User Experience Design for Gaming

Predicting user behavior is key to delivering personalized experiences and increasing engagement. In mobile gaming, anticipating a player’s next move, like which game table they’ll choose, can meaningfully improve the user journey. In a recent tech blog, the data science team at Hike shares how transformer-based models can help forecast user actions with greater accuracy. The blog details the team's approach to modeling behavior in the Rush Gaming Universe. They use a transformer-based model to predict the sequence of tables a user is likely to play, based on factors like player skill and past game outcomes. The model relies on features such as game index, table index, and win/loss history, which are converted into dense vectors with positional encoding to capture the order and timing of events. This architecture enables the system to auto-regressively predict what users are likely to do next. To validate performance, the team ran an A/B test comparing this model with their existing statistical recommendation system. The transformer-based model led to a ~4% increase in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), a meaningful lift in engagement. This case study showcases the growing power of transformer models in capturing sequential user behavior and offers practical lessons for teams working on personalized, data-driven experiences. #DataScience #MachineLearning #Analytics #Transformers #Personalization #AI #SnacksWeeklyonDataScience – – –  Check out the "Snacks Weekly on Data Science" podcast and subscribe, where I explain in more detail the concepts discussed in this and future posts:    -- Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gKgaMvbh   -- Apple Podcast: https://lnkd.in/gj6aPBBY    -- Youtube: https://lnkd.in/gcwPeBmR https://lnkd.in/gJR88Rnp

Your research findings are useless if they don't drive decisions. After watching countless brilliant insights disappear into the void, I developed 5 practical templates I use to transform research into action: 1. Decision-Driven Journey Map Standard journey maps look nice but often collect dust. My Decision-Driven Journey Map directly connects user pain points to specific product decisions with clear ownership. Key components: - User journey stages with actions - Pain points with severity ratings (1-5) - Required product decisions for each pain - Decision owner assignment - Implementation timeline This structure creates immediate accountability and turns abstract user problems into concrete action items. 2. Stakeholder Belief Audit Workshop Many product decisions happen based on untested assumptions. This workshop template helps you document and systematically test stakeholder beliefs about users. The four-step process: - Document stakeholder beliefs + confidence level - Prioritize which beliefs to test (impact vs. confidence) - Select appropriate testing methods - Create an action plan with owners and timelines When stakeholders participate in this process, they're far more likely to act on the results. 3. Insight-Action Workshop Guide Research without decisions is just expensive trivia. This workshop template provides a structured 90-minute framework to turn insights into product decisions. Workshop flow: - Research recap (15min) - Insight mapping (15min) - Decision matrix (15min) - Action planning (30min) - Wrap-up and commitments (15min) The decision matrix helps prioritize actions based on user value and implementation effort, ensuring resources are allocated effectively. 4. Five-Minute Video Insights Stakeholders rarely read full research reports. These bite-sized video templates drive decisions better than documents by making insights impossible to ignore. Video structure: - 30 sec: Key finding - 3 min: Supporting user clips - 1 min: Implications - 30 sec: Recommended next steps Pro tip: Create a library of these videos organized by product area for easy reference during planning sessions. 5. Progressive Disclosure Testing Protocol Standard usability testing tries to cover too much. This protocol focuses on how users process information over time to reveal deeper UX issues. Testing phases: - First 5-second impression - Initial scanning behavior - First meaningful action - Information discovery pattern - Task completion approach This approach reveals how users actually build mental models of your product, leading to more impactful interface decisions. Stop letting your hard-earned research insights collect dust. I’m dropping the first 3 templates below, & I’d love to hear which decision-making hurdle is currently blocking your research from making an impact! (The data in the templates is just an example, let me know in the comments or message me if you’d like the blank versions).

Remember Tom from MySpace? The familiar face who was everyone's first friend on the platform and a pivotal figure in the early days of social networking. Not only did he help create one of the first major social networks, but he also introduced a feature that gamified friendships: the "Top 8." The "Top 8" Impact Being in someone's Top 8 was a coveted status symbol that fueled user competition and engagement. This feature led to frequent updates, boosting interactions and time spent on the platform. Moreover, the Top 8 facilitated the discovery of friends through mutual connections, making it crucial to include close friends, which helped attract new users which fueled exponential growth. Finally, it allowed users to express their social identity, giving them a sense of ownership by enabling them to create curated profiles. Today’s social media platforms still use similar concepts—whether through followers, likes, etc. and the same can be applied to games. Here are a couple of ideas below (some of which are already being deployed): Top Friends or Teammates List: Display a list of top friends or teammates on player profiles. Dynamic Challenges + Badges + Perks: Special quests for players who frequently play together, offering unique rewards and/or unlockable custom badges + additional boosts or bonuses. Customizable Social Spaces: Allow players to create and personalize social spaces or guilds. Social XP: Allow sharing of in-game achievements and/or grant extra XP for playing with friends regularly. Co-op Crafting: Unique items or abilities that can only be used/created when friends collaborate. Curated Tourneys: Competitions where players must sign up as a pre-registered group to participate. Shared Progress Bar: Joint milestones, with rewards being unlocked as groups achieve goals.

Recently, someone shared results from a UX test they were proud of. A new onboarding flow had reduced task time, based on a very small handful of users per variant. The result wasn’t statistically significant, but they were already drafting rollout plans and asked what I thought of their “victory.” I wasn’t sure whether to critique the method or send flowers for the funeral of statistical rigor. Here’s the issue. With such a small sample, the numbers are swimming in noise. A couple of fast users, one slow device, someone who clicked through by accident... any of these can distort the outcome. Sampling variability means each group tells a slightly different story. That’s normal. But basing decisions on a single, underpowered test skips an important step: asking whether the effect is strong enough to trust. This is where statistical significance comes in. It helps you judge whether a difference is likely to reflect something real or whether it could have happened by chance. But even before that, there’s a more basic question to ask: does the difference matter? This is the role of Minimum Detectable Effect, or MDE. MDE is the smallest change you would consider meaningful, something worth acting on. It draws the line between what is interesting and what is useful. If a design change reduces task time by half a second but has no impact on satisfaction or behavior, then it does not meet that bar. If it noticeably improves user experience or moves key metrics, it might. Defining your MDE before running the test ensures that your study is built to detect changes that actually matter. MDE also helps you plan your sample size. Small effects require more data. If you skip this step, you risk running a study that cannot answer the question you care about, no matter how clean the execution looks. If you are running UX tests, begin with clarity. Define what kind of difference would justify action. Set your MDE. Plan your sample size accordingly. When the test is done, report the effect size, the uncertainty, and whether the result is both statistically and practically meaningful. And if it is not, accept that. Call it a maybe, not a win. Then refine your approach and try again with sharper focus.

User experience surveys are often underestimated. Too many teams reduce them to a checkbox exercise - a few questions thrown in post-launch, a quick look at average scores, and then back to development. But that approach leaves immense value on the table. A UX survey is not just a feedback form; it’s a structured method for learning what users think, feel, and need at scale- a design artifact in its own right. Designing an effective UX survey starts with a deeper commitment to methodology. Every question must serve a specific purpose aligned with research and product objectives. This means writing questions with cognitive clarity and neutrality, minimizing effort while maximizing insight. Whether you’re measuring satisfaction, engagement, feature prioritization, or behavioral intent, the wording, order, and format of your questions matter. Even small design choices, like using semantic differential scales instead of Likert items, can significantly reduce bias and enhance the authenticity of user responses. When we ask users, "How satisfied are you with this feature?" we might assume we're getting a clear answer. But subtle framing, mode of delivery, and even time of day can skew responses. Research shows that midweek deployment, especially on Wednesdays and Thursdays, significantly boosts both response rate and data quality. In-app micro-surveys work best for contextual feedback after specific actions, while email campaigns are better for longer, reflective questions-if properly timed and personalized. Sampling and segmentation are not just statistical details-they’re strategy. Voluntary surveys often over-represent highly engaged users, so proactively reaching less vocal segments is crucial. Carefully designed incentive structures (that don't distort motivation) and multi-modal distribution (like combining in-product, email, and social channels) offer more balanced and complete data. Survey analysis should also go beyond averages. Tracking distributions over time, comparing segments, and integrating open-ended insights lets you uncover both patterns and outliers that drive deeper understanding. One-off surveys are helpful, but longitudinal tracking and transactional pulse surveys provide trend data that allows teams to act on real user sentiment changes over time. The richest insights emerge when we synthesize qualitative and quantitative data. An open comment field that surfaces friction points, layered with behavioral analytics and sentiment analysis, can highlight not just what users feel, but why. Done well, UX surveys are not a support function - they are core to user-centered design. They can help prioritize features, flag usability breakdowns, and measure engagement in a way that's scalable and repeatable. But this only works when we elevate surveys from a technical task to a strategic discipline.

People often say what they think they should say. I had a great exchange with 👋 Brandon Spencer, who highlighted the challenges of using qualitative user research. He suggested that qual responses are helpful, but you have to read between the lines more than you do when watching what they do. People often say what they think they should be saying and do what they naturally would. I agree. Based on my digital experiences, there are several reasons for this behavior. People start with what they know or feel, filtered by their long-term memory. Social bias ↳ People often say what they think they should be saying because they want to present themselves positively, especially in social or evaluative situations. Jakob's Law ↳ Users spend most of their time on other sites, meaning they speak to your site/app like the sites they already know. Resolving these issues in UX research requires a multi-faceted approach that considers what users say (user wants) and what they do (user needs) while accounting for biases and user expectations. Here’s how we tackle these issues: 1. Combine qualitative and quantitative research We use Helio to pull qualitative insights to understand the "why" behind user behavior but validate these insights with quantitative data (e.g., structured behavioral questions). This helps to balance what users say with what they do. 2. Test baselines with your competitors Compare your design with common patterns with which users are familiar. Knowing this information reduces cognitive load and makes it easier for users to interact naturally with your site on common tasks. 3. Allow anonymity  Allow users to provide feedback anonymously to reduce the pressure to present themselves positively. Helio automatically does this while still creating targeted audiences. We also don’t do video. This can lead to more honest and authentic responses. 4. Neutral questioning We frame questions to reduce the likelihood of leading or socially desirable answers. For example, ask open-ended questions that don’t imply a “right” answer. 5. Natural settings Engage with users in their natural environment and devices to observe their real behavior and reduce the influence of social bias. Helio is a remote platform, so people can respond wherever they want. The last thing we have found is that by asking more in-depth questions and increasing participants, you can gain stronger insights by cross-referencing data. → Deeper: When users give expected or socially desirable answers, ask follow-up questions to explore their true thoughts and behaviors. → Wider: Expand your sample size (we test with 100 participants) and keep testing regularly. We gather 10,000 customer answers each month, which helps create a broader and more reliable data set. Achieving a more accurate and complete understanding of user behavior is possible, leading to better design decisions. #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

Today lets talk a bit about Level Design Intent As level designers, our goal is to create more than just spaces to navigate – we craft experiences. But sometimes, a level can feel like it's "missing" something or that certain elements are "out of place." In many cases, this happens when the designer’s intent doesn’t align with the experience being delivered. Every level should be built with a clear purpose, ensuring that mechanics, pacing, and layout work together to serve the player's journey. Here’s how we can refine our design philosophy to make every space feel intentional and engaging: 1. Design Intent: Purpose Over Aesthetics Every design choice should reinforce the level’s core experience. If an area feels unnecessary or out of place, it may not be serving the player's journey effectively. Whether it's guiding the player forward, creating tension, or rewarding exploration, every element should have meaning beyond aesthetics. 2. Player-Centric Flow Good design is invisible. Levels should feel natural to move through, balancing challenges with rest, guiding players with subtle visual cues, and ensuring that obstacles make sense within the game world. When flow is disrupted without reason, players notice – and not in a good way. 3. Pacing and Emotional Investment A great level is like a well-told story: it knows when to build tension and when to let the player breathe. If the pacing is off, players might feel rushed or lost. Thoughtful pacing keeps them engaged, making every high-stakes moment feel earned. 4. Challenge vs. Frustration Difficulty should push players without discouraging them. If a level feels frustrating, it might not be communicating feedback effectively. Good challenge feels fair – it teaches, adapts, and rewards persistence instead of punishing mistakes without reason. 5. Consistency and Immersion A level should always reinforce the world it belongs to. If lighting, environment design, or mechanics feel disconnected from the game’s themes, the immersion breaks. Players notice inconsistencies, and when they do, the experience suffers. Intent is Everything Level design isn’t just about building spaces – it’s about shaping experiences. When a level feels "off," it’s often because the intent behind it is unclear. By keeping the player at the heart of our decisions and ensuring every element serves a purpose, we can create levels that feel seamless, engaging, and memorable.

Perfect game balance will ruin your game. Here's why: The "50% Trap." Most designers think perfect balance means every option should be equal, with two options having a 50% win rate each. But here's what I learned across 25+ years in AAA and indie studios: Players don't actually want perfect balance. What players actually enjoy is to experience a varied texture of situations where they have advantages and disadvantages over time. Rob Pardo, VP of Game Design for Blizzard Entertainment, used to tell our team: "Players will often say they've had the most fun not in situations where the battle was perfectly balanced, but instead in games where they had a very slight advantage the entire time. That way, they were always winning, but the enemy put up enough of a fight that they felt scared." Think about your favorite gaming moments. Were they the perfectly even matches? Or were they the nail-biters where you barely scraped by with clever plays and split-second decisions? The best games create meaningful decisions. Here's how I would design engaging balance: • Focus on player agency over statistical equality • Create distinct advantages for different strategies • Design for "very slight advantage" feelings • Build varied textures of challenge over time • End matches quickly once meaningful decisions disappear Next time you play your favorite game, notice how it makes you feel slightly advantaged while keeping you on edge. That's intentional design at work. PS. Join 6,000+ designers in the Funsmith Club Discord: https://lnkd.in/g7_2HSYA

From the long list of "things UX can learn from game design" is a concept called Time To Hadouken, or TTH. If you believe that good UX is about giving your users superpowers, read on. For those unfamiliar - the Hadouken is an iconic ability from the Street Fighter games. Normal character attacks are things like punches and kicks but "⬇↘➡🤜" made your character yell "HADOUKEN!" and shoot a big blue energy blast. This was immediately appealing to players - it wasn't just awesome, but also accessible. You could jump into your first fight and be shooting Hadoukens left and right. These "combos" became the selling point of the game series, and many other game franchises copied them - but often got one key thing very wrong. It's the same thing that UX often gets wrong. A lot of productivity software makes the same pitch to customers: we will give you superpowers, you will be able to cool stuff that you can't do in any other app. And then they put barriers in the way of doing that thing. Their "time to Hadouken" - the time that it takes for the app to fulfill its core promise - gets padded out. Just like the games that copied Street Fighter made their combos increasingly esoteric to please hardcore fans or added unnecessary cinematics and intro stages that delayed the action, apps throw things like welcome tours in the way of the user, or present them with a blank canvas that they must populate before they can experience the app's most important features. Often this happens because there's no clear sense on the team of what their product's Hadouken actually is. It's easy to pull out a list of features, but not very helpful. Street Fighter also has a list of features - there are 121 characters, and each has many combos - but only one Hadouken. It's the most basic selling point that makes the user go "whoa, that was awesome!" in the shortest period of time. If you don't know what your Hadouken is, you desperately need to do the work to figure it out - and then build your onboarding in such a way that minimizes the time to Hadouken.

🐼 The recent launch of the "Kung Fu Panda 4" game on Roblox by Sawhorse and NBC Universal offers valuable insights into crafting successful brand experiences in the metaverse. Huge congrats to everyone involved. I went in and played this morning and here are three great things they did that every brand should focus on. 1) Seamless Soft Tutorials 📖 We usually try to stay away from building standard tutorials which might sound weird but the idea is most players on Fortnite or Roblox want to dive into the action and at this point we believe there are more user focused ways to teach a core game loop. Kung Fu Panda does this great by introducing a short, engaging cinematic with Po that serves as a soft tutorial. It's concise yet packed with essential information, allowing players to quickly dive into the action without the usual tutorial drag. This approach respects the players' eagerness to start playing while ensuring they're well-informed. 2) Social Encouragement 😎 Right from the get-go, the game encourages players to team up with friends, tapping into Roblox's inherently social nature. This not only enhances the gaming experience but also boosts game metrics, as playing with friends or making new ones in-game significantly enriches player engagement. 3) Player Interest Over Monetization 💸 The game's stance of "No Robux. Everything is free" is a bold and refreshing strategy. It prioritizes player experience over immediate monetization, signaling to the community that the brand values their enjoyment and engagement above all. This approach can foster a positive brand image and long-term loyalty among players. The result? An impressive 95% like rating from nearly 6,000 votes and a rapidly growing player base, with 13,000 concurrent users and climbing. These metrics speak volumes about the effectiveness of their strategy. 🧠 What Brands Can Learn - Crafting engaging, non-intrusive tutorials that respect the player's desire to start playing dramatically increases initial playtime. - Encouraging social interactions to leverage Roblox's community-driven platform boosts all around game stats. - Prioritizing player experience, possibly even over immediate monetization, to build brand loyalty is a refreshing way to build a community. As we at Atlas Creative continue to explore and innovate within Roblox, these insights serve as a valuable guide for creating brand experiences that resonate deeply with the platform's vibrant community. The "Kung Fu Panda 4" Roblox game sets a compelling precedent for how brands can engage meaningfully in the metaverse, and it's an approach worth considering for any brand looking to make a lasting impact. #Roblox #BrandEngagement #MetaverseMarketing #KungFuPanda4 #GamingCommunity