Usability Test: Loop
Shon-Ting Fu
Peter Van Dyke
Joe Barnes
Interface Pros:
- Clear Design
- User did not have any trouble realizing control scheme
- User did not have difficulty discovering how to use controls to advance the game
- Time restraints seemed natural and were communicated well
Interface/Game Cons:
- Too “simple”
- No explanation for the point system in the game
- Also no display of the point system
- Power-ups were ambiguous and were not explained
- Pause mechanic counterintuitive
- Boring
- Engaging, but over time player loses interest
Loop is a very simple game built around a mechanic of catching butterflies. The player, in this case Jeremy Kopman, uses the mouse to create circles around the butterflies to “net” them. Once a player has netted a certain number of butterflies (before the time runs out), the game advances to the next level. The user interface was very intuitive, as could be seen from the ease with which our player understood the controls. Overall the mechanic was simple and easy to use, but the game itself did not appear to be engaging to our player. He commented after the test that the game was “engaging,” but that he did not feel committed to continue playing – he did not feel bad when he lost. He also pointed out how easy the game was, and that in a lot of ways he was thirsting for a little more complexity to the main mechanic… the game was too easy. He knew that he was improving, but never understood how some of the power-ups worked. Overall, Jeremy enjoyed the game, but not enough to play again.