User Feedback

The following blog post contains the feedback from my potential user focus group.

This group consisted of four men and one woman, all aged between eighteen and twenty five. All these potential users were the type of people who enjoy physical activity, and are usually involved in various sports. When asked what they thought of modern day computer/video games, all agreed that the only all-round improvements made are in a graphical, not physical sense. I brought up the Nintendo Wii consul which has a much more physical aspect then other console. 30% of the group own or had used the console in the past, and all very much so like that direction which Nintendo has taken in gameplay.

So from this point we can see that this group was very enthusiastic when it came to my application. With all the warm up questions out of the way, I went straight into the questions which had the potential to make or break my current application ideas. Different screens of the application attached to a dummy iPhone allowed the users to get a real feel of the application. 20% of the user group found a problem with the weapon/item scroll bar being so close to the reload bar. This was a problem to them because a slight slip up may lead to a change in weapons. This was a very good point and even though the problem was not felt by the majority, I still felt that a change needed to be made. To avoid this problem I decided to add a press locking feature which will highlight the item in use red, thus preventing the problem from occurring.

In order for the user group to answer whether or not the application is capable of providing enough exercise during gameplay, a storyboard was used. This is a crucial aspect of the application as the fundamental function of it is to be a great source of physical activity. For the simple exercise, me and the five potential users arranged ourselves in two groups of three. In a selected area, the two groups were made into attackers and defenders and the objective of the attackers was to come within five meters of the defenders in order for them to be captured. The defenders thus had to avoid this, and the only way how is by running. Each user was given a dummy iPhone to enhance the feel of the storyboard. This lasted for a tiring fifteen minutes after which all were convinced that the application is capable of providing enough exercise during gameplay. One user commented that with the different styles of gaming, the application could come to be very competitive, resulting in a much harder game.

The final question I put forward to the users was would the application still be appealing to them in the long run. All responded positively, believing that the game could be played in so many different ways, making it hard to get sick of. The ability to set your own map boundaries was very appealing to the users as the change of scenery reinforces different game styles.

User Testing – Active Storyboard

Even though all feedback in some way is useful, I don’t believe that my current strategy will give me the best feedback I need. After all, I do need to ask  the hard questions which have the potential to make, or break my application.

These questions are:

1. Is the game easy to understand and play?
2. Is the application capable of providing enough exercise during game-play?
3. Will this application still be appealing to you in the long run?

The first question can be answer in the discussion section of the focus group session but the last to, i believe cannot be answer well. This is because of the fact that ideas on paper can be perceived much differently when put into practice.

Because of this, I  will include a story board as the next section of my focus group session. To make this exercise as simple as I can, I have made it similar to a game of tag. The users will split into team of attackers and defenders, simulating a team style game-play. The objective of thew attackers is to come within five meters of the defender, as this is a reasonable distance to shoot from. The defenders must run away to avoid being ’shot’, as would be done in the real game. iPhone dummies will be used to enhance the the feel of the game.

This activity simulates game-play, therefore providing the users with an active experience of the application allowing them to more accurately answer those questions stated above.

Here is a large resolution iPhone cut-out which I found at: http://drapestakes.blogspot.com/2007/07/iphone-haves-and-have-nots.html

User Testing – Questions To Be Asked

Since I already am familiar with most answer to the simple questions (e.g. age, hobbies, etc.) of my focus group I decided to take a much more promotional/advertising approach to reinforce the idea of interactivity/activity in my application.

Instead of first presenting my ideas to them I believe I will get their opinion of present day gaming. This will be achieved by asking them about what they feel is the direction different game developers are taking in their products. A developer to bring up would be Nintendo, with their new interactive Wii consul.

From here I can now move on to my application, presenting my ideas to them, after which a question-answer session will  make sure they properly understand how the game is played and of course the main ideas/purpose of my application.

Screen shots of my application attached to a dummy iPhone will be used to give the user group a greater understanding of the application, as for many people, a visual interpretation can explain ideas much clearer then in words. 

User Testing – Strategy

I think that most people are or would use questionnaires to get feedback from users as getting together a focus group, or something similar may not be that simple.

However, I have managed to do so, but instead of just giving them all something to fill out, I instead have chosen to hold a question-answer session with the five potential users in an organised focus group. This way the users may also discuss their answer with each other, giving me additional feedback to their personal judgement.

Knowing these people makes their judgement a lot more direct and honest so this much more interactive user-feedback strategy, I feel, will be more successful. A similar process as used in questionnaires consisting of a series of warm up questions, leading in to harder ones will be employed.

User Testing

I few weeks ago I managed to get the OK from five people to take part in the testing of my iPhone application. These are people I know socially but,  I don’t think it will affect their judgement of my application as they  can be very critical when it comes to this sort of thing. This is important as a dishonest opinion will not help the development of my application.

These people are aged between eighteen and twenty five and frequently take part in physical activities. So now I needed to plan what I could do with this group to give the best feedback possible in order to chnage (if need be) my application.

Prototype 2 – Gameplay screen

Another prototype which I created shows the screen seen by users during gameplay:

The red outline indicates the map boundary which has  been manually set be the user.

I decided to remove the street names during gameplay to avoid confusion/distraction.

The arrows on the playing screen are the icons of each player in the game. In this particular screen the blue arrow is the player using this particular iPhone.

The dotted line represents the range of the weapon which is equipped. This line can only be seen by this player, others would see their own. Dots released from other players, as that from the green icon indicate that this player is firing their weapon. These dots do not change with the weapons so other players do not know what weapon is fired. Because of this, players being shot at would need to avoid this by running as they do not know how much damage they will take, once again enhancing the activity of gameplay.

The Prototype

The next stage in the design process is to produce a prototype. In my mind I have picture how the application would look like on the iphone but now it is time to actually produce one of these prototypes. This is the first one which I designed in photoshop:

I have used the same button design for my application as is used unlock the iphone. I designed this prototype to be as simple as possible, only showing what is need on screen.

The reload and weapons/items sections are the most used and are therefore located close to the thumb for quick and easy use These are both controlled by sliding a finger across these icons to activate their control.

The map dominates the screen as this will be the primary focus on the phone during gameplay.

The meters are brightly coloured to stand out for users so they can be aware of a shortage in that item. This is enhanced by the change in colour from green to red when the meter is low.

 

Minisite 1 – Application Features

Now that users know what the bases application are, I will tell them the most important features of the application, once again to give them a better understading of the application but also to help them see how the game is played.

What I plan to tell users is the following:

There are various features of my iPhone application, these should give you a greater understanding of how the game is played. The main features are:

Uses the mapping application on the iphone to allow users to manually set the map boundaries of the game along with obstacles.

GPS allows players to be seen on the map along with the firing of weapons.

Damage taken and damage inflicted on opponents shown Bluetooth connectivity.

The spawning of weapons for each player is unique.

Different weapons have different ranges and damage in different ways.

Gyro technology key aspect of game play; different gestures are needed to fire different weapons. So to throw a projectile, for example, simply pressing a button will not work. Pressing the button needs to be accompanied by a throwing gesture.

Various additional items; invisibility, health boost, amour.

Multiple game modes e.g. free-for-all, capture territory, capture the flag and teams.

Various sounds to enhance realism when picking up weapons/items, firing weapons (each weapons has its own unique sound) and when taking damage.

Fitness is needed and built through game play.

You have this ability to see other players on a map and when they fire weapons which means you have to react in cojuction with your opponent’s moves. Think of the activity as in that of a first person shooter game such as Counter Strike. However, insted of a computerized character running around doing all the work, it will be you in the real world doing so.

Minisite 1 – Intro

The introduction of my iphone application on the minisite is going to describe the application to users in a way which opens their eyes to the idea of active location-based gaming.

The following text is what I plan to use in this part of my minisite:

The application I intend to design for the iphone is a multiplayer shooting game.

When you think of video games, you picture someone on the couch exercising nothing but their thumbs. However I plan to revolutionise mobile phone location-based gaming by taking the user off the couch and onto the track.

My application is designed to maximise interactivity along with activity during gameplay. Users should be aware that this application is designed for people who are willing to play a challenging and competitive game. So if you are looking for an amazing physical challenge which has the ability to progress from light to heavy exercise, you have found it.

The game is designed to be something extremely enjoyable which can be played during spare time, say for example, during a two hour break at university. It is the kind of game which may also be played when looking for a source of physical activty (e.g. Its a cold day and outside is the only place to be).

Minisite 1

I have decided that for my first minisite I will do as I did with my first presentation, and that is to sell the idea to users. So I will present my initial ideas, main fetures and design a first prototype to give users a greater understanding of the application.

In regards to user testing I beleive at this stageinterview and focus groups will give me the best feedback in order to revise/improve (if need be) my application.