The Shape Factory

Shape Factory is an educational learning environment for primary school children (ages 7–10) that promotes algorithmic thinking, problem-solving, and spatial reasoning through an engaging factory simulation. Designed by Prof. Dr. Günter Krauthausen and Jun.-Prof. Dr. Christian Urff, the app combines educational expertise with child-friendly design.

In a virtual factory, children configure machines that transform colored geometric workpieces step by step: drawing lines, punching holes, and rotating shapes. Through visual representation and immediate feedback, children directly experience how their decisions affect the outcome.

FIVE GAME MODES FOR DIVERSE LEARNING

• Experiment – Freely explore machines and their effects through discovery learning
• Predict – Mentally predict the result of a production line, then verify
• Make – Design production lines to create ordered workpieces and find different solutions
• Optimize – Identify redundant machines and achieve the same result more efficiently
• Repair – Analyze, diagnose, and fix faulty production lines

EDUCATIONAL FEATURES

• Four difficulty levels per mode with optional expert mode
• Adaptive difficulty that automatically adjusts to the learner's level
• Warehouse for saving, comparing, and sorting production lines
• QR code exchange for sharing configurations between devices
• Add notes to saved configurations
• PDF export and photo saving of production lines

COMPREHENSIVE TEACHER SETTINGS

• Show or hide individual game modes to match the classroom situation
• Control difficulty levels and adaptive adjustment
• Individually configure counters, warehouse, and QR code features
• Enable or disable automatic task progression
• Built-in information about task formats and classroom use

LEARNING GOALS

The app fosters algorithmic thinking, spatial reasoning (mental rotation, orientation, symmetry), problem-solving skills, logical reasoning, optimization thinking, and systematic approaches. It is ideal for mathematics, science, and computer science education.

TEACHING GUIDE

A comprehensive didactic guide with lesson scenarios, research questions, differentiation tips, and methodological recommendations is available free of charge at www.urff.app/formen-fabrik.

PRIVACY & SAFETY

• No ads
• No tracking
• No in-app purchases
• No internet connection required
• No registration needed
• All data stays on the device

Shape Factory – built for children, designed for the classroom.