Unit Selection & Information Box: User Testing - UQdeco2800/2022-studio-3 GitHub Wiki

Propose for Testing

Why we start user testing

For the non-direct interaction entity which is our information box, information interaction is usually more important than real-time feedback. Players don't usually spend a lot of time interacting with an information box - because it doesn't animate like workers or buildings.

However, for a part of the overall UI, the information box is the most interactive content, players will spend more attention to read the effective information. This requires our products to have additional artistic, layout capabilities and the ability to dynamically process data visualizations.

Since most of the information and units design are not yet complete in sprint 1, we only test the product form, interface and design concept as a starting point to get our design ideas on the right path from the beginning.

To the homepage of our Sprint 1's work, click here.

Test Tasks

What we want through the test

This user testing plan is based on its generation and interactive behavior at moment.

Generation:

  • Test the size and generation position of the information box.
  • Test the product's appearance design and the degree of fit with the overall style of the game.
  • Test whether the appearance of the product will favorably or unfavorably affect the physical layout of other teams.

Interactive behavior:

  • Test whether the information in the box is easy to read and whether it saves users more time according to user habits.
  • Test if the information box is additionally triggered by mishandling and if there are potential bugs preventing the box generation.

Key Questions for Testing

How we did in this stage. Test methods gonna be rotated to obtain the most objective and comprehensive results.

Test Method: Interview

  1. Do you think the size of the information box is too large/too small?
  2. Compared with the usual RTS games, do you feel any different features of our products?
  3. How do you evaluate the art design of the information box?
  4. In a game with the theme of the sinking of Atlantis, is its art design up to standard?
  5. Do you think the generation of information box will hinder you from experiencing other game content?
  6. Have you encountered any difficulties in reading unit information? (Do you think our typography is counter-intuitive?)

Testing result

User#1:

  1. It seems too small. At my screen resolution, his size is a bit underwhelming.

  2. It's a bit mediocre in functionality, but that's enough, isn't it?

  3. It highlights the sense of design! RTS games aside, it's a bit special in pixel games.

  4. As soon as I see this, I immediately think of the deep sea, but not Atlantis. How about trying more elements of Greek mythology.

  5. Due to its small size, I had no difficulty during the test.

  6. When the box is generated, I will immediately notice it through the corner of my eyes, it conforms to my usage habits.

User#2:

  1. It doesn't seem to show up fully...I think part of the picture is covered.

  2. It seems to be missing some space or development for interaction.

  3. When the overall game environment is still under development, being too obsessed with UI design may make it too prominent, but overall it looks good.

  4. If I knew early in the game that this was an Atlantis theme - then it was a success.

  5. I may be affected by it when I zoom the map size, but this problem can be solved by manipulating the camera angle.

  6. I believe it should show enough information, but the font size needs to be strictly controlled.

User#3:

  1. Oh, it's very similar to the toolbar size in League of Legends, which is in line with my habits.

  2. In the games I have played, the information box is usually suspended around the unit. Not bad though.

  3. At present, it is a bit abrupt with the overall tone, and you can consider strengthening the border around the unit's avatar, otherwise it will easily be confused with the background.

  4. As a game that has only been developed for two weeks, it is enough.

  5. I think it depends on user habit, everything works fine for me.

  6. Ibid. But I wonder if you guys will use graphics to present unit information...

Result Analysis & Conclusion

What did we learned/recognized? What will we do after this...

We distill key feedback from the test results and obtain results answering the test task. In the environment of Sprint 1 development, the size and layout of the box are not particularly important to the user. What testers really care about are:

  • Strict size
  • Adaptation for different resolutions
  • Font size and design

For the functionality of the product, testers often get results after linkage with other units.

For now, designing a set of presets and unit-specific customizations will be our next step.

Most testers were satisfied with the UI design of the information box. Some testers also pointed out that we should focus more on Atlantis themes, such as:

  • Deep Sea treasures
  • Greek gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Atlas)
  • Tridents