Requirements case study Requirements case study 2 Usability testing case study Design case study Process Integration case study

Project goals

In collaboration with Sony, we identified project goals:

• Understand and categorise the dimensions of gameplay that are suitable for this technology.
• Outline users' preferred choice of movements for using the menus and playing the games.
• Identify best-practice with respect to IA and individual screen layout.
• Refine the visual and aural feedback given during games and on the menus.

Fieldwork

Amberlight recruited users in groups of four, varying in age and previous gaming experience, to explore the set of games. All users within a group were previously acquainted with each other, and many sessions where held in users' homes to elicit contextual use. Users were taken through an 'out of the box' experience in which they were only given the basic information that they would get from a shop salesperson if they were to purchase the game.

The testing focused on the usability of the games, but also looked at their playability and emotional force. Users' verbal responses were taken into account, and unspoken reactions and requirements were discovered by observation.

Outcomes

Amberlight produced a set of guidelines and mock-ups for the iterative development of future games for this console accessory. These guidelines addressed how user movement, screen layout, feedback, and inter- and intra-game IA should be implemented to ensure usability and compelling gameplay.

The guidelines, captured formally for the first time, are now being used for the next generation of games for this accessory.

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