![\"5](\"http:\/\/yushengteo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/5-tips-user-feedback-yu-sheng-ux-FI.png\")
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A few weeks ago, I created a simple JavaScript game called “Which Square is Larger?”<\/a>. The objective of the game was simple: to correctly choose the larger of 2 squares.<\/p>\n Yet even this simple game benefited from user feedback.<\/strong>\u00a0To illustrate, here are 4\u00a0problems that were\u00a0pointed out by users:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 3 keyboard buttons used in the game are the left and right arrow keys to select the squares, and the Enter key to confirm the selection. Many users told me that the position of the Enter key made it difficult to reach when their hand was resting\u00a0over the arrow keys. I swapped the Enter key with the down arrow key.<\/p>\n Some users complained that the instructions to the game were located too low\u00a0in\u00a0the screen, and ended up being\u00a0cut off because of their\u00a0browser’s height. To solve this,\u00a0I pushed the instructions higher up on the screen, and also made it appear at\u00a0the beginning splash screen.<\/p>\n Some users pointed out that the game can be cheated by spamming keys.\u00a0I fixed this by changing the animation, as well as the key event that the JavaScript listens to to register a correct\/incorrect answer.<\/p>\n One user in particular told me that the down arrow key is redundant; he’d rather\u00a0choose the larger square directly by pressing either the left or right arrow key. Removing this unnecessary control would waste less time, and allow players to rake up higher points. I did what he suggested, and tested the improved\u00a0game with other users.<\/p>\n Interestingly, users\u00a0told me that the new game mechanic actually made the game worse off<\/em><\/strong>: it became too fast for them to register what’s happening, and the cognitive stress made them feel frustrated instead of excited. In the end, I\u00a0reversed the “improvement” made to the game.<\/p>\n This might sound obvious, but you need to know what kind of feedback you’re looking to get.<\/p>\n If you want general feedback on a simple game\/app (like I did), then it’s ok to ask for generic “improvements” to the game\/app.<\/p>\n If you wanna get validation (to find out whether there is actual demand) for your product idea, you might need to ask people whether your product solves their problem, as well as their intent to solve<\/a> that problem, amongst other things.<\/p>\n If you’re concerned about the usability of your app – things like ease of use, understandability, intuitiveness of flows\/actions\u00a0– then ask about usability. You get the idea.<\/p>\n I’m not saying that they necessarily are, but\u00a0assuming\u00a0<\/em>so is beneficial, because we tend to defend our ideas a little too fiercely.<\/p>\n When a user says that she doesn’t understand how a game works,\u00a0for instance, it’s\u00a0tempting to roll your eyes and conclude\u00a0that she’s an idiot (I do that all the time, in my head). But the thing is, she’ll eventually be the one playing the game, not you. And if she doesn’t understand, she doesn’t understand.<\/strong><\/p>\n At the beginning, always accept what she says as true. If she finds the game difficult to understand, then it must be true. If she can’t find the “Start” button on your timer app, then it must be true.<\/p>\n Why\u00a0<\/em>didn’t she understand how the game works? Is it because the symbols used in the instructions weren’t easily understood? Or is it because the instructions were too small? Or did they come too late?<\/p>\n The easiest way to find out is to just ask.\u00a0<\/strong>And you should always ask, until you understand the feedback\u00a0that your user is\u00a0giving, as well as the reason\u00a0why they’re\u00a0saying it.<\/p>\n If your user tells you that the flow of your app is\u00a0confusing, for example, ask them why they think so. What were they expecting? What gave them the\u00a0expectation?<\/p>\n As a general rule, if 8 out of 10 users\u00a0you’ve approached gave you the same feedback (e.g. that they found the notifications system useful), then it’s probably safe to assume that the feedback’s\u00a0legit. But some users\u00a0deserve more priority than others.<\/strong><\/p>\n If the 2 users that gave you a different feedback (e.g. that they found the notifications distracting) are clearly closer to your target audience, or belong to a group that is more important,\u00a0then you might want to reconsider your notifications system.<\/p>\n It’s ultimately a balancing act: you’d have to weigh the frequency of feedback with the importance\/relevance of the person(s) giving the feedback.<\/p>\n I know this might sound troublesome and totally unnecessary;\u00a0why do you need to test the app again, after implementing a change requested by users?<\/p>\n Because sometimes, users don’t really know what they want. Other times, they don’t know how to externalise what they want. And yet other times, we don’t fully understand what they say they want.<\/p>\n If I didn’t get further feedback after implementing the solution to Problem 4\u00a0above, my game would have ended up worse off than before!<\/p>\n Start by asking your friends. You could also post\u00a0a prototype of your app on relevant Facebook groups; the UXSG Facebook group<\/a> is an excellent place to get UX-related feedback!<\/p>\n What other tips do you have in getting user feedback? Let me know in the comments below!<\/p>\n _____<\/p>\nProblem #1: Counter-intuitive game controls.<\/h3>\n
![\"problem1\"](\"http:\/\/yushengteo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/problem1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nProblem #2: Hidden\u00a0game instructions.<\/h3>\n
![\"problem2\"](\"http:\/\/yushengteo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/problem2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nProblem #3:\u00a0Correct answers can be spammed.<\/h3>\n
![\"spam-o\"](\"http:\/\/yushengteo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/spam-o.gif\")
Problem #4: Unnecessary game controls.<\/h3>\n
![\"problem5\"](\"http:\/\/yushengteo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/problem5.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAs you can see, user feedback is incredibly valuable. But it can be hard getting started, so here are 5\u00a0tips to help you get the\u00a0most out of\u00a0them:<\/h2>\n
Tip #1: Know what kind of feedback you want to get.<\/h3>\n
![\"what-do-you-want-sml\"](\"http:\/\/yushengteo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/what-do-you-want-sml.gif\")
Tip #2: Start off accepting that the users are right.<\/h3>\n
![\"you-are-absolutely-right\"](\"http:\/\/yushengteo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/you-are-absolutely-right.gif\")
<\/p>\nTip #3: Next, find out why they think what they think.<\/h3>\n
Tip #4: Some users are more equal than other users.<\/h3>\n
![\"balancing](\"http:\/\/yushengteo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/balance-sml.gif\")
Tip #5: Test out the “improved” version of your app.<\/h3>\n
![\"hilary-duff-you-dont-understand\"](\"http:\/\/yushengteo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/hilary-duff-you-dont-understand.gif\")
<\/p>\nConclusion: If you’re building an app\/game\/product, you should really get some user feedback.<\/h2>\n