Analyzing and Prioritizing Usability Issues in Games

Umair Rehman; Amir Zaib Abbasi; Muhammad Umair Shah; Amna Idrees; Hassan Ilahi; Helmut Hlavacs

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-77277-2_9

Analyzing and Prioritizing Usability Issues in Games

Umair Rehman^*, Amir Zaib Abbasi, Muhammad Umair Shah, Amna Idrees, Hassan Ilahi, Helmut Hlavacs

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

Identifying and addressing usability issues is a vital part of improving player experiences in games. This paper delves into different methods that can be applied to shortlist usability issues in games. We specifically discuss observational studies, think-aloud protocols, questionnaires, surveys, user interviews, focus groups, and heuristic evaluations. The paper also discusses approaches to prioritize usability issues in games through severity ratings. Severity ratings allow researchers to prioritize issues in terms of their impact on player experience and other factors, including business goals, cost of redesigns, etc. We also discuss how the player’s usability data can be analyzed using different approaches. Next, we discuss sources of biases in usability studies, ways of determining optimal sample size and approaches to reducing evaluator effect. Finally, we describe approaches to ideating design solutions to address usability concerns in games.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	HCI in Games
Subtitle of host publication	Experience Design and Game Mechanics - 3rd International Conference, HCI-Games 2021, Held as Part of the 23rd HCI International Conference, HCII 2021, Proceedings
Editors	Xiaowen Fang
Publisher	Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages	110-118
Number of pages	9
ISBN (Print)	9783030772765
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77277-2_9
State	Published - 2021
Externally published	Yes

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume	12789 LNCS
ISSN (Print)	0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)	1611-3349

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Keywords

Game user researchers methods
Severity rating
Usability issues in games

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Theoretical Computer Science
General Computer Science

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-030-77277-2_9

Cite this

Rehman, U., Abbasi, A. Z., Shah, M. U., Idrees, A., Ilahi, H., & Hlavacs, H. (2021). Analyzing and Prioritizing Usability Issues in Games. In X. Fang (Ed.), HCI in Games: Experience Design and Game Mechanics - 3rd International Conference, HCI-Games 2021, Held as Part of the 23rd HCI International Conference, HCII 2021, Proceedings (pp. 110-118). (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 12789 LNCS). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77277-2_9

Rehman, Umair ; Abbasi, Amir Zaib ; Shah, Muhammad Umair et al. / Analyzing and Prioritizing Usability Issues in Games. HCI in Games: Experience Design and Game Mechanics - 3rd International Conference, HCI-Games 2021, Held as Part of the 23rd HCI International Conference, HCII 2021, Proceedings. editor / Xiaowen Fang. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2021. pp. 110-118 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)).

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abstract = "Identifying and addressing usability issues is a vital part of improving player experiences in games. This paper delves into different methods that can be applied to shortlist usability issues in games. We specifically discuss observational studies, think-aloud protocols, questionnaires, surveys, user interviews, focus groups, and heuristic evaluations. The paper also discusses approaches to prioritize usability issues in games through severity ratings. Severity ratings allow researchers to prioritize issues in terms of their impact on player experience and other factors, including business goals, cost of redesigns, etc. We also discuss how the player{\textquoteright}s usability data can be analyzed using different approaches. Next, we discuss sources of biases in usability studies, ways of determining optimal sample size and approaches to reducing evaluator effect. Finally, we describe approaches to ideating design solutions to address usability concerns in games.",

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Rehman, U, Abbasi, AZ, Shah, MU, Idrees, A, Ilahi, H & Hlavacs, H 2021, Analyzing and Prioritizing Usability Issues in Games. in X Fang (ed.), HCI in Games: Experience Design and Game Mechanics - 3rd International Conference, HCI-Games 2021, Held as Part of the 23rd HCI International Conference, HCII 2021, Proceedings. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), vol. 12789 LNCS, Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, pp. 110-118. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77277-2_9

Analyzing and Prioritizing Usability Issues in Games. / Rehman, Umair; Abbasi, Amir Zaib; Shah, Muhammad Umair et al.
HCI in Games: Experience Design and Game Mechanics - 3rd International Conference, HCI-Games 2021, Held as Part of the 23rd HCI International Conference, HCII 2021, Proceedings. ed. / Xiaowen Fang. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2021. p. 110-118 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 12789 LNCS).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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AU - Shah, Muhammad Umair

AU - Idrees, Amna

AU - Ilahi, Hassan

AU - Hlavacs, Helmut

PY - 2021

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N2 - Identifying and addressing usability issues is a vital part of improving player experiences in games. This paper delves into different methods that can be applied to shortlist usability issues in games. We specifically discuss observational studies, think-aloud protocols, questionnaires, surveys, user interviews, focus groups, and heuristic evaluations. The paper also discusses approaches to prioritize usability issues in games through severity ratings. Severity ratings allow researchers to prioritize issues in terms of their impact on player experience and other factors, including business goals, cost of redesigns, etc. We also discuss how the player’s usability data can be analyzed using different approaches. Next, we discuss sources of biases in usability studies, ways of determining optimal sample size and approaches to reducing evaluator effect. Finally, we describe approaches to ideating design solutions to address usability concerns in games.

AB - Identifying and addressing usability issues is a vital part of improving player experiences in games. This paper delves into different methods that can be applied to shortlist usability issues in games. We specifically discuss observational studies, think-aloud protocols, questionnaires, surveys, user interviews, focus groups, and heuristic evaluations. The paper also discusses approaches to prioritize usability issues in games through severity ratings. Severity ratings allow researchers to prioritize issues in terms of their impact on player experience and other factors, including business goals, cost of redesigns, etc. We also discuss how the player’s usability data can be analyzed using different approaches. Next, we discuss sources of biases in usability studies, ways of determining optimal sample size and approaches to reducing evaluator effect. Finally, we describe approaches to ideating design solutions to address usability concerns in games.

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T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)

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Rehman U, Abbasi AZ, Shah MU, Idrees A, Ilahi H, Hlavacs H. Analyzing and Prioritizing Usability Issues in Games. In Fang X, editor, HCI in Games: Experience Design and Game Mechanics - 3rd International Conference, HCI-Games 2021, Held as Part of the 23rd HCI International Conference, HCII 2021, Proceedings. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. 2021. p. 110-118. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)). doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-77277-2_9

Analyzing and Prioritizing Usability Issues in Games

Abstract

Publication series

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this