UI Use Across Differences In Experience with Computer Games Convention

Abstract

As software becomes more and more demanding of our time and cognitive faculties, how this software is designed is becoming more and more important. This study aims to explore the origin of game design convention by examining how users interact with game UI depending upon their level of experience with a type of software; specifically StarCraft 2 (SC2). Participants were interviewed and sorted into three different groups: those with Below Average game experience (at or less than 5 hours/week playing video games), those with Above Average game experience (more than 5 hours/week playing video games), and those with SC2-specific experience. They were then asked to play the game for up to an hour as practice before their eye movements were recorded during a game against the AI and the percentage of total time spent upon different elements of the SC2 UI was analyzed using a one-way ANOVA. They were also surveyed on their impressions of the UI and those results were analyzed in another one-way ANOVA. Analysis found statistically significant results in four of the nine areas of interest, as well as in two of the five subjects on the questionnaire, mostly in relation to how the Below Average group compares to the other two groups. However, despite the significance of these results, several limitations on the study lead to the conclusion that the current study was largely inconclusive.