This document discusses user research for video games at Sony Interactive Entertainment. It describes how the user research team tests over 100 titles per year with over 1,000 customers to evaluate usability, effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction without interrupting gameplay. The team focuses on quantitative measures using representative code from titles under development. Testing is conducted at user research facilities, including evaluating VR titles and hardware/UI. The goal of user research is to remove barriers to fun by ensuring players know what to do and can do it, while balancing difficulty levels to maximize enjoyment.

1. How Does User Research Work For Video
Games: An Insight Into Testing at PlayStation
Rob Johnson
User Research Team
Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe

2. Who am I?

3. Who am I?

4. Who am I?

5. Who are Sony Interactive Entertainment
How User Research fits in
How we do games user research
Where we do research
Summary

6. Who are Sony Interactive Entertainment
How User Research fits in
How we do games user research
Where we do research
Summary

7. Hardware, Services and Games
Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios

8. San Mateo
Studio
Worldwide Studios

9. San Mateo
Studio
Worldwide Studios: US

10. Worldwide Studios

11. Worldwide Studios: EU and Japan

12. Who are Sony Interactive Entertainment
How User Research fits in
How we do games user research
Where we do research
Summary

13. Worldwide Studios: User Research Teams

14. Worldwide Studios 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

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

23. Usability in Games: Efficiency

24. Usability in Games: Efficiency
Finding the right level of difficulty

25. Usability in Games: Satisfaction
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

27. Using Representative Code

28. Using Representative Code

29. August
2014
February
2017
October
2017
Every quest, side quest, activity and mechanic tested multiple times
Testing Horizon Zero Dawn
1-2-1 User Tests Multi-seat Playtest RITE

30. Who are Sony Interactive Entertainment
How the London User Research Team fits in
How we do games user research
Where we do research
Summary

31. User Testing Facility

32. User Testing Facility

33. User Testing Facility

34. User Testing Facility

35. User Testing Facility

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

45. Thank You
e-mail: Rob.Johnson@Sony.com