Crafting a story with a 3D interface
Boneyard Brawlers is a multiplayer fighting game that draws its players into a world of neon parties with spooky guests and unique locations to explore. This desktop game was developed for an undergraduate capstone project by a diverse team of students across the digital media, computer science, and music industry programs at Drexel University.
My roles
UI/UX Designer & UI artist
Meet the team
[ +1 7]
Students
[ +3]
Advisors
Project timeline
October 2019 - June 2020
What is the hook?
This was the question my team kept going back to throughout every step of this project. Not only were we expected to develop a fully functional prototype, but we were also given the challenge to create a truly unique gaming experience for our fellow students.
Considering the majority of our playtesters would be video game artists and developers- this would be no easy task!
Designing unique gameplay and other interactions
After a couple rounds of testing different types of gameplay, our "hook" became the ability to collect a variety of in-game superpowers that creates a unique monster for every player. Two concepts guided our design and development decisions:
Customization
Engagement
Principle
[ 4 ]
Perceptible Information
Key phrases from description
Communicates effectively
Regardless of ambient conditions or user’s sensory abilities
Guiding questions
Is there confusion about the menu’s content?
Are certain design choices contributing to this confusion?
Applying customization and engagement to the interface
Early on in the research process I recognized the need for a consistent, logical connection between the universal design principles and whichever game I would pick as the test subject. I decided to break down each of the 7 principles into prompts that relate to video games and their menus. This thought strategy left me with a set of guiding questions to help search for a test subject with bad UI.
Choosing two principles for design analysis
Due to project timeline and resource limitations, I chose to focus on two principles that were identified the most in complaints from this research: Simple and Intuitive Use & Flexibility in Use. These principles act as a reference point for the research question in determining the extent to which the user experience of Super Smash Bros for Wii U can be improved.
This process is made easier by looking to the guiding questions and identifying specific components of the two principles. These components are used to categorize the data gathered from usability testing. Essentially- they help to analyze the likes and dislikes of the study participants.
Components
|
Simple and intuitive use
Lacking experience
Consider the player’s prior experience with this interface (or the game franchise) which can either help them out or negatively impact their experience with the game.
Understandable
Consider the simplicity of the player's interactions with the interface and whether it is a straightforward process for them.
Components
|
Flexibility in use
Accommodating
Consider how the player's customization needs are met along with the reasoning behind including these options. In addition, recognize how this flexibility impacts the player.
Customizable
Consider the player's ability (and/or inability) to change settings options according to their individual needs.
Methodology
1
Analysis
[
Commercial Game
]
2
A/B Testing
[
Card Sort
]
[
Interviews + QUIS
]
3
Redesign
[
Prototype
]
4
A/B Testing
[
Interviews +QUIS
]
Focus on audio and gameplay settings
From my initial analysis of the Super Smash Bros for Wii U game, I decided to focus on testing three screen flows:
Main Menus
Audio-Related Settings
Primary Game Mode
There are other settings and menus in the interface, but these particular flows are the best fit for the project timeline for a few reasons. First, by limiting the testing pool, this allows for focused attention on testing and redesigning the details of the menu interactions. The second reason is because of the overlapping interactions and settings options between these flows, which allows for less time designing assets and more time for troubleshooting during the prototype development stage.
Testing the grouping of ideas and usability of the menus
The first round of testing included an online card sort (using Optimal Workshop) as well as in-person usability interviews with a follow up questionnaire (QUIS). By running these two exercises, data on both the information relationships and usability of the selected screen flows are collected to inform decision making with the development of an improved UX in the prototype. Drexel University students with an interest in video games were the recruitment targets, and participation in the interviews had an additional requirement of no prior experience with the Super Smash Bros for Wii U commercial game.
Usability interviews
|
Participants interacted with three key features...
First round of testing shows mixed reactions to the interface
Based on the analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data gathered, it became clear that there are multiple issues with consistency, guidance, and the structure of the settings menus in the commercial game.
Round A
|
Participants liked...
Information and feedback
In the form of confirmation pop-ups when making a settings customization change.
Central hubs and short-cuts
To quickly access all different types of settings without getting lost in nested menus.
Music player
The basic functionality of listening to music and creating an in-game playlist.
Round A
|
Participants disliked...
Inconsistency with the positives
Interface guidance implemented sparingly and limited customization options.
Visual architecture of the menus
Difficulties with navigating the layout of buttons on the screens.
Applying principles to guide redesign
The next step is to analyze these positive and negative observations through the lens of the two principles and their components. This way I’m better able to understand WHY these complaints are happening- which will make the next step of redesigning much more efficient!
This process involved two steps…
Identify the complaint or approval.
Reframe using one of the components.
Executing this process with all of the observations results in an outline of specific elements to be redesigned in the prototype.