants is public, specifically targeting individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 through informal education. In the qualitative phase, there are in-depth interviews with users. The goal is to identify prevalent themes and preferences that will help shape the game board's design through thematic and descriptive analysis of the user interview data. From the data analysis, the study showed that three (3) themes from the interview were identified, which are positive feelings, constructive feedback, and thinking skills. From the descriptive analysis, 82% gave positive feelings, 11% gave constructive feedback, and 7% showed thinking skills out of N-72 users. This study shows that using this game board has a positive impact on enhancing thinking skills among users.