Optimizing Inputs Over Time
I created a mixed-methods study to determine how holding and tapping button inputs shape user engagement and satisfaction, and used those findings to develop design recommendations targeted at repeat use.
Skills Used:
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Prototype Testing
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A/B Testing
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Performance Analysis
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Survey Design and Analysis
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Interviews
Context and Research Goals
I was tasked with figuring out how holding and tapping inputs affected engagement and performance in video games. Holding and tapping a button or screen are common ways to input commands, but each requires different motor functions and may suit different commands in an interface. I designed and implemented a mixed-methods study to determine the best use cases for holding and tapping inputs that improve user performance and satisfaction over time.
Methods
Prototype testing. I programmed a prototype task where 37 users held or tapped a controller button for timed inputs ranging from 3 to 20 seconds. Users spent significantly more time holding commands than tapping, but only for short commands less than 5 seconds. This suggested that tapping produced better performance for time-sensitive tasks. I also collected reaction time data for large and small Xs to determine if rapidly detectable cues influenced inputs.
A/B testing: I tested the same inputs in a real navigation task, having users sprint through Red Dead Redemption 2 using hold-to-sprint and tap-to-sprint for 3 to 20 minutes. Users spent about 30% more time exploring the environment when using using hold-t0-sprint. Unfamiliar users tended to spend about 15% less time navigating when using tap-to-sprint, but tap-to-sprint did not influence familiar users' playtime.
Interviews: I followed up with interviews to understand why tap-to-sprint was failing in usability testing despite better performance in the prototype. Unfamiliar users said tap-to-sprint pulled their attention away from the environment and onto confirming the input itself. Familiar users preferred hold-to-sprint and described tap-to-sprint as more physically taxing over time.
Project Impact
This project allowed me to develop three key recommendations for holding and tapping button inputs in video games aimed at user satisfaction and performance over time:
Insights
Familiarity changes what users actually want from a button input, even when performance stays the same. Unfamiliar users favor button inputs that keep their attention on the interface. Familiar users favor inputs that reduce physical fatigue over repeated use, even if those button inputs perform slightly worse. In other words, the "best" button input isn't fixed. It depends on whether a user is still learning a task or has already automated it.
