14 Mar 2024
|8 min
UX tests for gaming
Gain insights into the pivotal role of UX/UI tests in gaming. Learn how to optimize player satisfaction, enhance engagement, and ensure long-term success through effective testing.
There are a few key factors in gaming that indicate success. Player engagement and satisfaction sit at the top, but they aren’t always easy to achieve. You need to integrate captivating visuals, intuitive navigation, and engaging interactions to ensure players not only enjoy but are deeply immersed in the gaming journey.By conducting user research and asking the right questions, you will gain real insights into what resonates with your target demographic. This will allow you to make data-driven decisions that will make a real impact.
We’ve compiled the top nine UX/UI tests that should be at the forefront of every gaming platform's development strategy, along with some helpful templates to get you started.
Top UX/UI tests for gaming
1. Test characters
Characters are the heart of any game. A well-designed character enhances immersion and connects players to the game's narrative. Thoughtfully crafted characters contribute to a more memorable and emotionally resonant gaming experience.
By conducting a preference test focused on character design, you can present participants with multiple character options and ask them to choose their favorite based on factors such as visual appeal, relatability, or thematic relevance to the game. This template will help you get started.
You can use this feedback to help discern which character designs resonate most positively with your audience.
2. Test the intuitiveness and effectiveness of menus and navigation
Creating a seamless user journey in your game is paramount. An efficient and intuitive navigation will help enhance user engagement, contribute to user retention, and foster a positive overall experience.
To test your navigation, create prototype tests to ensure users can easily complete specific tasks. This can be anything from signing up or making in-app purchases. Streamlining navigation not only ensures ease of use but also enhances overall user satisfaction and loyalty.
3. Evaluate name, logo, and brand appeal
Preference testing is one of the most popular ways to gain quick insights on aspects of your game. Testing elements such as game titles, logos, layouts and overall brand appeal will help you to tailor the game to the tastes of your players.
For this example, let’s go with a preference test. Set up your test with different variations of your game’s logo and measure the responses. You could ask participants to choose their favorite logo based on factors like attractiveness, relevance to the game theme, and memorability. Additionally, qualitative feedback can be collected to understand the emotional impact and associations each logo generates.
4. Evaluate early game concepts
Test the waters early by validating initial game concepts. Assess their appeal and potential for success among your target audience. Early concept testing helps refine the direction of your game, ensuring you invest resources in concepts that resonate with players.
An example of an early concept test for games could involve creating a basic prototype and then having participants engage with the prototype and provide feedback on various elements, such as game mechanics, characters, and overall appeal.
Elevate your research practice
Join over 320,000+ marketers, designers, researchers, and product leaders who use Lyssna to make data-driven decisions.
5. Gather feedback on the player experience
You can use surveys to collect data on aspects such as gameplay mechanics, graphics, storylines, and overall satisfaction. This quantitative feedback allows you to identify trends and areas for improvement.
This survey template will help you collect valuable feedback from your players. You can present players with a series of Likert scale questions to assess their satisfaction with various game features, storyline developments, or user interface elements. Questions may cover aspects like the ease of navigating the game, the enjoyment of in-game challenges, and preferences for future updates. Additionally, open-ended questions can be included to gather qualitative insights into specific pain points or standout positive experiences.
These insights can be used to guide future game developments and ensure they align with player expectations.
6. Assess the memorability and appeal of the game's visual identity
The gaming industry is highly competitive, so capturing the attention of potential players from the outset and keeping them interested in your game is crucial. It’s worth testing elements like logos, banners, titles, and interface elements to validate your game’s visual identity. You could do this through either a preference test or a five second test.
A five second test will help you gain instant feedback on the element you want to test, for example your game’s home screen. How well is it communicating your brand message? Are the elements attention-grabbing? Identify the most memorable aspects in your design and messaging so you can optimize the game for a captivating and user-friendly experience.
This template will help you get started.
7. Assess the onboarding process for new players
The in-game user journey is a crucial aspect of player satisfaction. By evaluating and optimizing the user flow, you can enhance gameplay, reduce friction, and boost overall engagement. A smooth user flow keeps players immersed and eager for more, fostering a positive gaming experience.
For example, a prototype test can help you test the experience of starting a new game. You could evaluate the steps a player takes from launching the game to entering the gameplay, with a goal of ensuring a smooth and efficient onboarding experience for new players.
You could also test different flows, such as creating an account, selecting a character, customizing game settings, and starting the first level. This would assess the clarity of the instructions, the intuitiveness of the interface, and the overall ease with which players can progress from launching the game to actively playing.
8. Test the usability and intuitiveness of game controls
Usability testing will help ensure your players can easily navigate menus, controls, and features. By evaluating how easily players can interact with your game, you can refine design elements for optimal accessibility and engagement.
For example, you could run a first click test to check whether users understand where to go to change their settings or modify their character. You could use the findings to assess factors like response time, intuitiveness of controls, and the clarity of on-screen instructions.
9. Test different monetization models
This test is beneficial for finding the most effective and sustainable revenue model. Take the time to test different monetization methods, such as in-app purchases, ads, or subscriptions.
For example, you might present two variations of a mobile game to separate user groups. One group experiences a pricing model with lower in-app purchase costs but more frequent options, while the other group encounters higher costs with fewer purchase options.
You could also use our template to evaluate pricing models and conduct a survey to understand how gamers perceive pricing.
By analyzing user behavior, engagement, and revenue generation in each group, you can determine which pricing strategy aligns better with user preferences and business objectives.
Your go-to user research platform
The best teams use Lyssna so they can deeply understand their audience and move in the right direction — faster.
Stand out in the fiercely competitive gaming landscape
If you’re not already, then it's time to prioritize UX/UI tests for gaming, and with these nine tests to get you started, you can not only enhance player satisfaction but also position your gaming platform for long-term success.
Whether understanding player preferences, optimizing user flows, or refining monetization, Lyssna is here to help streamline testing so you can ensure a seamless and captivating gaming experience.
Happy testing and gaming!
You may also like these articles
Try for free today
Join over 320,000+ marketers, designers, researchers, and product leaders who use Lyssna to make data-driven decisions.
No credit card required
