Getting More From Usability Testing
Another post for Player Research, this time covering some tips and tricks for usability testing your game effectively.
Foreword in ‘How To Be A Games User Researcher’
Friend and colleague Steve Bromley has penned a superb book on the foundations of games user research.
I’m honoured to have contributed the foreword and to the editing of the book. I even managed to grab an hour of Steve’s time to discuss his perspective on games user research. Listen to the interview below.
GRUX Online
I worked behind the scenes to ensure the GRUX Online conference went swimmingly. All the videos are on YouTube.
Imaginary Fun for Imaginary Players at ChinaJoy
If there is no agreement on who our players are – or what they consider ‘high quality’ – then how do we make good creative decisions every day?
I spoke at ChinaJoy Developer Conference, alongside Keywords’ Li Tang. ChinaJoy is Asia’s largest video games expo.
The Last Days of Control
User research sessions like these had been a staple of Control’s development.
Remedy even built a playtesting lab in their Espoo offices.
For the final months of development, Remedy partnered with playtesting specialists Player Research for larger-scale sessions and their fresh take on Control’s player experience.
When Debug UI Ruins Game Design…
Thinking about the design of debug UI seems like misspent time. It is, by its nature, only to be used by our development team, and never to be seen by our eventual players. Why spend more than a single moment considering practicality, or utility, or legibility of UI destined for the trash?
Should Players Buy Their Own UI?
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is full of interesting design choices. In this article I explore why their designers may have chosen to have players unlock their own UI quality-of-life upgrades, and if the design pattern has value for other titles.
KPMG Feature 2019
Following the publication of my primer on games user experience, consultancy firm KPMG featured me in their “Insights” magazine.
Recognizing these challenges, most major video game publishers and developers have invested in UX in the past five years. Typically, Long notes, they use player psychology to support game design, test games with real players, use data science to analyze player behavior and have a leader whose job it is to represent the player on the project and within the company. Yet UX is too crucial to be entrusted to any particular group, no matter how able, in video gaming, it is everybody’s responsibility.
KPMG Currents Magazine, issue 25
MCV Mag Feature 2019
Brighton is a great place to make games. Development magazine MCV published a regional spotlight, highlighting Player Research among the city’s gamedev success stories.
Wireframe Mag Feature 2019
Wireframe Magazine published a 6-page feature on games user research, including Player Reasearch’s facilities, staff and contributions to the domain.