Streamlining In-Game Menu Navigation in a Story Driven Action Role Playing Game (RPG)
A video gaming company, Client A, received increasing player feedback around difficulty navigating in-game menus, particularly related to inventory management, quest tracking, and leveling systems. There were frequent pausing and backtracking suggesting players were getting lost or overwhelmed within the menu system.
Goal
The research goal was to understand how players use the in-game menu and identify usability issues that impact comprehension, pacing, and decision making.
Key research questions:
How do players navigate the in-game menu and understand systems such as inventory, quests, leveling, and upgrading gear?
What design patters or elements contribute to confusion, hesitation, or error?
How does RPG experience level affect how quickly and confidently players complete menu-based tasks?
Project Overview & Contributions
Duration: 4 weeks
Role: Senior User Experience Researcher
Responsibilities:
Defined the scope and objectives in collaboration with the stakeholders
Developed usability test scenarios and participant screener
Managed recruitment to ensure diversity among players across experience levels
Moderated all remote testing sessions and recorded behaviors across tasks
Identified behavioral patterns and pain points
Deliverable:
Delivered a detailed report including insights and recommendations with screenshots and video clips
Presented insights to the design team, engineers, and product manager
Research Design
Methodology: Remote Usability Testing
Participants: I recruited 16 console players in 2 segments:
Experienced RPG Players (N=8)
Play RPGs regularly and are familiar with complex inventory
Casual RPG Players (N=8)
Play mostly action or shooter games
New to RPG related tasks (e.g., quests)
Remote Usability Testing
Each participant completed a 60 minute remote session. They were asked to:
Navigate the in-game menu to equip new gear
Locate and track a side quest
Spend skill points after leveling up
Sessions were conducted via Zoom with screen sharing. I observed behaviors, asked follow-up questions, and noted hesitation, backtracking, or visible confusion. The questions helped uncover usability issues, gaps in system understanding, and reactions/responses to in-game decision making.
During the moderated remote sessions, players were asked to complete specific in-game tasks and reflect on their experience using the menu system. Below are sample questions and prompts used to guide observation and gather feedback:
Can you show me how you would equip a new weapon or piece of gear?
Where would you go to track your current quests?
What do you expect to happen next when you open this tab?
What information would help you feel more confident when making gear or skill choices?
Key Insights
Visual hierarchy failed to guide attention: Most casual RPG players missed key icons or tabs due to uniform styling and dense layout.
Quest log lacked clarity and organization: Players had difficulty discerning between quest types. Some tracked completed or unintended quests due to unclear labeling.
Inventory caused cognitive overload: Some casual RPG players struggled with gear comparison and stat interpretation.
Skills tree intimidated newer players: Experienced players navigated skill trees easily, but casual players hesitated and were uncertain about long-term impact of choices.
Recommendations:
Redesign tab navigation using distinct visual styles and regrouping. Highlight primary actions (e.g., Equipment) to increase awareness and consider using subtle animations to reinforce state changes.
Introduce filtering options (e.g., Completed), add status labels, and include confirmation (e.g., toasts) when tracking a new quest.
Use clarifying language tool tips to explain stats (e.g., reduce damage from ranged attacks). Consider adding a recommended gear button for players who prefer efficiency.
Add introductory guidance based on play style preference (e.g., Magic, Stealth). Include brief video previews or short description of skill group benefits.
“I didn’t even see that— the ‘Skills’ tab. Everything kind of blends together.”
“I just pick the one with the highest number… I don’t really know what half this stuff means.”