{"id":675,"date":"2026-04-03T15:28:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/?p=675"},"modified":"2026-04-12T20:42:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T20:42:26","slug":"week-11-playtest-insights-and-iteration-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/week-11-playtest-insights-and-iteration-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 11 \u2013 Playtest Insights and Iteration Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Week 11 focused on reflecting on Playtest Day<\/strong>, identifying key usability challenges, and prioritizing the next round of iterations. Rather than introducing new systems, the team concentrated on refining the existing experience<\/strong> to improve clarity, feedback, and overall player understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playtest Takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Playtesting revealed several consistent patterns in how players interacted with the experience. One of the most immediate issues was that nearly all players clicked the \u201cStart Ritual\u201d button too early<\/strong>, before completing the required steps. This highlighted a need to better guide player flow and gate interactions until conditions are met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Players also struggled with understanding the sequence and purpose of actions<\/strong>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Why the question card<\/strong> needed to be placed first<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • How items relate to cards<\/strong> and symbols<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • What the Li Qi system<\/strong> represents and how it functions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    More broadly, players often missed key information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • The tutorial was rarely read in full<\/strong>, with most users referencing it only when confused<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Important UI elements, such as top-left text<\/strong>, were frequently ignored<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Players did not clearly perceive how their actions affected Mood and Trust<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Another major takeaway was that feedback was not landing effectively<\/strong>. While systems were functioning, players:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Did not notice changes in Mood and Trust<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Struggled to interpret ritual outcomes<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Lacked a clear sense of whether their decisions were successful<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Additionally, the narrative layer was often overlooked<\/strong>, with players focusing more on mechanics than story context. Visual inconsistencies between 2D and 3D assets<\/strong> also contributed to confusion and reduced cohesion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        Key Areas for Improvement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Based on these insights, the team aligned on several high-priority improvements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Guiding player attention:<\/strong>
          Emphasize the correct order of actions (e.g., placing the question card first) through visual cues and interaction constraints<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Improving feedback systems:<\/strong>
          Make changes to Mood, Trust, and outcomes more visible and immediate<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Clarifying core systems:<\/strong>
          Simplify and better explain Li Qi, card types, and probabilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Strengthening onboarding:<\/strong>
          Shift toward a more step-by-step, interactive tutorial<\/strong> rather than relying on static instructions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Enhancing visual clarity:<\/strong>
          Improve UI hierarchy, unify art styles, and make key elements more prominent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          Planned Iterations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          With these priorities in mind, the team outlined a set of targeted updates for the next development phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Core Interaction Updates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • Implement card drag-and-drop<\/strong> interactions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Gate the \u201cStart Ritual\u201d button<\/strong> so it only activates when all required elements are placed<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Introduce a structured slot-unlocking system<\/strong> across early rounds to guide learning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            System and Gameplay Refinements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • Add a trade system<\/strong> allowing players to exchange cards and influence outcomes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Improve how probabilities and results<\/strong> are displayed<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Refine how systems reinforce that players are interpreting\u2014not changing\u2014the future<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              UI and Layout Improvements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • Reorganize the interface to better highlight:\n
                  \n
                • The question card<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Mood and Trust indicators<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • The player\u2019s hand and available actions<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Introduce clearer popup systems<\/strong> for card details and current questions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Improve readability through larger icons, clearer labels, and better hierarchy<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  Feedback and Visual Effects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  • Strengthen visual and audio feedback<\/strong> for key actions (e.g., placing cards, completing rituals)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Improve VFX for token changes and ritual outcomes<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Add clearer transitions and signals to indicate state changes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    Narrative Integration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \n
                    • Reinforce narrative through:\n
                        \n
                      • Context for each question<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Explanations of results and their consequences<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Ensure that Mood and Trust changes<\/strong> are tied back to the King\u2019s reactions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                        Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                        Week 11 marked a shift from building new features to refining player experience and clarity<\/strong>. The team now has a clearer understanding of where users struggle and how to address those gaps through targeted iteration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        By focusing on guidance, feedback, and cohesion<\/strong>, the next phase of development aims to transform the prototype into a more intuitive and engaging experience\u2014especially within the context of a museum installation<\/strong>, where clarity and immediacy are essential.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                        Week 11 focused on reflecting on Playtest Day, identifying key usability challenges, and prioritizing the next round of iterations. Rather than introducing new systems, the team concentrated on refining…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":735,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675\/revisions\/735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/historacle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}