Case study: Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil are one of the most respected and acclaimed suppliers in the igaming industry. With numerous awards, their portfolio of over 80+ slot games is always growing and entertaining players worldwide.
Research Objectives
After conducting many rounds of user testing with Gutsy Ninja on previous games, Yggdrasil understood the importance of user feedback in developing a successful game. Their latest game (Cazino Cosmos) was no different, and Yggdrasil turned to Gutsy Ninja once again to conduct the research.
For Cazino Cosmos, there were a few aspects that Yggdrasil wanted to focus on in particular. Having a relatively complex mechanic, Yggdrasil specifically wanted to see how players reacted to this new feature. They also wanted to see how players felt about the art and design of the game, and where improvements could be made to overall usability and the understanding players had in the game.
As with all video slots, the launch is crucial, and the game needs to be ‘right-first-time’. Therefore, finding any issues that would stop somebody from trying the game in the first place, or leaving after one or two spins was also a key focus.
The main research questions for Yggdrasil were:
- Is Cazino Cosmos enjoyable to play and exciting for the player?
- Is Cazino Cosmos easy to use, and clearly understandable?
- How do players feel about the new mechanics in Cazino Cosmos?
Information we’ve received from Gutsy Ninja’s User Research has been extremely useful in both analysing the performance of products we’ve already launched, as well as helping us make our future games more successful and user-friendly. They were very attentive to all our requirements and proved to be competent partners, which is why we’ll be sure to continue our work with them
Krzystof Opałka
CPO, YggdrasilOur Approach
As Yggdrasil wanted to gain detailed feedback on Cazino Cosmos, the best method for this was to use a one-to-one usability test. Utilising this, participants interacted with their game and gave feedback across all aspects of the slot. For this specific game, the target market was more aligned with Swedish players, so Gutsy Ninja travelled out to Sweden to gather the most relevant participants.
Within each session, our expert moderators elicited unbiased feedback from participants, gathering the reasons WHY behind player opinions, behaviour, and suggestions. Finding out the detail behind these problems is crucial to finding the solution and this was a core focus.
As this test was conducted slightly earlier in the development process (which left enough time to implement changes), there were some unfinished aspects of the slot too. For these, our moderators would explain what this would be in the full version and gathered feedback on these elements.
After Cazino Cosmos had been tested, the data was collated, analysed and organised into a concise report. This report was presented to the game owners and contained participant videos as well as prioritised findings and clear recommendations based on evidence gathered.
Impact & Results
The testing produced insightful feedback for Yggdrasil to use. By hearing directly from players, Yggdrasil were able to validate the concepts behind the game and found that players felt the game was enjoyable and exciting to play. They also received feedback on the art and design of the game, which they were able to implement.
From a usability and understanding perspective, players found a few issues with some of the mechanics in the slot. They suggested different ways to make these features more obvious as well as easier to understand. This feedback on specific mechanics was one of the larger blockers for players, and was an issue that Yggdrasil addressed for launch.
By discussing the unfinished elements of the game with participants, Yggdrasil were able to validate their approach to these aspects of the game. Asking participants about their expectations and thoughts helped to see which parts appealed, and which parts needed improvements. This was crucial feedback to receive, as it prevented Yggdrasil from wasting time developing elements that players would not appreciate.
Yggdrasil were also able to gather player thoughts on the ‘Collections’ feature as a whole, and this feedback would provide them with user insights that could benefit their future game development. By directly hearing from players, they could ensure that the next ‘Collections’ game implemented the feature in a way that met and exceeded user expectations.
With the testing of Cazino Cosmos and the previous games that they tested before, Yggdrasil came to truly value feedback from their users and saw how crucial it is to place the user at the heart of the product.