Case Study: Unreleased Combat Game - Core Mechanics, Game Usability Study
This is a study done for an unannounced game by an Xbox first party game studio. Note that portions of this case study has been omitted due to highly tented information. Please contact me at kddomines@gmail.com if you have any follow-up questions.
Project Summary
What I Did
The Team
A usability test was conducted for an NDA game in the pre-production stage. A qualitative approach was taken with 8 players with no prior exposure to the game.
In this study, I created the study plan, lead single-player usability sessions, collected and analyzed all individual and multiplayer data and compiled insights into a presentation.
User Researcher II, User Research Specialist (me), Principal Artist, Senior Producer, Principal Programmer, Senior Designer
Background & Goals
The user research team partnered with an Xbox First Party Game Studio with the goals to improve the August 2022 build of a game in the pre-production stage.
Key study questions included:
- Do players understand gameplay-related iconography and feedback? Why or why not?
- Do players understand what makes their player stronger or faster than others? Why or why not?
- Do players understand core gameplay mechanics such as [core mechanic A] and how to utilize items? Why or why not?
- Do players understand the multiplayer game rules and how to defeat an opposing team? Why or why not?
Methodology
1.5 hour usability sessions were conducted with 8 players (Internal Xbox Researchers) with little to no prior exposure to the game. Additionally, one 1.5 hour multiplayer session with all 8 players was conducted after individual sessions were completed. Players were required to have a steam account and an Xbox controller to participate in the usability session.
Insights
Some major insights included:
- Most participants did not understand what made their character stronger or faster, with some participants describing using "trial-and-error" to get desired stats.
- Most participants did not initially understand icons for speed and health. For instance, some participants thought the speed icon was related to defense.
- Some participants did not see action prompts displayed in the center of the screen (e.g., "Press X" to use item).
- Most participants described camera-controlled movement as frustrating because it could be difficult to move while fighting enemies or surveying enemy positions.
- Some participants wanted to change character movement sensitivity and motion blur options, noting the risk of motion sickness with blurred visuals and fast camera movement.
- Most players understood aiming and how to use [items A and B].
For more details, please contact me at kddomines@gmail.com.