Main Screen Exit Button User Testing
- Session run by: Sadra Bayat Tork
- Studio and game name: Studio 2 Last to Valhalla
- Feature team name: Team 3
- Number of participants: 3 (Non UQ Uni Students)
This user test was conducted during sprint 4 to determine and finalize the design of the game's user interface. One of the few remaining features of the base game engine in the current version of game UI is the main game screen exit button. It was initially planned to replace this exit button with a newly designed button that suits the game's atmosphere more. However, with the addition of the game pause menu which encompasses exit functionality, it is unclear if the exit button is needed at all. Therefore, it was decided to conduct some user testing on the necessity of the exit button before designing the new button to see if the button is going to be included and hence a new design is necessary or the button is going to be omitted all together and pause menu is going to be used as sole exit option.
| Aim | Notes |
|---|---|
| Find the pros and cons of the exit button | The goal is for users to be able to identify the positive and negative aspects of playing with and without the exit button present. |
| Determine if the exit button is necessary | Make a decision based on the results gather from the users to see if the exit button is a necessary feature of game UI and a new button should be designed. |
- Explain the game mechanics and controls to user.
- Ask testers to complete a room from a game level, killing multiple enemies and then exiting to the main menu with exit button present.
- Interview the testers on their experience on the previous task.
- Ask testers to complete a room from a game level, killing multiple enemies and then exiting to the main menu without exit button present.
- Interview the testers on their experience on the previous task.
- Ask testers for general feedback on the game regarding the UI.
- Thanks testers for their time and effort.
| Exit button run feedback | No Exit button run feedback | UI feedback | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tester 1 | "Exit button made it easy to exit." | "Had a bit of trouble remembering the button to pause but the menu looked good." | "I liked the design of the menu. It fit the rest of the game very well." |
| Tester 2 | Didn't like the button "It blocked the archer that was shooting at me!" | Pressed ESC before realizing p opens pause menu "thought Escape would pause." | "I liked the way it looked without the button better. It was a bit out of place" |
| Tester 3 | "It's too easy." | Liked the design of the pause menu "I like that skull" | "It didn't make a difference either way. Both are easy enough. " |
From testing it was found users were mostly agnostic on the presence of button, some users liking the convenience while others complaining about it blocking their view of enemies in the corner. Since pause menu design was popular and all users praised it, it was decided to used the pause menu as the only exit option to encourage users to utilize the menu more for exiting as well as pausing. However, it was found that it's important to address the controls in the tutorial so that users know how to pause using the P button rather than ESC or any other traditional exit buttons.