Randomised Item Drops

Background and Goals

In sprint 4, we completed the function to make the items randomly drop on the map. It is for bringing a sense of surprise for users. Due to the change of the item drops. The team conducted user testing again to see progress and look for opportunities for improvement.

The goal of user testing is to evaluate "Randomised Item Drops" function and see how people feel about the function when playing.

Process

To conduct our user testing we did the following:

• Invited 3 users to play the game.
• We asked users to pick up items when playing.
• Observe the player's action and mood while completing the task.
• Conduct an interview and collect feedback from users

Then the user is required to pick up at least three items in the game, such as first aid kit, apple and water. During the test, observers need to observe their actions and remain silent. Users may ask for help when they get stuck and can't continue the game. Observers need to record these situations and provide help.

Key Questions

1. What do you feel about the pickable items when they drop?
2. What do you think about the visual design?
3. Do you have any suggestions on the improvements?

Result

User 1

Observation

The user was curious about the pickable items and picked up a lot of items when they dropped. Feedback

• Q1: I feel that there are different types of items I can use in the game. It's interesting.
• Q2: Clear. But I am not sure of the functions they have.
• Q3: Just add some details on how to use different items.

User 2

Observation

The user successfully picked up items when they dropped.

Feedback

• Q1: I would like to collect these items. It seems like they are good for the player to survive.
• Q2: Good. But I think some items are too small. Sometimes you might ignore them when playing.
• Q3: It would like to see more interesting items in this game.

User 3

Observation

The user quickly picked up items and see the effects.

Feedback

• Q1: It's quite easy to pick.
• Q2: They are easy to understand but I think I don't need all of them in the game.
• Q3: Good. Maybe drop items only when users need them, or there are too many items on the map.

Evaluation

In general, randomly dropped items are interesting and appropriate in the game. In the players' answers, there was no bad experience caused by random drop of items. On the contrary, randomly dropped items are considered interesting, which to some extent stimulate the player's desire to pick up props.

This function can be improved. First, players tend to ignore the existence of props. This may be due to the small size of the prop and the color of the prop is too close to the background color of the game. In addition, items dropped randomly are not necessary for players, so items should not be dropped too often.

To sum up, the function of randomly dropped items is an appropriate function and helps to improve the fun and interactivity of the game. But we can still adjust props and drop frequency to improve the player's game experience.