Deliberately Confusing Game Design Can Enhance Player Support Systems
By intentionally designing elements that induce confusion, designers can create opportunities to test and refine player support systems that respond to specific user states.
Academic Publication · 2022
Key Findings
- 01A game design that subverts typical design conventions can effectively induce player confusion.
- 02Gaze behavior analysis can be a useful indicator for detecting player confusion and frustration.
- 03The insights gained from observing confused players can inform the design of targeted player support.
Application
Design takeaway
Intentionally create scenarios that challenge users, not to frustrate them, but to observe their reactions and build systems that can offer timely and relevant support.
How to apply
Design a feature in your product that intentionally presents a slightly ambiguous or complex scenario, then observe user interaction and feedback to refine help systems or onboarding processes.
Project actions
- 01Consider how you can intentionally create a 'problem' for the user to solve in your design.
- 02Think about how you will observe and measure the user's reaction to this challenge.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Novel approach to using negative user states for research.
- +Focus on objective measurement (gaze behavior) to infer subjective states.
Limitations
It can be difficult to ensure the confusion is productive and not just annoying for the user. Also, interpreting gaze data requires careful consideration.
Reliability & validity
Reliability could be improved by using multiple metrics for confusion (e.g., self-report, task completion time). Validity depends on the established correlation between gaze patterns and confusion in similar contexts.
Think critically
To what extent is it ethical to intentionally induce confusion or frustration in users, and what are the boundaries for this approach in design practice?
Design Principles
"Use controlled confusion as a catalyst for developing adaptive user support."
Understanding how to intentionally evoke emotional states like confusion in users allows for the development of more responsive and adaptive user interfaces and experiences. This approach moves beyond simply preventing negative states to actively using them as triggers for beneficial interventions.
What This Means for Your Design
Making a game confusing on purpose can help you figure out how to build better help systems for players.
How to use in your project
- 1.You can use this research to justify designing a challenging scenario in your design project to test a specific feature or support mechanism.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
(2022). Looking Confused? – Introducing a VR Game Design for Arousing Confusion Among Players. Academic Publication. https://doi.org/10.1145/3517031.3529614 Retrieved from https://designdex.org/study/f63ae982-4ad1-4e41-8635-71708a56a3b9/deliberately-confusing-game-design-can-enhance-player-support-systems
Paragraph starter
This research supports the idea that intentionally designing for user confusion can be a valuable method for testing and refining support systems. By creating a scenario that deliberately challenges users, as demonstrated in the VR game design, designers can observe specific user behaviours and cognitive states, such as confusion, which can then inform the development of more effective and timely interventions.
Source
Academic Publication
Looking Confused? – Introducing a VR Game Design for Arousing Confusion Among Players
journal · 2022
View sourceQuestions about this research
- What does the research say about deliberately confusing game design can enhance player support systems?
- Intentionally create scenarios that challenge users, not to frustrate them, but to observe their reactions and build systems that can offer timely and relevant support. Evidence: Academic Publication (2022).
- Why does "Deliberately Confusing Game Design Can Enhance Player Support Systems" matter for design?
- Understanding how to intentionally evoke emotional states like confusion in users allows for the development of more responsive and adaptive user interfaces and experiences. This approach moves beyond simply preventing negative states to actively using them as triggers for beneficial interventions.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Intentionally create scenarios that challenge users, not to frustrate them, but to observe their reactions and build systems that can offer timely and relevant support.
- What were the main findings?
- A game design that subverts typical design conventions can effectively induce player confusion.. Gaze behavior analysis can be a useful indicator for detecting player confusion and frustration.. The insights gained from observing confused players can inform the design of targeted player support.
- What research method was used?
- Prototyping and qualitative evaluation.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2022 journal from Academic Publication.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- Design a feature in your product that intentionally presents a slightly ambiguous or complex scenario, then observe user interaction and feedback to refine help systems or onboarding processes.
- What are the limitations?
- The effectiveness of the confusion-inducing design and the accuracy of gaze behavior as an indicator of confusion may vary across individuals and specific game contexts.
- Is there evidence that game design affects design outcomes?
- By making a game confusing on purpose, researchers could observe players' eye movements to figure out when they were lost or annoyed, which then helped them design better ways to help players. Understanding how to intentionally evoke emotional states like confusion in users allows for the development of more responsive Source: Academic Publication (2022).
- Where does this players research apply?
- Virtual Reality Game Design It sits within user-centred design research on designdex.org.
Related research topics
game design design research · evidence on game design · does game design improve design outcomes · players studies for designers · game design and players findings · user-centred design research evidence