In an attempt to hone the role of learners as designers, this study investigates the effectiveness of an instructional software application resulting from a design process founded on the tenets of participatory design, informant design, and contextual inquiry, as well as a set of established design heuristics. Collaboration occurred among learning systems researchers, educational technology consultants, college students studying software engineering and multimedia design, and primary school students to create a game-like software application for developing mapping skills in young urban students. A two-group pretest/posttest quasi-experimental design was conducted between two groups to measure the effectiveness of the application versus traditional classroom instruction. Descriptive, empirical results indicate that students using the software application afforded a marginal net benefit from pre- to posttest and, when tested on concepts covered by areas of the software that are conducive to fantasy, the experimental group experienced a greater benefit relative to students in a classroom setting. Results show a significant difference in four instances of the instructional software application. Generally, the collaborative, participatory design process caused a positive change in the academic climate for all stakeholders. (Contains 3 tables and 5 figures.)