ux p4 (draft)

content/blog/UX-P3/index.md

@@ -30,3 +30,5 @@ A larger segment of our time, including the days leading up to Independence Day
 The medium of this research study, with a focus on games instead of more traditional digital mediums like apps and websites, required that I explore user testing software independently from my colleagues. For this study, I explored many different platforms that would allow me to easily share and record gameplay from testers, without the need to share potentially sensitive software for games still under development or distribute multiple copies of a particular piece of software. Where I to conduct these sessions in person, I could likely set up a small test environment with a capture card and a voice recorder that would circumvent the need for additional software.
 
 That said because the development team of _MOTHER²_ works asynchronously and remotely, this method of study would be impractical and likely introduce bias in the recruitment of the study, limiting participants to those in my local area. I began my research by brushing up on solutions used by similar researchers in the space, a succinct summary of which can be found in [this](https://gamesuserresearch.com/top-remote-playtest-platforms-for-unmoderated-testing/) post by Steve Bromley. I ultimately decided to use [Parsec](https://parsec.app/) for the ease of use it offers both hosts and participants. ([This](https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/games/articles/2023/05/how-xbox-research-accomplished-worldwide-virtual-playtesting-with-parsec/) article I uncovered in my research provided a wonderful overview of how Xbox utilized this platform in their user research).
+
+_The UX portfolio series continues on. You can continue reading [here](../ux-p4/)._ ⏩️

content/blog/UX-P4/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+---
+title: "UX Design: Process Blog #4"
+date: 2024-07-22
+searchHidden: true
+draft: true
+weight: 5
+cover:
+    image: "img/eb-controls-quick-reference.png"
+    alt: "Page 4 of the EarthBound Player's Guide to utilized as a quick reference for participants"
+    caption: "Page 4 of the EarthBound Player's Guide to utilized as a quick reference for participants"
+    hidden: true
+summary: "Pilot playtest sessions for my user experience capstone 👨‍🔬🎮️"
+description: "Over the course of the summer, these short portfolio entries describe my research process for my user experience research capstone."
+tags: ["UX", "Research", "Development", "Parsec"]
+---
+
+_This is the fourth entry in my UX portfolio series. If you have not read the previous one, you can find it [here](../ux-p3/)_ 👈️
+
+## Planning In-Test Questions
+
+Last week, we began planning for our final research study for the summer term of our user experience capstone. As a part of this exercise, we revised our drafts of our participant screeners, research guides, and consent forms for this study. Here I must again praise the wealth of information made freely available by the Nielson Normann group. They provide a plethora of [talks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkDafFDtJ1Y) and [articles](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/moderated-remote-usability-test/) filled with pointers on moderating a remote research study.
+
+Particular attention was paid to developing our pre- and post- task questions in preparation for a pilot study in the subsequent week. In this study, the pre-task questions were designed to help support information drawn from the participant screener, more clearly categorizing users based on their level of familiarity with EarthBound and similar RPGs. Subsequently, the post-task questions were used to help gauge players’ overall impressions of playing through the tutorial section of EarthBound.
+
+{{< figure src="./img/post-task-questionare.png" align="center" caption="_Snapshot of the post-task questionare drafted for the pilot usability study_" >}}
+
+Distinct from my studies in the Spring and Fall, my usability study this term is now focused entirely on a game that has already completed its production process, namely EarthBound. That meant submitting my research proposal to the head of the MOTHER² development team in order to recruit from within the project community on Discord. The following video from MOTHER fan MonkeyNess, provides his personal analysis of EarthBound’s opening moments through the lens of game design. This video gives a great overview of some of the key assumptions similar to those shared by the developers on the project.
+
+{{< youtube lGOzNbejtgE >}}
+
+<!-- https://youtu.be/lGOzNbejtgE?si=wego-LWE_yxLFLdA -->
+
+## Pilot Usability Sessions
+
+The following week, it came time to begin a pilot study for the proposed usability playtest. Given the single-week constraint on the time allotted to both recruit and conduct the pilot study, only one participant was recruited from the ideal applicant pool of test participants. As opposed to limiting our pilot to a single participant, the family member of a developer on the project was recruited to allow for preliminary results to be collected before testing with an ideal candidate.
+
+Moderating the usability study for the introductory sequence of EarthBound was a predominantly positive experience, revealing both the strengths and areas for improvement in the game's design. The two participants, one a seasoned gamer and the other a younger newcomer to RPGs navigated the game's opening moments and provided valuable insights into their initial impressions and engagement levels. Frequent encouragement was given to participants to think aloud as much as possible as well as probing questions when participants became silent for extended periods.
+
+In response to participant comments made while learning the controls of the game, a new controls quick reference sheet was added to the participant materials shared at the beginning of the playtest session. This cheat sheet comes directly from the EarthBound Player's Guide and mimics a section of a physical booklet that players from the ‘90s would have received when purchasing the game.
+
+{{< figure src="./img/eb-controls-quick-reference.png" align="center" caption="_Page 4 of the EarthBound Player's Guide to utilized as a quick reference for participants_" >}}
+
+<!-- _The UX portfolio series continues on. You can continue reading [here](../ux-p5/)._ ⏩️ -->