Do this First! Issue Hierarchy
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This document discusses using an issue hierarchy approach to prioritize issues found during research. It presents an issue hierarchy pyramid with the following levels from bottom to top: 1) Technical Performance, 2) Player Requirements, 3) Usability, 4) Motivation, 5) Fun. It explains that lower levels must be addressed before higher levels for improvements to be effective. For example, a game cannot be fun if it crashes or players do not understand how to play. The hierarchy also informs the type of research needed at each level.
Do this First! Issue Hierarchy
- 1. Do This First! Issue Hierarchy and Prioirtization
- 2. First Draft • This is the first draft of the talk contents. The slide deck will be reworked before the talk for readability, proper flow, and visual treatment.
- 4. What is the issue hierarchy? Fun Motivation Usability Player Requirements Technical Performance When prioritizing issues gleaned from research, it is easy to prioritize them by the number of people who encountered them or expressed an opinion. It is also easy to prioritize these issues according to how hard or easy they are to implement. The issue hierarchy approach makes the assumption that issues can be classified in a hierarchy similar to Maslows’ Hierarchy of Needs in so far that some issues farther down the pyramid need to be resolved before any improvements of issues higher up in the pyramid can be made. For examples, players can’t get to the game's fun when the game continually crashes, or they don’t understand how to play the game. These issues should be addressed and retested before (or at least at the same time) improvements in the game’s core loop are implemented.
- 5. Technical Performance Fun Motivation Usability Player Requirements Technical Performance At the very base of the issue pyramid is technical performance. If players run into… • game stopping bugs, • severe lags, or • crashing Fixing anything higher on the pyramid will have minimal impact on making the experience better as these technical issues will break player flow in the game.
- 6. Player Requirements Fun Motivation Usability Player Requirements Technical Performance After technical performance (get the game running well) in the hierarchy, is player requirements which reflect how well the game accommodates player needs: • Safety: players should be able to play without harassment, mobbing or fear for their metal or physical safety. • Accessibility: players with color blindness or limited hand/finger dexterity, for example, should be able to play. • Time Autonomy: Players should be able fit the gaming in their schedule and not have the game dictate when they play. • Hardware: target audience players should be able to play the game without upgrading their hardware. • Affordability: players should be able to afford being successful in a f2p game.
- 7. Usability Fun Motivation Usability Player Requirements Technical Performance If the game runs well and conforms to player needs, it then becomes necessary that players know where to go and what to do in the game. Good usability is therefore a pre-requisite of fun. If players can’t find the cool stuff in your game, it is as if it doesn’t exist. Good usability is especially important for the following areas: • Onboarding: players should learn the game and be set up for success. • Controls: should be error tolerant and easy to learn and use • Feedback: Players should always know what the state of the game is and what their actions have done. • Well structured UI: most relevant information and options should be on the top level: icons and descriptors should be clear.
- 8. Motivation Fun Motivation Usability Player Requirements Technical Performance Once a game is usable, it becomes important that it addresses players intrinsic motivations. These issues are different than getting external rewards and level ups in the game’s progression: • Mastery: how does the game handle growth can players feel growth in competency, can growth be lost? If the core loop is fun but players don’t feel they are progressing or have lost progress, this might have a demotivating effect. • Autonomy: If players don’t have compelling choices or story, the core mechanics will get boring quite quickly. • Relatedness: how does the game connect players and show why their actions matter to others? If players can’t find a team or receive acknowledgement for being a team player, our teamplay mechanics lose their stickiness.
- 9. Fun Fun Motivation Usability Player Requirements Technical Performance Once larger motivational issues have been addressed, issue around game mechanics can be addressed to provide the optimal player experience. A few examples below. • Core Loop: how fun is the core loop, will players have fun with it long-term? • Meta Game/Progression: Do players have enough content and variety or replayability to engage long term? • Teamplay: can players engage in meaningful teamplay?
- 10. Informing the front end of research The issue hierarchy is not only a good tool to structure issue prioritization conversations, but it should also inform your research plan. For example, it difficult to know… • that your game has accessibility issues, if you do not ask players about their experience. • what impact bugs have on your players, if you don‘t ask the players for their perception. • how the game fits into a player's life, if you don’t test the game in context.
- 11. Stories from the trenches • Case 1: Wolves and sheep: losing progress versus core game loop • Case 2: Keeping up: time autonomy and social commitment • Case 3: Just ignore the bugs: technical performance and game flow
- 12. Thank You