UX Design is critical in developing good User Assistance and reducing the learning curve for disruptive software or technology. Maybe we could learn something from a spiky blue rodent [sic]?
5min read
I've been thinking a lot about a certain pesky little blue hedgehog these days. You know, the impatient spiky critter who ran marathons through dazzlingly pixelated worlds, compensated for his lack of swim skill by finding air bubbles under water and rolled or stomped over his enemies for a few shiny rings.
I have but the fondest of memories. The simplicity of the gameplay was hypnotic and rewarding. The music, a harmonious mix of up-tempo synths and melody. What was there not to love?
There are several reasons why he's come to mind however. For one, as with all Kingdom Hearts fanatics, I am eagerly awaiting Kingdom Hearts 3 (as I have been for 13yrs btw). I've just read an article on Den of Geeks announcing the arrival of Yuji Naka, the mastermind behind this blue pest, to Square Enix. There is no word yet whether he'll work on Final Fantasy, or Kingdom Hearts (I'm just throwing this out to the universe ;)).
Kingdom Hearts 3 set to release some time in 2018!
Secondly, I just got the opportunity to play Sonic Forces for PS4 and the visuals are outstanding but it still left me craving for the heydays of Sega Genesis Sonic.
I wondered what exactly I was missing. When I was younger, I was incredible frustrated at my protagonist. He was not only annoying but rude.
Our blue hero's only super power was speed and his numerous enemies lacked this particular power so one would think that Sonic had the upper hand... Anyone who has ever spent hours playing Sonic on a Sega console knows this wasn't really the case. His speed was also his weakness and the objective of the game was to control his movement, understand his limitations, and train yourself to have the necessary reflexes in order to do so.
Of course, doing all of this was highly enjoyable and led me to think about the User Experience Design behind such a gameplay. I won't necessarily focus on the gameplay itself, more so on the Design and Interface. Also I'm only looking at Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega Genesis (1991).
For starters, Sonic was my gateway drug to gaming. It was so intuitive to play that even as a toddler who had never played the console before, I was hooked.
I'm wondering whether any of the techniques seen in Sonic can be applied to other interfaces/contexts.
When you start the game there are absolutely no instructions. It's just you and Sonic. After a while you realize you have to move because Sonic will become impatient and start tapping his feet. A visual cue and interaction. Sonic directly interacts with the user to inform them, without words, but by using easily recognizable gestures that the user would understand based on non-verbal communication. This gesture also psychologically signifies to the user that you'll be working alongside Sonic. He won't be doing all of the work and he wants you to know that.
You also know you have to move forward because of the shiny element seen on the far right of the screen. You don't know what it is yet but you know you have to explore and move right. Another excellent employment of visual cues.
You have to die first in order to know that an enemy is an enemy in the world of Sonic. The interface is rather minimal. There are 3 elements to keep track of, score, time and rings. This is relevant because you need rings to survive hits and live, the score tells you how well you are progressing and the time is an indicator of how you are progressing relative to the gameplay. The less time you take, the more points you'll receive at the end and the better you are getting overall at the game.
It goes without saying that trial and error are critical to the gameplay. In water worlds, you don't know that Sonic can't really swim. In fact, this is the most obnoxious feature of the game but it wouldn't be a game without any challenges would it? You also don't know that he can't breathe underwater and you find the escape route by accidentally tumbling over an air bubble and realizing that something just changed in Sonic's behavior. He gasps. This sudden state change in Sonic alerts you that something is special about these air bubbles. The affordance helps. You don't know how long Sonic can survive under water until you hear the "danger" music so you have to base your (Sonic's) life on the affordance of the air bubbles. You do and all is well until the next time you hear that terrifying melody.
I can go on and on about Sonic and the UX techniques we could learn from the retro game but I won't. I think what is most important is the ease at which you learn the tactics to the gameplay without any instructions, tutorials or guidance. UX Design is critical in developing good User Assistance and reducing the learning curve for disruptive software or technology. Maybe we could learn something from this rodent err Erinaceidae.
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Something big is coming to Charleston next summer. Something huge. And the guys behind GIANT Conf wouldn't have it any other way. June 11-14, 2014, the Silicon Harbor will host an impressive of design industry luminaries at GIANT, a three-day hybrid multi-track conference and workshop for professionals in the niche sector of user interaction and user experience, UI/UX as its known in trade circles.
Planning your conferences for 2014? It's important to not overlook the user experience of your user assistance... or, for that matter, the role of user assistance in the overall user experience! Consider GIANT Conference in Charleston, SC, this June of 2014, which will have at least one session on the relationship between UX and UA (led by one of Blackbaud's own Information Architects!).
Going from obvious, unhelpful, content to valuable technical content users want and need takes skills in SME questioning, goal analysis, and peer-testing.
We're starting a line of images relating to Real Live Walkthroughs in urban street life. Send us photos of Walkthroughs, navigation instructions and guiding signs from your city.
Look for the images with #real live walkthroughs hashtag.
*Photo taken in Tel Aviv, near the Central Bus Station. Feel free to use it but please attribute. Gracias!
