Change – Weapon Icons

One design aspect of my application which I have decided to change is the icons of the weapons in the weapons/items menu set.

 

I felt that the detailed pictures draws users attention away from the map which is the central focus of the playing screen. To replace these, I have decided to use cartoon, style icons of the weapons to replace those in the screen-shot above. These I feel will better suit the game as no aspects of the screen appear to be realistic (e.g. like the map; it is not a real bird’s eye view). The icons I will use are shown below:

 

 

Images like these are used in many games, and what they become is a symbol to the real weapons which the users become familiar with. So in time, when they see these images, they will know what they represent.

Change – Logo

I have decided to change the logo of my application. This logo was used in my second minisite.

This change has been made because of some comments which have been made about the logo, some people not seeing the name/message too clearly. I thought it would have looked good to share the ‘ive’ between the two words ’live’ and ‘active’. This similarity was not seen by some and hence the name was read differently (I don’t know how the hell Kristian got ‘A.C.T Live’ from it!). Rob also thought that there wasn’t a need for the great emphasis on the letters ‘IVE’. This seemed to raise questions about why these letters appear much larger to the others.

Its funny how things like this aren’t really noticed until somebody points them out. Of course now looking at the logo, that’s all I can see, and after getting a few more mixed opinions, I decided to make the change. Its things like this which make user testing an invaluable source of information.

The new logo has not yet been designed however, it will be much clearer, with the two words ‘live’ and ‘active’ being separate.

Minisite 3 – Difference to the Other Sites

My third and final mnisite is going to be designed much differently to the sites that came before it. After all, this site will be presenting the final design of my application.

Minisites one and two were more informative then anything else, updating people about the changes which have been made as a result of user testing. Minisite three on the other hand, needs to sell the product, so the presentation of the content needs to attract users. One strategy which I will be using is similar to that in the ipod-nike website; teasing users to find out more about the product advertised. What I mean be this is that a link to a certain area of the product doesn’t directly take you to the information about this area. What you have to first endure is the advertisement of this area of the product.

Marketing strategies such as these are key in selling products, and so there use can only advance the appearance of the product to users. My site will contain much more images of the product itself and the product in action in order to not only help potential users  know more about the application at hand, but also give them a desire to find out more about the application.

 This site will no longer be titled ‘minisite 3′ in any area of my websites but instead will be titled ‘production site’ (or something similar). This is because of the fact that this site is different to the others, being much larger, more advance, and of course worth the most marks!

Major Application Change: Name of iPhone App.

 

One major alteration to the application which I made is its name.

This is a change I made is not based on user feedback, but one I believe the application needed. The first name was one quickly thought, and wasn’t really intended as the final application name.

The previous name ‘iShooter’ informs people what the application is about, which is a shooting game. The use of the letter ‘i’ indicates that it is an Apple software application. Apple constantly uses this in their software and hardware, marketing their name and the uniqueness of their products. This however, is not how I want to advertise my application. The new and improved name of my application, ‘live active’, does not inform users on what the application is, but what it encourages users to do and that is to life an active lifestyle.

My focus group didn’t really have a problem with the previous name. When I explained to them why I changed it, they all agreed that it was the right move to make.

Application Change: Inclusion of Weapons/Items Attribute Icon

Some users thought that not enough specific information about the weapons/items is given in the application.
It was agreed upon by the focus group that user should be told more about the weapons/items in the application. What this will do for users is allow them to become better acquainted with the weapons/items allowing them to play the game better. This is not only helpful when playing the game for the first time but also during game play, helping users to make decisions on their choice of weapon/item.
One user argued that this should be something easily accessed, because “if it is to be used during game play, you don’t want to distract yourself while playing by having to go through an options menu”. This was quite a convincing argument, supporting the fact that there should be something done about this.
With a focus group at hand, a good way to get rapid feedback from them is to get there opinion on a solution to the problem; using the opportunity for feedback wisely. All users agreed with the inclusion of a pop-up attribute icon. This icon will feature small noted material about a weapon/item. So for example a pistol attribute icon will tell you its specific name, range, the damage it can inflict, and the rounds per reload.
Accessing the attribute icon is very simple. In the weapons/items menu pressing and holding the weapon/item symbol will bring up its icon directly above it. Removing your thumb off the symbol will close this icon.

Application Change: Weapon/Item Scroll Menu

Another area where some users found difficulty was the scroll weapons/items menu interfering with the reload function during game play.
All users agreed that the horizontal scrolling weapon/item menu was a great feature of the application, commenting that it creates great ease for users when changing between weapons. The problem of this feature was that accidental scrolling may occur when attempting to reload. This could create great complication during game play and so I felt that a change in the application needed to be made.
The scroll menu functions in a very simple way; the item in the centre of the menu expands to allow users to equip it. This centre icon is much larger then those on the left and right of the weapons/items menu allowing users to focus on the centre item.
In order to avoid the complication experienced by some people in the focus group, I have added a locking mechanism on the scroll menu which highlights the equipped item with a red outline to indicate that the menu is locked.

During the discussion between the users of the focus group, I suggested this change which computed well with most users. One user brought up a good point, when asking a question about “what happens when a player wants to back through the menu to use an item such as armour? If you unlock the weapon/item menu, then use an item, do you still have a weapon equipped”? These points are very valid and can be solved quite simply. If a user unlocks the menu and uses an item, the menu will take him/her back to the weapon which was equipped but will not re-lock the menu. I feel that it would be easier for users the re-lock the menu themselves because if a user wants to equip a different weapon they could do so before locking the menu instead of having to unlock, change weapon and re-lock.

Additional Info: Adding Obstacles in Map

Objects not seen in the real world may be added to enhance game play. An object such as a wall may be added into the map using the “add obstacle” tool as shown below :

Obstacles entered into a map may also be modified. Activating the “add obstacle” tool brings up a different menu set for this specific tool. Obstacles are selected from the scroll menu to the right and are installed the same way as with map boundaries. They contain anchor points, allowing the user to adjust the size of the obstacle to fit their needs. Anchor points in the obstacle may be added and moved, creating different shapes. For example if this brick wall was to be put onto a curved road, the anchor points may be adjusted to shape this obstacle in the same way as the road.
Just like in the weapons/items menu, pressing and holding a specific item will bring up its attributes, informing users of how the obstacles work. Brick walls function to block players from this point on the map. Steel fences do the same thing however, unlike brick walls, they can be shot through. Pressing the “add obstacle” tool button will return the user to the first map creation menu.

Application Change: Setting Map Boundaries

This feature of my application was most difficult for the focus group to comprehend. A Prototype screenshot of the mapping element on a dummy iPhone was needed in order to assure an understanding of this feature.

From the prototype, the focus group still found problems in the map creation feature. One of these was the method of setting the map boundary. Most users thought that to marquee over an area was not the way to go about setting boundaries. They believed that a method of setting specific points was needed. For example the boundaries have been specifically set in the screenshot bellow:

A marquee action cannot achieve this so an alternative method of setting map boundaries was needed. This was accomplished by using, instead of a marquee, an action similar to that of the pen tool in Photoshop. Anchor points connected by straight lines will allow map boundaries to be set like that above. Simply touching the screen on an area of the map will place an anchor point.
There initially was two ways to set map boundaries. The first way is that explained above. The next involved manually walking to set the boundaries. This method however was seen to be unnecessary to most users. The ability to set up anchor points to set the map boundaries means that you can make the boundaries as accurate as you want. The focus group thought that to walk around and set up boundaries would not be used by users because of the ease and accuracy in setting anchor points. I thought however, to include another element in this application feature which involves editing the anchor points, allowing users to move points as they please.
The following picture is a screenshot of the map creation menu :

It can be seen that the “add point” tool is currently in use as it is highlighted red. Anchor points are installed onto the map by touching a section of the map with a finger. Points may also be deleted or moved the same way. These anchor points are represented as yellow and red circles on the map.

User Feedback and Prototyping

Most of the user testing and prototyping was performed during the first iteration of the application. This is because user experience with this product was needed to evaluate the some of the main ideas in the product. The product needed to be easily understood by users. One key aspect of the application is the activity during game play. My iPhone application needed to provide substantial exercise during game play.
Minisite one contains results and feedback from user testing with a focus group. Each user in the focus group gave individual answers to questions asked. In between some questions, the users engaged in a group discussion, helping each other not only understand the application but also come to conclusions about the different features of it.
Most feedback on the application was positive. No major problems were experienced by any of the users in the focus group. Prototype screen-shots on a dummy cardboard iPhone gave users a greater understanding of the application. These prototypes were not just for show, the potential users were encouraged to pretend to use the application (for example, employing a reloading action), enhancing their experience of it. A storyboard (explained in minisite one) was used so that the focus group could endure the activity level which the game had to offer. All felt that this revolutionary game has the capability of providing a lot of exercise during game play.
Even though most of the feedback received from the user group was positive, small problems were experienced. The users in the focus group brought up many good points about small faults in the application. Some of these problems were only felt by some users. Group discussion on the topic however assured others of the complication and so changes needed to be made. With the aid of the focus group at hand, a few of the complications pointed out were overcome with immediate solution and feedback. The floor was also open to their opinion on how to surmount impediment in the game. Some solutions to these problems were put forward to the users during the session and others alterations were given afterwards. All users were in agreement with the changes made allowing the application to progress to the next stage.

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.