We always begin by discussing the research goals with the client. There is a range of techniques we can employ, carefully selected to best suit your needs.

We work with you when you have a playable slice of a game ready to test. We don't require long-term contracts, unless this works for you. We can provide short, single projects, with quick feedback to your developers. And when you have a new iteration of the build, just come back to us and we'll retest. It can be a new contract each time, meaning less initial outlay than on one huge contract, and more of a chance to judge us on each piece of work we do. Or it can be a longer term contract. It's really up to you.

Some of our commonly used techniques include:

Prototype and game usability testing

Usually working with a vertical slice of your title, we perform user testing with small numbers of users, individually, in pairs or in groups, to identify (for example) issues of controls, getting the level of challenge right, level design, understanding of objectives, and whether it's fun, etc.

Biometrics and eye tracking

Biometrics provide insights into players' emotional reactions during gameplay. Up-to-the-second feedback allows you to view various emotional indicators to see how your game impacts upon the player's emotions frame-by-frame.

Prototype play throughs

Where developers may be in a 'wood for the trees' situation, spending months within the game, we provide a fresh pair of eyes, feeding back how the end users understand the current prototype. It's a quick and simple way of getting an objective viewpoint.

ScoreCheck (estimation of review scores)

Our unique ScoreCheck system provides estimates of your game's review scores. The game is marked according to particular themes and dimensions, taking into account the platform and game genre. We will then give you a score estimation.

Concept and storyboard validation

We can also provide user research to feed into the early-stage development of a game concept. This may be through the use of focus groups, but we also can perform user needs research by visiting typical end users in situ, to understand how the games currently fit into their lifestyle, and what cold be done in future developments to make the games more appealing to them.

We can also use the research to gather feedback on storyboards, and help understand marketing angles.

Gamer needs analysis

Gamer Needs Analysis is a technique used at an early stage of concept development. We talk to representative end users to understand their reactions to concepts in development. We can also present them with mocked-up concepts and some functional Flash demos if they are available.

This service allows developers to ensure that the basic concept of a game is worthwhile before investing further time and money developing it. Developers can also take feedback from the sessions to ensure that the game addresses the needs of the intended audience. Findings from the technique can be used as part of the publisher submission process to indicate thorough research into the viability of the intended title has been carried out.

Training and coaching

We provide mentoring and coaching services to help your organisation incorporate usability into the design process.

Gameplay studio hire

We have our own sophisticated testing studios in Holborn, London, UK which are available to hire.

We are always happy to provide ad hoc services for you.