Game UX project: Finding the fun
Product: Multiplayer video game for PC (Racing, Open world, ARPG)
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Company: Agate
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Role: Lead UX Researcher
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Date: June 2023
Please note that the game is still in development and specific information is confidential and cannot be published online.
Project scope:
In this case study, I led a UX research project for Antidote and Agate, focusing on conducting usability evaluation and concept testing for a multiplayer adventure game.
Our primary objectives were to
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Validate the game's concept,
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Identify usability issues,
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Evaluate the multiplayer experience,
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and explore innovative potential product directions.
The game is situated within the Racing/Open-world/Adventure genre. Its inventive approach can captivate enthusiasts of both genres.
As with any groundbreaking product, our aim is to harmonize with user mental models and enhance the "flow" experience for players.
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Generative Research:
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Evaluative Research:
Conducted focus group sessions to understand in-depth the experience of users and explore interesting insights and directions.
Performed unmoderated usability tests including think-out-loud comments and surveys to uncover issues and inform design improvements.
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Methodology
Impact
Guided development roadmap
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Enhanced user Interface design and game mechanics
Strengthened player long-term engagement
Optimized multiplayer experience and aligned mismatched expectations
The process
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The research was conducted in two phases, with two separate groups of 10 players each. This approach was designed to capture diverse insights. The first phase focused on establishing a usability foundation, while the second phase evaluated the impact of a new feature on a broader player demographic.
Phase 1:
Recruit players who have previous experience in playing the game "Genshin Impact"
Research objectives:
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Validate the game's concept - is the core loup engaging enough?
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Identify FTUE usability issues
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Evaluate the game's multiplayer experience
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Explore potential product directions
Phase 2
Recruit players who have previous experience in playing adventure games e.g. Tomb Raider
Research objectives:
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Validate the new feature implemented
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Identify potential usability issues in the overall gameplay and interaction between players
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Evaluate the game's multiplayer experience
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Explore new potential product directions
Defining participants
Tailoring participants to match the game's potential audience, we designed targeted recruitment surveys based on gaming habits and preferences.
*Players were recruited directly from Antidote's player base .
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PART 1
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Players of: Genshin Impact players
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Age: 18+
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Gender: Any
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Number of players: 10​​
PART 2
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Players of:​
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It Takes Two (Variety of traversal mechanics, puzzle-solving, multiplayer)
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Tower of Fantasy (Closest to Genshin but leaning more on sci-fi)
Riders Republic (Open-world, racing) -
Tomb Raider/Rise of the Tomb Raider/Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Traversal, exploration)
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Age: 18+
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Gender: Any
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Number of players: 10​​
Sample Questions
-Which of these genres have you played in the past 6 months?
-Which of these games have you played for 50 hours or more in the past year?
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-How many hours have you played: Tower of Fantasy?
0-5 hrs
5-10 hrs
10-30 hrs
30-60 hrs
60-100 hrs
I haven't played at all
Playtest structure
PART 1
Play for 60 mins
Answer the survey
Focus group
PART 2
Play for 60 mins
Answer the survey
Focus group
Analysis
Report
Players were asked to play for 1 hour while recording their screen and providing real-time think-aloud comments.
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After the playtest players answered a survey and joined a Focus Group session to further discuss their experience with the game.
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Why focus group?
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Interactive dialogue fosters open expression, revealing shared issues and suggestions for improvement.
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Focus groups uncover group dynamics, providing holistic insights beyond individual testing.
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Why qualitative survey?
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This method captures detailed feedback, emotions, and context, helping uncover underlying motivations, user stories, and valuable context that informs more targeted design decisions
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Naturally, for each phase, we asked the players to answer a different survey.
Please note, that I can only include here in full the first survey as the second survey contains further sensitive information.:
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Sample Questions
[Survey 2]
-What game do you think has a good spectator feature?
-How did you find the controls for each available camera mode?
-How likely are you to recommend the game prototype to a friend or colleague?
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-What do you think of the duration of the race? (1. Too short - 5. Too long)
-Please rate: I can read the text clearly and comfortably (1. Strongly disagree - 5. Strongly agree)
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-Please rate: I have grasped an understanding of the game's world from the game’s setting
(1. Strongly disagree - 5. Strongly agree)
Analysis
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After conducting both playtests we carried out a thematic analysis on our Miro board and came up with actionable insights for the final report.
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Actionable Insights
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Some insights that impacted the design are:
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While players embraced the game's concept and feel, bugs and usability issues disrupted gameplay flow and the overall experience.
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The new feature lacked interactivity and mechanics to engage players for the long term.
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The game needs more goals and diverse content to motivate players.
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Need for implementation of immediate and impactful feedback on micro-interactions
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Balance difficulty to maintain engagement and combat monotony over time.
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Impact
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By utilizing a generative and evaluative research approach we managed to uncover mismatched player mental models and discover actionable insights to inform the next steps of the game development process.
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This product is currently in development and certain aspects are under NDA.
For more information on the research report please email me at theavaxe@icloud.com