Research Project Timeline and Planning
Planning and organization is key to the smooth running of any research project. This section of the site aims to explore the broad plan of the research project, whilst showing the planning materials and software utilised.
Research Project Plan
Before exploring the planning put in place it is necessary to outline the overall plan for the research project itself. In order to communicate the plan for the research project easier it will be split into sections chronologically below outlining the steps and their purpose.
1 / Initial Production (Pre Pilot Test)
In preparation for a pilot test commencing on the 7th of March, a beta version of a 3D first-person puzzle game scenario will be created. This scenario will include two distinct levels for participants to play. These levels will each exclusively feature diegetic and non-diegetic forms of visual signposting. Participants will play the levels randomly one after the other, and the puzzles featured in each level will be slightly different. The puzzles will retain the same level of complexity, in order to ensure that familiarity does not affect participants' experience. Upon finishing each level, participants will be shown the time they took to complete each level, alongside directions to complete a survey packaged along with the 3D game scenario. This method of testing was primarily inspired by a previous study conducted by Iacovides and others (2015), alongside other general A/B testing conducted in user experience studies.
2 / GEQ Adaptation
Adapt IJsselsteijn, De Kort, and Poels' (2013) Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) for use on Microsoft Forms (Microsoft Corporation 2016) in preparation for the pilot test commencing on the 7th of March.
3 / Pilot Test Results
Review participants during the pilot test and make notes of any bugs, issues, or areas for change needed in preparation for the final 3D game scenario. In addition to personal notes, collate and review responses from the pilot test to further understand what changes the 3D game scenario needs. Alongside technical changes, use participant responses to inform initial results assumptions, and utilise them as a comparison to the final test results in future.
4 / Post Pilot Test Changes
Begin implementing fixes and final features into the 3D game scenario in-line with what was learned from the pilot test.
5 / Final Test Prep and Publishing
Finally, prep final test and publish it on official university communication channels, social medias (I.e. Discord), and other mediums to garner roughly 20-30 responses. When an adequate number of responses have been reached, draw conclusions on the comparative effects of diegetic and non-diegetic forms of visual signposting on user experience in first-person games and publish findings to the site.
Initial Broad Planning
Current updated plan based on experience at the start of production.
Initial plan included in the proposal prior to production start.
Current updated plan based on experience at the start of production.
Broad planning for this project was initially done on an excel sheet as part of the initial proposal. The distribution date for the test was set to be the 7th of March on this initial plan. However, upon beginning production it quickly became apparent that more time would be needed to develop the test properly to the standard I desired. In light of this, the broad time plan was adapted to shift the distribution date forward by roughly a month and a half so I could use the initial distribution date as a pilot test instead. This way I could ensure I was still progressing at a good rate, and I would ensure that some kind of feedback and primary research available prior making the final test available.
Project Management
Whilst the initial planning was a good basis for the proposal and general work, more precise planning and management methods were needed for the day-to-day work. Two management websites were used during the production of the 3D game scenario and other core elements of the research project.
Pre-Production board on HacknPlan as of the 23rd of February
Production board on HacknPlan as of the 23rd of February
Post-Production/ Post-Pilot Test board on HacknPlan as of the 23rd of March
Pre-Production board on HacknPlan as of the 23rd of February
HacknPlan
The project management website used primarily in the management for the 3D game scenario was HacknPlan (HacknPlan 2023). HacknPlan is a management site utilising kanban boards and it has been created primarily with game design in mind. I used HacknPlan extensively during production to plan and track critical points of the 3D game scenarios production. The site allowed me to track the time logged on specific tasks and add notes and tags to certain tasks for future reference. Recording and tagging bugs was very important for me following the pilot test as many issues with mechanics were revealed when tested by a range of participants of differing experience and skill levels that were not as familiar with the project as I was.
Miro
Miro (Miro 2023) is another project management site that has been used heavily during this project. As Miro is a lot more generalised in terms of its usage, I have applied it to plan and manage both practical and written work. Miro also facilitates idea generation in the form easily customizable mood boards, flow charts, and mind maps. These resources have aided me in my creative process when developing both assets and mechanics for the practical portion of the research project.
Term Week 3 Miro Board
Term Week 6 Miro Board
Term Week 9 Miro Board
Term Week 3 Miro Board
Idea Generation and Concepts
Shown in the gallery above are some idea generation boards and level concepts created early on in development with Miro (Miro 2023). These boards and concepts played a key role in my design of the scenes and mechanics present in the 3D game scenario.