Lead UX designer for Funcom studio, Anna Brandberg Every developer’s best buddy and biggest problem is explored in The Outsiders.
The concept of “play” has long been a source of confusion for game producers. We are aware that for any title on mobile, understanding an audience’s thinking and psychology might mean the difference between success and failure.
What, however, DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT OUR PLAYERS? Furthermore, how can using user-centric design make your game go from excellent to great? The chief UX designer at developer The Outsiders, Anna Brandberg, will be presenting some ideas at Devcom 2023.The main idea
Brandberg contends that the success of games is fundamentally dependent on the power of play. And very few people, if any, would disagree with it. She uses The Sims, which evolved from an architectural dollhouse simulator to the beloved social life-story simulator, as an example of one of the most well-known video game franchises.
On Candy Crush Saga, Brandberg worked with King, one of the most recognizable names in the mobile industry. King has resources that other businesses cannot match, like their own UX lab, but Brandberg says that this shouldn’t prevent others from following their lead.
Unifying principle
“UX is literally not about you,” claims Brandberg. The cliché “kill your darlings” has never been more applicable, and Brandberg advises creators to put the player’s experience and how they interact with a game before their personal preferences.
However, there is a condition. It’s vital to take player feedback with a grain of salt when analyzing it. Players occasionally claim to want one thing when they actually want something other, and if they claim to dislike something, it could be because they were frustrated by confusing tutorials and onboarding.
This teaches you to set aside your ego and your own sense of brilliance, but more significantly, it teaches you to keep in mind that the game isn’t for you; it’s for someone else. Games, according to Brandberg, “have the power to change people’s lives,” and designers have to use that power wisely.
What should we remember?
What does this indicate about game design, then? How can we use this in a mobile context? To get a quick idea of how important even seemingly unimportant design decisions can be to improving the user experience and, through that metric, improving a number of important KPIs like retention, user acquisition, monetisation, and more, we only need to look back at our coverage of Atomhawk’s talk on UI design at Develop: Brighton.
Simply put, even if we “businessify” gaming, it will never change the fundamental reality that games are created with players in mind. Players are equally baffling and straightforward, a never-ending paradox that, if you can understand their perspective and put them first, can improve your game in all relevant ways.
While we can try to categorize players, Brandberg says that they’ll always surprise us in how they interact with games and other systems because “Behind every number is a person” and that guidance is timeless and always helpful. Therefore, just as crucial as the intricate programming is understanding when to take a step back and listen, as well as when to read between the lines.
If you haven’t already, visit the Devcom website to learn more about the incredible lectures taking place in 2023. Brandberg’s talk is only the beginning of what is already proving to be a spectacular Devcom.