User testing session to confirm final design
- Save State Design Introduction
- Primary User Group
- Justification for existence
- User test to identify location
- Save State Design – Welcome Screen
- Save State Design Gameplay screen
- Final Design Style
- User testing session - final design <--You're Here
- Appendix
We have successfully implemented the final design concept of the Save and Load state into the game for both Welcome and Gameplay screens. Next step was to conduct a user testing session [Appendix - Insights from Final User Testing Session] and simulate the experience within a game. The purpose was to evaluate that we have successfully accomplished our task. The goal of the user testing session was to:
- Evaluate our findings about consistent look and feel of the design
- Understand whether users can accurately associate all buttons with its intended meaning
In the usability testing session, we gave participants tasks such as save the game, return, and load the game. We selected our user group based on the target audience analysis from Sprint 2. For example, we asked probing questions such as what game style they like, or how frequently they play games. That way we were able to match them with our existing persona profile. If responses didn’t match (ex. Active gamer who likes to play Call of Duty) the participant wasn't admitted to the user testing session.
The testing session was broken into 3 steps. Approximately 10 minutes were allocated per one session.
Considering that people play games differently, we can infer that they would use save and load buttons differently as well. Our task was to simulate the gaming experience. We created a set of tasks and asked participant to Think Aloud [1] while completing it. We launched the game on a laptop and introduced the game mechanics. We then explained what the testing session is about.
Task 1: Please launch the game, play a bit, and then save the game
Findings: all participants were able to identify the “save button” on the screen.
Task 2: Please play the game and then load your last saved game from the home screen
Findings: all users have loaded the game from the main menu (some used “go back” icon)
Task 3: Please start a new game, go to settings, return, and load the last saved game
Findings: users successfully accomplished this task, although it took more time to identify the load icon. When compared, save icon is more intuitive and load icon needs improvement.
In conclusion, the test was successful in terms of ability to easily identify not only the location of the buttons but also correctly associate the meaning of the icons with its intended purpose. There was, however, one implication – in our user testing session it was evident that the Load icon in the gameplay screen is still causing frustration. As seen in Figure 18, to fix the issue, we’ve implemented a tooltip functionality into the gameplay. Now, when the user hovers over icons in the top right corner a helpful description appears. This solution mitigates the risks associated with the incorrect interpretation.
Figure 18: Hover effect added to mitigate the risks associated with incorrect misinterpretation and to improve player’s experience in the game.
Reflection. Findings from this user testing session pointed to the need to implement the tooltip functionality into the game. This could act as a helpful tool to assist the first-time players who are yet to familiarize themselves with the game mechanics. Furthermore, other teams could use this technique in the future. For example, when they implement new functionality or when they want to improve existing features. Currently there are many elements in the gameplay that lack any description. Incorporating the tooltip functionality would improve gaming experience and make the game more enjoyable by reducing the level of confusion to our target audience.
[1] Richardson, S., Mishuris, R., O'Connell, A., Feldstein, D., Hess, R., Smith, P., McCullagh, L., McGinn, T., & Mann, D. (2017). "Think aloud" and "Near live" usability testing of two complex clinical decision support tools https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5679128/