1. Nielsen’s 10 Heuristics
Fearsome Thorny Pigeons
Assignment 1
Full Sail University

2. Game Summary
This game is an adventure platformer focusing on an enchanted snowball that was brought
down to Hell for a ceremony. The snowball decides to try to escape, and the game’s various
levels revolve around that escape, with the final trial being a fight with the Devil himself.
In the game, the player will progress through levels of varying layouts including platforming
and puzzles as they try to progress to the next area. They will encounter various enemies,
ranging from the Damned, a slow moving zombie-like enemy, to massive dragons.

3. Problem Damage that is sustained is not adequately conveyed to the player.
Rating Important
Description While the player is moving through the world, he can sustain damage from enemies
on screen. This damage is not conveyed by sound or visually. This keeps the player
from being aware of losing additional health.
Solution A simple blink of the screen or flash of color on the character when a hit was taken
would convey that damage was being received.
Reference Shot
Visibility of System Status

4. Problem Arrows used for power ups do not accurately imply shrinking/growing of the character
Rating Minor
Description Arrows aren’t able to show that they are able to make the player shrink or grow.
There is no text or image to show that it does anything.
Solution Either add text stating shrink/grow, or change the animation from an arrow into a
contracting/expanding circle respectively.
Reference Shot
Match Between System and the Real World

5. Problem The death screen gives no indication on how to respawn
Rating Important
Description When the player dies by any method, there is no prompt or message that informs the
player of what to do next.
Solution A simple string stating <Press SPACE to respawn> would suffice, and lead to less
confusion after a death
Reference Shot
User Control and Freedom

6. Problem Mapping of arrow keys is inconsistent with gaming standards.
Rating Important
Description If a player wishes to use the arrow keys to move, the standard left / right arrow keys
do not work for moving the character left or right. Instead the player has to use the up
/ down arrow keys to move which is inconsistent with the visuals.
Solution Change the key bindings in order to match the visuals.
Reference Shot
Consistency and Standards

7. Problem The quit/exit buttons do not give the player any confirmation after clicking them.
Rating Medium
Description There is no confirmation menu to clicking either the Quit or Exit buttons, they simply
kick you straight to the main menu/desktop.
Solution Within the Pause Menu and Main Menu, The Quit and Exit options should have a
confirmation dialog for the user to verify their choice.
Reference Shot
Error Prevention

8. Problem Doesn’t teach player how to play or explain any elements of the game.
Rating Important
Description There isn’t a point within the game that the game stops and tells the player any
information about the game, leaving the player to figure everything out by trial by fire.
Solution A quick pop up that explains some basic information would work in explaining
controls to the player.
Reference Shot
Recognition Rather Than Recall

9. Problem Controls are not stated, cannot be remapped, and there is no way of checking them.
Rating Important
Description There is no menu for the controls, and they cannot be remapped in any way. This
means players are forced to use one set of controls throughout the entire game.
Solution Creating a menu allowing the controls to be remapped to different parts of the
keyboard or mouse to allow players to use a set up that is more comfortable for each
player. This also allows for players to figure out the controls of how to play.
Reference Shot
Flexibility and Efficiency of Use

10. Problem Menu buttons and text match too closely in color. The menu layout is also in a strange
location in the lower right portion of the screen.
Rating Minor
Description The menu buttons have a “snowy” background with white text in the foreground,
making the text difficult to read. The menu is also situated in the lower right part of
the screen, making it hard to notice if you are not paying attention.
Solution Make the menu buttons a plain color, like white, and the text black to have better
contrast. Move the menu centrally so that the player is more likely to notice it.
Reference Shot
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design

11. Problem No character feedback upon player death
Rating Important
Description There is no information given when the player dies. The player model despawns, and
the rest of the game continues playing with no prompt or anything displaying what
happened.
Solution Give some form of prompt or information when the player dies. A simple <You have
died> with the game stopping in the background would suffice.
Reference Shot
Help Users Recognize, Diagnose and Recover From
Errors

12. Problem No help menu, and provided documentation is out of date
Rating Important
Description There is nowhere in the game that tells the player how to play in menus or otherwise,
and the included documentation is out of date in regards to the controls ie. it has no
mention of mouse control.
Solution Providing a tutorial on how to play and the game or outside up-to-date
documentation of the mechanics of the game for players who are new can easily pick
up and play.
Reference Shot
Help and Documentation

13. References
Nielsen, J. January, 1995. 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design. Retrieved from
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/
Nielsen, J. January, 1995. Characteristics of Usability Problems Found by Heuristic
Evaluation. Retrieved from http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-problems-found-by-
heuristic-evaluation/
Gill, T., Mangold, M., Patterson, L. West, K., Whildin, J. May, 2012. Snow Chance In Hell.
Produced by Full Sail University