Crafting Sounds Audio Assets Design User Test - UQdeco2800/2022-studio-2 GitHub Wiki
User Testing
Survey
The purpose of this survey (https://forms.gle/4T4bnRATURfqwwxe6) was to gather information regarding the users' preference of sound effects for the crafting system in the game. Currently the crafting system click events have no sounds associated with them, so the inclusion of sounds would increase novelty and overall contributes to the game experience positively.
The first section of the survey consisted of general sound effects for clicking on buttons/items and opening/closing the different crafting menus. Users were shown 3 variations of certain sound effects, and were prompted to choose the most appropriate one for the given context:
| Selecting Items/Clicking Buttons | Opening/Closing Level 1 Crafting Menu | Opening/Closing Level 2 Crafting Menu |
|---|---|---|
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The second section was dedicated to the 'Weapon Crafted' sound - this was purposely segregated since there were significantly more options for this particular sound effect than others. This is primarily due to the collaboration and involvement of Team 7 in making voicelines for the 'Weapon Crafted!' sound effect. This section first asks the user for a preference between voiceline and sound FX, then depending on their answer they are prompted to select their preference of sound FX or voiceline:
| Voiceline vs Sound FX | Sound FX | Voiceline |
|---|---|---|
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 |
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To show gratitude for users completing the survey they were presented a photo of a cute cat <3
Results
| Selecting Items/Clicking Buttons | Opening/Closing Level 1 Crafting Menu | Opening/Closing Level 2 Crafting Menu |
|---|---|---|
For the clicking items sound effect, 5 users selected the second sound, while the remaining 3 chose the first sound. No users chose the third sound, which indicates that users preferred a deeper, 'heavier' sound opposed to the lighter 'clickier' sounds like the third sound offered in the survey. For this reason the second sound will be implemented.
As for opening the level 1 crafting menu, users' responses were split over all three options. In fact, while two users selected the third sound, the remaining six users were equally split between the first and second sound. The team will be consulted to decide between the two, although the user test did aid in eliminate the weakest option.
Similarly to the item click sounds, no users chose the third option for the level 2 crafting menu sound effect, rather they were split between sound 1 and sound 2. 3 chose sound 2, and 5 chose sound 1 - so sound 1 will be implemented.
| Voiceline vs Sound FX | Sound FX | Voiceline |
|---|---|---|
As expected, more users (5) chose to have a 'Weapon Crafted' voiceline compared to less (3) choosing to have a sound effect. For the users that chose sound effect, sound 2 was strongly preferred, and for the users that chose voiceline (while all options were selected from all users) voiceline 1 was overwhelmingly the most popular choice.
One piece of common feedback that was received externally to this user test was to consider combining sound FX and voicelines. In particular, having a sound effect play followed immediately by a voiceline was their idea. This was not considering during the design process of the sound FX, and will likely be implemented as it will make all users happy regardless of which effect they chose.
Additionally, a suggestion was made to make the sound effect a more mechanical sound (a hammer hitting an anvil for example), although this was not one of the options presented in the user test, responses indicated that users preferred a heavier, deeper sound compared to the lighter sound FX. Considering this information, it is likely that users will respond well to a more realistic crafting sound effect.
Considering the results above and external feedback, the final implementation will be a hammer hitting an anvil sound combined with voiceline 1.
Future Directions
Future testing plans include potentially a larger selection of sounds, and more specifically different combinations. While users had an opportunity to choose between a variety of sounds, there were no text fields allowing users to share a unique response - hence external feedback was given which led to the combination of sounds. Future user tests will allow users to share their opinions and give suggestions for improvement.