Doc Ketchum's Murder Circus: UX Playtest

The production team had broad and ambitious potential research questions. We collaborated to identify the highest priority areas, focusing on usability and key attitudinal variables. I conducted remote, semi-directed, unmoderated playtests (usability tests with surveys) to gather feedback on clarity, usability, character narratives, and artistic style. The tests provided critical feedback that led to immediate design revisions, refined our research strategy, and improved our recruitment approach for future tests, ultimately enhancing the game's user experience and testing processes.

The game production team presented me with a 15-page list of potential research questions for the upcoming release. While the team was enthusiastic about the project, the broad and ambiguous scope of the questions made it a challenging task. With usability and various attitudinal variables to consider and limited by time and budget, we had only one opportunity to conduct user testing to make significant improvements.

My primary challenge was to distill the extensive list of potential research questions into manageable, high-impact areas focusing on usability and key attitudinal variables. This required a strategic approach to ensure comprehensive testing within our limitations, targeting the most crucial elements that would drive the game's development forward.

1. To help my stakeholders identify testable questions and submit research requests, I created a fine-tuned intake form with examples to help them specify usability and attitudinal questions. I ran usability tests with the product leads appointed as my contact points for the research roadmap.
2. Through close collaboration with the production team, we critically evaluated their extensive list of testing requirements. Together, we prioritized these requirements based on urgency and potential impact, narrowing our focus to usability and key attitudinal variables critical for the mission's success.
3. I developed a comprehensive strategy that accounted for our time and budget constraints. This strategy was designed to extract maximum insights from remote, unmoderated testing sessions, utilize an incomplete game build, and incorporate lorem-ipsum placeholders where the content was yet to be available.
4. The game designer, producer, and I identified the required participant criteria. Due to the unmoderated, remote, attitudinal, and short-notice nature of the study, I aimed for 30 participants from one assumed consumer segment (we did not have access to market research). 
5. I curated a series of interpolated surveys to assess usability and attitudes surrounding character narratives, artistic style, accessibility, navigation, and clarity regarding the new release's special mode (designed to be separate from the main game).

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Due to the short notice, steep requirements, and narrow selection criteria, we could only recruit 9 participants. Regardless, the usability portion of the study revealed critical insights that drove the game direction. The usability tests yielded invaluable results that significantly shaped the game's direction. The feedback from these sessions confirmed the need for character narrative adjustments, validated lighting choices, and clarified the in-game store's utility. Users clearly understood the new release's separation from the main game, alleviating our initial concern.This feedback was the cornerstone of our design improvements.

1. Implemented Design Changes: Based on the testing insights, the product team promptly made the recommended improvements, which led to a better-defined and more engaging user experience.
2. Refined Research Strategy: Reflecting on the process, I recognized the value of more stringent prioritization and transparent communication. In future projects, I planned to narrow the focus to only the most critical usability issues, potentially excluding attitudinal questions to streamline the testing process.
3. Learned from our Experience: We fine-tuned our participant recruitment strategy and planning timeline for future tests, aiming for more inclusive selection criteria and scheduled sessions well in advance. This approach improved participation rates and turnaround times while broadening our participant pool beyond the initially targeted consumer segment. These successful changes reassured us that we were on the right track for future testing.

These adaptations addressed immediate usability issues and set a new precedent for how we approached game testing under tight constraints. They ensured that we continued to make data-driven decisions that enhanced our players' experiences.