Think Aloud Playtest for Well Played Research

Summary

I independently designed and moderated a qualitative research study to enhance our game playtest methods and address the challenge of participant silence during prolonged think-aloud sessions. Using the game Risk of Rain 2 for a real-world test, I observed that participants grew quiet after an average of 35 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay. Based on these findings, I developed and tested actionable solutions like: incorporating group discussion breaks and strategic researcher engagement to maintain the flow of unbiased, real-time commentary during the playtest. This project successfully defined key user metrics and generated valuable insights that immediately improved our internal user research methodologies.