Achievement User Testing
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Testing was undertaken reagrding both the design of the achievement badges and the UI achievement popup to recgonise user’s beliefs, expectations, and thoughts. This was achieved through various testing periods; user testing survey and in person user testing/ paper prototype.
User testing was completed through a survey form, targeting those who meet the classification of the target audience. The survey received 12 respondents, allowing for a substantial understanding of user expectation and preference to be gathered. The survey aimed to received feedback on the icon design for category types: Resources, Kills, Buildings, Upgrades, Game, and Miscellaneous. Various icons were created to allow for the particpant to choose the one of best fit.
The icons in which received the largest number of participants believing it to represent the achievement type, will be implemented to meet user expectations and consequently, dismiss confusion.
- Resource Icon: Wood
- Upgrade Icon: Arrow
- Kill Icon: Sword
- Game: Scroll
- Miscellaneous: Question Mark
- The background colour of the badges will be mixed, allow for further differentiation between categories. Colours implemented for the background will aim to highlight the type.
This design choice was considered however, it was reviewed during implementation and decided that it would not be received as desired– not noticeable. Therefore, the findings from this question were not implement and instead it was chosen to add a simple but effective fraction to represent the user’s achievement progression. This instead will undergo user testing to test effectiveness.
- The colours gold, silver, and bronze will be implemented within the badge design to show to users the progression of the badge achievement when acceptable – the statistic achievements as they have various components which must be achieved for the users to obtain the badge.
- Statistic achievements are split into 4 requirements
- Brown: normal badge colour, bronze: user has completed the second stage, silver: user has completed the third stage, gold: the user has completed the last stage and consequently, will have fully completed the achievement
- Which icon do you believe to best represent ‘Resource Achievements’?
- Which icon do you believe to best represent ‘Upgrade Achievements’?
- Which icon do you believe to best represent ‘Building Achievements’?
- Which icon do you believe to best represent ‘Kill Achievements’?
- Which icon do you believe to best represent ‘Game Achievements’?
- Which icon do you believe to best represent ‘Miscellaneous Achievements’?
- Which colour scheme option do you best believe to suit the theme and style of the game? (icons are placeholders)
- Do the colours gold, silver, and bronze symbolise/ represent anything to you?
- Icon design that participants believed to represent/ associated with ‘Resource Achievements’
Wood: 6, Gold Coin: 3, Hammer: 1, Other: 1 (suggestion of a pickaxe) - Icon design that participants believed to represent/ associated with ‘Upgrade Achievements’
Arrow: 10, Star: 2, Lightning Bolt: 0 - Icon design that participants believed to represent/ associated with ‘Building Achievements'
Building: 5, Hammer: 7 - Icon design that participants believed to represent/ associated with ‘Kill Achievements'
Scull: 5, Sword: 7, Shield: 0 - Icon design that participants believed to represent/ associated with ‘Game Achievements'
Scroll: 9, Shield (Atlantis Crystal): 3, Shield: 0 - Icon design that participants believed to represent/ associated with ‘Miscellaneous Achievements'
Shield (Atlantis Crystal): 2, Question Mark: 6, Gold Coin: 4 - 8 particpants believed the mixed colour scheme (option 2) to best fit the theme and game style, while 4 preferred option 1. With the mixed colour scheme, it allows for users to not only develop an association with the icon to the achievement type, but also the background colour. The colours implemented aim to represent the category (e.g., resources - green, upgrade - purple etc.)
- Majority of users believed the colours gold, silver, and bronze to represent the achievement of first, second, third place. Few beliefs skewed, some believing them to represent money and the status of wealth associated. This was a very broad question and in hindsight could have been segmented into smaller more precise questions. However, this allowed for a general understanding to be created and will be tested further, regarding users’ values associated with the colours.
Testing was completed on 5 random participants who fit the target audience description, the information acquired was adequate to recognise and implement features discovered regarding user expectation and belief. Reoccurring findings were analysed, and consequently implemented appropriately. Users were given certain tasks with their actions being observed, trying to recognise both points of confusion and ease. These findings greatly impacted the final design.
- Change the tab structure to a 2 column layout, allows for a more pleasing design dismissing a clustered environment, further, allows for the icons to be larger. Efficient.
- Addition of the numbered stage boxes, showcasing the users progression for the statistic achievement types. These will turn green once completed, if not it will remiain 'empty' which will be represented by a neutral colour.
- 2 column layout of the achievements will allow for more information to be displayed at once, dismissing a scroll functionality. Therefore, users do not have to go searching for certain achievements.
- Due to the new system, a summary button will have to be created, designed in a way which makes it look like a clickable button. This will be positioned centre of the box, top.
- Tick and lock icon will be recreated to fit the overall design of the page better, incorporating the colours red and green.
- Notification popup will be located top centre of the screen, appearing for a short amount of time and then disapearing, seemless and subtle.
- You’re in the game play session, please access the achievement page.
- Please go to the kill achievements and find the users progression completion
- How would you expect the interface to demonstrate that the achievement has been completed?
- What does the shaded and lock icon represent to you?
- Please drag the notification to where you would expect it to appear on the screen.
- Please access the total progression of all achievement types.
- Observing the 3/4, what does it mean to you? What does it represent?
- All users were able to locate the achievement icon, successfully obtaining the achievement information. Further, users successfully identified the icon that represents the kill achievements, user expectation met considering the icon was chosen because of user testing.
- Users had no trouble locating the overall progression considering centred position on the page, further drawing the attention of the user is the bright green colour.
- Users listed similar and common features, completed; tick, complete text, golden star, date completed. Not completed; cross, lock, red colour, shaded out
- All users positioned the notification popup top centre; this is no doubt a result of their previous interactions with other video games. Further, the surrounding buttons limit the area in which the notification could be positioned, this is not doubt the best location to reduce a messy and clustered screen. No hesitation.
- All users located the summary page in an effort to find all of the achievements and their individual progression. User expectation met, limiting confusion and frustration as they try and find that information.
- More than half of the users believed that the ¾ represented how good a user completed a certain achievement, to then they would be able to continue to attempt to do the achievement at a higher standard and therefore, gain 4/4. Something like a grade system. This was not the intention, rather it was supposed to represent the statistic progression of the user.