Story, Loading, Level 4 and Win Condition Sound Design User Testing
In sprint 4 team 2 plans to design and implement new in game sounds for the story background scene, loading screen, level 4 and win condition screen. These sounds will be played multiple times during the complete playthrough of the game and as such if not correctly implemented could seriously negatively affect the users game experience. Therefore, a user testing session is being held to test how users perceive the sounds.
Due to the different sounds having ultimately different goals for the users experience e.x the Beginning Story sound be aimed at inspiring and building excitement for the game to the player whereas the win condition sound aimed to celebrate the player. It was decided that each sound would be listened by the test users separately and have their own questionnaires.
For this test, 6 users were gathered to perform the test session. All users were required to be over the age of 18 and can hear the sound whether that be aided or not.
- The users were allowed to listen to the sound as many times as they’d like (but had to listen it at least once to continue testing)
- As the users were listening to the sounds their facial expressions were observed
- After the completed listening they were given a questionnaire related to the sound they had just listened to fill out.
- Once the users had completed the questionnaire in private, the questionnaires were collected face down and shuffled together to keep privacy and anonymity.
- After the questionnaires were taking, one user was selected to be interviewed.
Win Condition Long Sound
- Users nodded their head to the music
- Users wanted to listen to the sound at least 3 times with some listening to it up to 5 times.
- There was no discomfort on the users face and the users seemed calm and collected.
Story beginning
- Users seemed up beat and happy when they listened to it.
- Users described the sound as “tropical and relaxing” whilst listening to it
- All users listened the sound at least 5 times with the highest number of listens being around 8 times
Level 4
- Users were emotionalist when listening to this sound.
- Users seemed to be more concentrated and solemn when listing to this sound.
- Users did not appear to dislike the sound but did not express how they liked the sound like previous sounds they had listened to.
- Users usually listened to this sound once or twice but no more than three times.
Loading Final
- Users seemed had a prominent smile when listening
- Users nodded their head to the music and seemed to enjoy it
What did you like most about the sounds?
- “They all had the same undertone in a way. I like how there was a beeping sound that was present throughout them all but then was overlaid by other sounds to make them each sound unique yet connected in a way. They all sounded very professional as well and had a nice loop that made the ending and starting of the sounds seamless.”
What was your least favourite things about the sounds?
- “Honestly I found them to be pretty good, maybe if I was forced to pick one thing I didn’t like it was how short some of them were. But they looped well so it didn’t really matter. It just would’ve been nice to see the sounds do more variety in the songs”
What would you change about the sounds you heard?
- “like I said before maybe if the sound was longer there would be more opportunity to have more variety like a bass drop or something.”
What were your immediate thoughts after hearing the sounds?
- “spacey, and futuristic, but also retro. It matched well with the game style and remined me of the older games you’d play at the arcade”
What did the sounds make you feel?
- “the menu screen one made me feel relaxed and calm and the others made me feel the same just less to an existent”
Overall the user testing was a success. The average results for the win condition, beginning sound, level 4 and loading final sound questionnaires were 8.8/10, 8.8/10, 8.9/10 and 8.6/10 respectably. This showed that the sounds resonated well with users and special attention had been taken in the design of the sound.
User observations also found that whilst listening, users showed signs of enjoyment of the sound by nodding their heads to it and relistening multiple times. The key take way from this suers testing came from the interview. Which revealed a way the sounds could be improved is by lengthening them so that there is more opportunity for “bass drops” and variation in the same sound.
