In this project, I focused on improving the player experience by addressing key pain points in player vs. player (PvP) interactions. By combining user feedback with gameplay video analysis, I identified opportunities to enhance engagement, gameplay flow, and long-term retention for players.
While details are under NDA, I’m excited to share the insights and process behind the work!
As the lead UX researcher for a multiplayer adventure game in collaboration with Antidote and Agate, I led a project focused on usability evaluation and concept testing to ensure an intuitive & immersive experience for players.
Our primary objectives were to:
I conducted usability tests, recruited participants, and delivered actionable insights through a detailed report to inform design decisions and enhance the overall user experience.
The game is situated within the Racing / Open-world / Adventure genre. Its inventive concept can potentially captivate enthusiasts of both genres.
As with any innovative product, our aim was to harmonise with user mental models and enhance the "flow" experience for players.
A. Generative Research:
Conducted focus group sessions to gather deep insights into user experiences and explore new ideas and potential directions for the game.
B. Evaluative Research:
Carried out unmoderated usability tests, including think-aloud user comments and survey, to identify usability issues and guide design improvements.
Phase 1:
Recruit players who have previous experience in playing the game "Genshin Impact".
Research objectives:
A. Validate the game's concept - is the core loup engaging enough?
B. Identify FTUE usability issues
C. Evaluate the game's multiplayer experience
D. Explore potential product directions
Phase 2:
Recruit players who have previous experience in playing adventure games e.g. Tomb Raider.
Research objectives:
A. Validate the new feature implemented
B. Identify potential usability issues in the overall gameplay and interaction between players
C. Evaluate the game's multiplayer experience
D. Explore new potential product directions
To ensure our playtesting sessions were representative of the game's potential audience,
I collaborated closely with the studio's team, developers, and publishers to define participant
criteria based on gaming habits, preferences, and demographics.
This alignment allowed us to gather feedback that directly addressed the core mechanics
and features of the game, ensuring actionable insights for improving the player experience.
*Players were recruited directly from Antidote's player base.
The first playtest focused on evaluating the fun factor, racing mode, art style, UI, core loop, and difficulty balance, particularly for the First-Time User Experience (FTUE). We chose Genshin Impact players due to their familiarity with open-world exploration and overall aesthetics, aligning with the game’s core elements.
The second playtest centered on assessing the overall player experience and validating the newly introduced "Watcher Mode."
The goal was to determine if the "Watcher" Mode, where one team sets up obstacles to sabotage racers, was compelling enough to expand further.
After successfully conducting both playtests, I performed a thematic analysis on the Miro board, synthesizing the findings into actionable insights for the final report.
These insights were shared with the development team through a comprehensive report and played a key role in refining the game’s mechanics, core features and overall user experience.
Issue: The tutorial text was too fast to read and lacked context, making it hard for players to retain key information.
Suggestion: Introduce contextual help and a short onboarding that uses a "learn by doing" approach to reinforce basic mechanics and enhance the first-time user experience (FTUE).
This would improve user retention and ensure that players can better navigate and understand the game’s mechanics from the start.
Issue: The game concept is exciting but lacks enough features and content. The core loop feels repetitive after a few rounds.
Suggestion: Add more game modes and mechanics to keep players engaged. Introducing novelty, like surprise elements or unexpected challenges, will break up repetitive behaviors and keep players curious, making the gameplay more dynamic and engaging.
Issue: Although players liked the game concept, engagement is low due to a lack of player autonomy and clearly defined goals.
Suggestion: Give players more meaningful choices and ways to overcome challenges, boosting their sense of control and achievement. Adding short-term and long-term goals will enhance motivation, making the experience feel more rewarding and giving players a sense of progression and mastery.
Key Learnings:
I honed my ability to balance generative and evaluative research, integrating player feedback with usability testing to improve game flow. Close collaboration with design and dev teams allowed me to translate research insights into actionable decisions.
Conclusion & Next Steps:
The research led to impactful gameplay improvements, but the small sample size (10 players per phase) limits generalization. To refine the experience, future testing should involve a larger, more diverse sample, and additional phases should focus on fine-tuning mechanics and evaluating long-term player engagement through retention tests to ensure product success.
This experience reinforced my commitment to data-driven, iterative design in game UX.
Thank you for taking the time to explore this project with me :)