Also referred to as the first time user experience (FTUE), tutorials, or early experience, onboarding is concerned with welcoming the player to the game and preparing them for what is to follow. In many games, and especially in free-to-play games, a high percentage of players drop off after the initial experience, and a key contributing factor to this relates to usability issues. If the player is confused about what they have to do, or how to do it, then it’s understandable that they may quit and try another game. There may indeed by great gameplay later in your game, but if there is too much friction in getting to that gameplay, then players may abandon.

Here are some examples of onboarding issues you should want to check for in a usability playtest:

Usability issues relating to the player character include:

• Identity - does the player understand the role of the player character, i.e. ‘Who am I’?

• Purpose - does the player understand what the player character is trying to accomplish?

Usability issues relating to the game include:

• Awareness - does the game make the player aware that key features and systems exist?

• Teaching - does the game use principles of effective teaching to help the player easily understand key features and systems?

• Controls - is the interaction design appropriate so the player can use the game’s features and systems effectively?

• Goals - tutorials often give the player a series of tasks to complete, does the game effectively communicate the current objective(s)?

Usability issues impacting the player include:

• Memory - is the player taught key features and systems at the right moment and in the right way such as to aid recall?

• Mental Overload - Does the player feel overloaded with too much information?

• Perception/feedback - is the player aware of visual alerts or messages informing them of how they are performing?

• Attention - is the game is splitting the player’s attention between multiple tasks or on-screen messages?

In addition to teaching the actual mechanics of the game, the onboarding section of a game is also where we would find character creation screens or multiplayer lobby areas. These sections of games have a heavy focus on the user interface (UI) so the foundations of good usability and design such as visual hierarchy, grouping, menu flow, and clear feedback are key here.

Key takeaway

Usability issues to consider during onboarding focus on awareness, teaching, and feedback.

Next: 9. Usability in Core Gameplay