ACRL-VWIG & ALA Virtual Communities in Libraries Program
September 20, 2015

"User Experience Game Design in Virtual Worlds"

Presented by Bruce R. Maxim, (BruceRobert Mizin in Second Life) 

University of Michigan: Dearborn,
Department of Computer and Information Science
at the
CVL Auditorium in Second Life 12:00pm SLT

Bruce R. Maxim

Bruce Maxim of the University of Michigan, Dearborn, Department of Computer and Information Science  presented a program "User Experience Design" as it relates to game design and virtual environment development.

16 attendees, making this one of the best attended of the ACRL-VWIG programs

Bruce reviewed the "User Experience Design" process which is one of the techniques game/software designers can use when they are creating a new game. User experience design goes beyond just making things look nice for the user. The software/game must also be easy to learn and easy to use in order to attract users.  If it's too complicated or poorly designed, users will quit and try one of your competitors products.  User experience designers focus on creating computer interfaces that allow users to accomplish their goals efficiently and pleasantly.

The key to user centered design is to involve the user in the process early in the design as part of the design team.  Utilizing UCD techniques also means the engineer must understand the tasks/goals that users are trying to accomplish.  Bruce pointed out that software engineers are trained to watch the task they are trying to automate.  Their goal is to add in the missing details, pick out the "user story" i.e. the users goals and develop a prototype.  The next step in the design is to let the user tell you what's wrong.  Then the designer goes back and revises it using the input from the users.  The process is interactive and repeats until BOTH the designer and the user are satisfied.

Good design should consider how to move the user to the next stage of attaining their goal. The process should flow easily to the next step and give continuous feedback to the user.  Letting them know they are on the right path to attaining their goal.

Bruce offered some very useful suggestions about designing for virtual worlds.  He suggested that designers should: 

-design for the avatar NOT for the human

-do walk-throughs often to experience the simulation the way you're user would

-do fly-throughs too because avatars in SL CAN fly too

Good designs should always make it very clear to avatars:

-where they are

-what they can do there

-where they can go from there

-where they have been 

At the Q&A at the end of the session Bruce summed up what he thought Linden Labs got right in designing Second Life- 

"They allowed people to build and customize as much as they want, making for a more interesting and complex experience for the user."

The thing he felt they should continue to work on was that "Second Life doesn't cater to new users. It's complex and has a difficult and sometimes extended learning curve."