Injustice - Developers Among Us (SciFiDevCon 2024)
How does user research work for video games: an insight into testing at Playstation - Rob Johnson
1. How Does User Research Work For Video
Games: An Insight Into Testing at PlayStation
Rob Johnson
User Research Team
Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
15. User Research Team
Over 100 titles tested
since setting up the team
in 2008
Around 50 tests each year
Test with over 1,000
customers per year
16.
17. User Research Team: VR
Supported the Launch of
PSVR in October 2016
Testing VR titles since
2014
15 different titles
18. User Research Team: Hardware
Hardware and UI tests
of PlayStation platforms
Looking at ergonomics
and traditional usability
19. Who are Sony Interactive Entertainment
How User Research fits in
How we do games user research
Where we do research
Summary
20. What is usability in games and how is it different
to mainstream user research?
21. The extent to which a product can be used by
specified users to achieve specified goals with
effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a
specified context of use
Usability
22. Remove barriers to fun
- Do players know what they’re supposed to do?
- Do players know how they’re supposed to do it?
- Are players able to do it?
Usability in Games: Effectiveness
fun
26. What about users’ opinions?
We have a specific method that:
- Focuses on quantitative measures
- Uses a larger sample
- Doesn’t interrupt users
- Uses representative code
43. Who are Sony Interactive Entertainment
How the London User Research Team fits in
How we do games user research
Where we do research
Summary
44. Games User Research
Games are an art form – developers have a clear idea of
how they should be experienced
Player’s goals relate to having “fun”
It’s about difficulty balancing not efficiency
Time spent with the game can be immense