In Part 1, you learned how researching user enjoyment differs from standard UX research. You also got valuable insight into how to choose your target demo and start gathering test users. If you haven’t read Part 1, take a minute to do so now.
Now, it’s time for the next step – getting out there with actual users and asking important questions. This is how you really test the waters.
Of course, you’ll also need to take time to analyze the feedback to turn your fun idea into the next viral entertainment sensation.
Where To Talk With Your Users
In the first part of this guide, we learned how to do some initial marketing to reach out to potential users. Use all this hard work to help you start getting out there with your actual users.
You can start by setting up virtual meets, such as via Skype or Facebook Live. Gather interested users who meet your target demo and host a test session. You’ll likely want to have a password-protected website in place. This also allows you to record how users interact with your app, website or even the digital version of your card/board game.
It may sound like a lot of work, but the last thing you want to do is invest a lot of money into a fun idea that causes nothing but misery for you.
Of course, you may still not fully be able to tell if people are enjoying your idea or not. This means testing your idea face-to-face with small groups.
Make a list of local areas where you could go to get people to try out your fun idea. This could be local coffee shops, bars, restaurants, malls, etc.
It’s a good idea to get permission from the owners before you start walking up to their customers.
Give A Taste, But Not Everything
Now that you have a place(s) to go, set up an area with a prototype for users to try. You don’t have to have your entire idea developed just yet. Actually, your test users will help with that.
When you start working with your testers, don’t explain everything to them. Give them a general overview. Think of it much like the back of a board game or an app overview in the App Store. You want to see how users actually react to surprises. If you tell them everything, they might not enjoy it as much.
Think about escape room-style games. If you explained where all the clues were, it wouldn’t be much fun, right?
The Most Important Questions To Ask
There are two highly important parts when it comes to researching user enjoyment. The first is asking the right questions. Prepare a questionnaire for your testers. You can either have them fill it out or just ask them and mark the answers yourself. Both ways work well. One important thing to remember is to never ask questions that try to influence the person’s answer.
Some of the most important questions to ask include (I’m using “game” as a fill-in, but refer to your idea name instead):
- What do you think of the overall concept?
- Was the purpose of the game obvious?
- What made you want to try the game?
- What was the most enjoyable part?
- What made the game less enjoyable?
- What would make the game more entertaining?
- Do you think you would want to play again?
- Would this be more fun solo or with others?
- Does this game remind you of anything similar?
- What would make this stand out from similar concepts?
- Why wouldn’t you play again?
- What changes would you like to see made?
- Rate your enjoyment factor on a scale of 1-10.
- Would you be willing to test the idea again in the future?
Obviously, you can ask more specific questions based on your idea. For instance, you might ask if a puzzle game is appropriate for certain ages.
Analyzing Your Research
Now that you have all these answers, it’s time to start analyzing your research. If most of the responses are negative, it may be time to scrap the project or adjust the direction drastically.
If you’ve got an even mix of responses, don’t give up just yet. Researching user enjoyment is all about learning what your users want. If some like it, then you’ve got an idea worth trying. Just pay close attention to their feedback to make the right adjustments, such as changing difficulty levels, adding more depth or even changing character names.
Don’t get overwhelmed by negative feedback. Focus more on constructive criticism. Since you’re developing your idea for others, it needs to be enjoyable for them.
Most importantly, pay close attention to similar feedback. A trend means there’s definitely something you either need to keep the same or change.
Test, Research, Analyze, Repeat
Finally, researching user enjoyment doesn’t stop with one round. Instead, we have to test over and over again as we make changes to our fun ideas. This is why you’ll want to keep gathering contact details to create a large enough test group.
By repeating the process after each major round of changes, you’ll not only validate your idea, but create a final product that people will enjoy spending their free time on.
Image: You X Ventures, Helena Lopes