The investigating mode is where you will spend the majority of the interview. It’s here where you will uncover the reasons why the player did what they did, and these are the opportunities to improve a game’s design. What you’re trying to uncover is the underlying reason why the player did something which you did not expect or intend.

For a usability playtest, it is likely that the underlying issue is caused by one of four factors:

1. Awareness - the player is not aware that a feature exists.

2. Understanding - the player is aware of a feature, but doesn’t understand how it works.

3. Execution - the player knows how a feature works, but they find it difficult to use.

4. Motivation - even if the player is aware of a feature, understands how it works, and is able to use it, do they see the value in using it?

For each question in your prioritised list, you want to uncover where the source of the problem lies - does the player have an Awareness, Understanding, Execution, or Motivation issue?

Process
To do this, you’ll want to structure your questioning so that you first explore Awareness, then Understanding, then Execution, then finally Motivation. The order is important. For example if a player is not using a feature that you think they should be, you would first determine if the player is aware of the feature, and if they are, assess if they know how to use the feature. Then, perhaps assess if they tried to use the feature, and if necessary finally question their motivation around their need or desire to use the feature.

The general approach in the investigation stage is to identify the source of the problem, and using this framework should help you do that.

Key Takeaway

The Investigation mode is where you are delving deep into the player’s mental model. To get a full picture of how they think the game works you can explore their awareness, understanding, execution, and motivation relating to a feature of interest.

Next: 50. The Stopping Condition