What You Don't Know Is Hurting You: How Aggressive User Research - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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What You Don't Know Is Hurting You: How Aggressive User Research - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Nov 26, 2023 150 likes •674 views

What You Don't Know Is Hurting You: How Aggressive User Research Improved Resistance 3 Drew Murray Creative Director, Insomniac Games Lead Designer on Resistance 3 External Playtest External Usability Test Developer Playtest Developer

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What You Don't Know Is Hurting You:

How Aggressive User Research Improved Resistance 3

Drew Murray

Creative Director, Insomniac Games Lead Designer on Resistance 3

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External Playtest External Usability Test Developer Playtest Developer Usability Test

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User Research Methods

Key questions:

  • 1. Who are you testing: Real gamers or developers?
  • 2. Aspect of experience: Affect, Behavior or Cognition?

(feeling, doing, or thinking?)

  • 3. Category of data: Qualitative or quantitative?
  • 4. How are you getting data: Observation, metrics,

self-reporting in situ, self-reporting post hoc?

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Usability Testing

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Usability Testing

RITE Method:

Rapid Iteration Testing Evaluation

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Internal Usability Tests

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External Playtesting

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Internal Company Playtesting

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All Methods

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Usability Testing

+ Momement-to-Moment Player Experience + Cheap and (Relatively) Easy + Flexible

  • Not Focus on Emotional Response
  • Limited Sample Size
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Resistance 3 Usability Research Goals

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Core Shooting Controls

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Criteria for Good Aiming Controls

Balanced Unbalanced Tight Loose

Balanced + Tight + Fast Correction

Fast Correction Slow Correction

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Testing Approach

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External Playtest External Usability Test Developer Playtest Developer Usability Test

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“Right off the bat, Resistance 3 controls wonderfully. . . . The shooting mechanics are tight and responsive. . . .”

  • IGN
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Usability Testing Tips

Work with an Expert

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Usability Testing Tips

Force the Player to Focus on What You’re Testing

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Usability Testing Tips

Build the Foundation Before the Penthouse

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Usability Testing Tips

New Employees = Gold

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Group Playtesting

+ Metrics

  • Amount of Time Involved
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External Playtest External Usability Test Developer Playtest Developer Usability Test

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Appropriate Research for Group Playtesting

Individual Feature Comparison Pacing and Difficulty Tuning Scores Generally Moving Up?

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Benefits to Developer Testing

Testing Prototypes and Speculative Gameplay Asking Detail-Oriented Questions

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Individual Feature Comparisons

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Individual Feature Comparisons

April 2011 Survey Results

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Individual Feature Comparisons

April 2011 Survey Results

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Individual Feature Comparisons

April & May 2011 Survey Results

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Individual Feature Comparisons

April & May 2011 Survey Results

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Individual Feature Comparisons

Atomizer

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Individual Feature Comparisons

Cryogun

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Individual Feature Comparisons

Sledgehammer

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Challenge / Difficulty Tuning

April 2011

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Challenge / Difficulty Tuning

April 2011 May 2011

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“. . . Resistance 3 possesses one of the most ingenious collections of weapons ever assembled in a video game; a veritable wheel of abject destruction which inspires a degree of familiarity which very nearly resembles parenthood.” - Joystiq

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Group Playtesting Tips

Plan Ahead

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Group Playtesting Tips

Identify Features with Pictures for Surveys

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Group Playtesting Tips

Tailor Questions to Audience and Testing Method

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Group Playtesting Tips

Make It Easy for Players to Take Your Survey

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Group Playtesting Tips

Automate Everything (But Manually Check Results)

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Did It Work?

“Best Resistance yet. . . by far.”

  • Playstation LifeStyle

“It’s easy to say that this is the best Resistance title.”

  • 1UP

“This third title is easily the best yet.”

  • Play.tm
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Was It Worth It?

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What You Don't Know Is Hurting You:

How Aggressive User Research Improved Resistance 3

Drew Murray

dmurray@insomniacgames.com

Additional Information on Game User Research:

Bill Fulton www.RoninUX.com