Currently, the friend constellation:
Search Criteria:
Survey results showed all participants log on +3 times weekly, add 1-5 new friends weekly, and have played the game for anywhere between 9-14 months.
Summative Usability Testing
Sessions consisted of up to 2 tasks:
Followed by a semi-structured interview:
Focused on previous behavior with making and finding friends as well as how users would want to find friends
And finished with a System Usability Scale Survey.
1. Affinity Diagram
Transcribed, grouped and coded user inputs & behavior
2. User Flow
Used user behaviors to detail every possible step and route of the current journey
3. System Usability Scale Survey
Exported to Google sheets and calculated manually
In fact, the constellation, though aesthetically pleasing, is disorganized and forces users to recheck repeatedly among the different screens. During this study, I discovered that the friend constellation only displays up to 72 friends at once, with the first screen holding up to 25 favorited friends. For players with over 72 friends, some names are inevitably invisible.
Users have started using the constellation features creatively. For example, many users couple the "favorite friend" feature with visual cues like emojis in the friend name. The most unique finding is the community-spread workaround that includes temporarily blocking friends until the name sought-after shows up. By blocking friends they see on the constellation, users make space for the invisible names to take their place. These methods changes what the blocking feature is designed to be used for.
Players hear about this method via other friends or the online communities. However, the user flow shows how easily users fall into a cumbersome cycle of searching and/or blocking others. Success isn't guaranteed for those experienced with the blocking tactic, either.
The constellation unintentionally causes users—especially those with larger friend lists—to lose contact against their wishes. While users don't seem to struggle finding the friends they spend the most time with, reconnecting with friends is difficult without their contact information.
In fact, participants recalled instances where they were just with a friend in-game, but disconnected and couldn't find their name on the constellation again. As a result, users' friend circles are reduced.
While users are satisfied with with the constellation most of the time, these inhibiting experiences arise enough to create an unpleasant memory.
As a result, the average SUS score regarding users' experiences with the friend constellation is below what's desired. Each user's SUS score correlated with how much they struggled with Task 1.
The data shows what users want to gain from finding a name on the constellation:
I recommend giving users the option to filter by who is online, who has sent a gift, and potentially who can receive a gift. This would benefit users immensely in saving time and resources.
However, if the goal is to address this study's issues, a search feature would have prevented any of the user anecdotes above where users could not contact a specific friend. I have made prototypes for both the filter and search feature routes.
The candle light icon is presented throughout the game when the user is "giving" -- such as avatar vision, unblocking, and the daily gift of light or heart.
When users collect these daily gifts, they fill up a heart meter, a form of currency. The icons were chosen to be consistent with the game.
I created a search icon for the friend constellation in the top right corner. Clicking it opens a search bar.
As the user types, the screen displays friend names that start with what's typed. If there is a large amount of friends that begin with the same letters, you can tap the space outside the search bar and browse among the 5 screens. Beyond this prototype, there should be a loading indicator, and clicking on a friend should open up the interaction menu like the original constellation.
Now imagine this scenario: my old friend Mona messaged me on Discord asking to catch up through Sky, but because I have a large friends list and haven't played with her in months, I don't see her name. However, with my prototypes, we can easily find each other. My prototypes act as a simple solution to a specific, but frustrating problem while staying consistent with Sky's current design and style.
It may be worth exploring just how many users have over +72 friends, and how many actually maintain relationships beyond the main friends they interact with.
Further research should be conducted on a "remove friend" feature and organizational tools for the friend constellation.
Since this project's completion, thatgamecompany has made some changes to the friend constellation. There are now a few screens with customizable constellations for users to fix the positions of some friends.