User Testing Video With only P5 (using keyboard instead of arduino):
User Testing Video of One Push Button:
User Testing Video of Progress with more buttons and design:
For my user testing session, I asked my friend to try out my project without giving her any instructions. I wanted to see if she could figure everything out on her own just from the way the interface and the game are designed. The first thing I noticed was that she read the instructions on the page and understood the goal immediately, which was honestly a relief. She didn’t ask any questions, so the basic mapping between the buttons and the falling emojis made sense to her. That part of the experience seems to be working exactly how I intended.
Once she started playing, her feedback was really helpful. She enjoyed the game a lot, in fact, she kept wanting to play even after I stopped recording, and she tried beating her own high score multiple times. That told me that the core idea is fun and engaging. But she also pointed out a few things that I definitely need to improve. The main issue she mentioned was responsiveness. Sometimes the game feels a little slow to respond even when she hits the button at the right moment. When multiple emojis fall quickly, pressing two buttons in a short time makes the game slightly laggy. This helped me realize that the input handling needs to be optimized so that the game processes button presses more instantly, especially when things get fast.
She also said that adding sound effects for correct hits would make the experience more satisfying, which I completely agree with. That’s something I want to implement next. Another important improvement is creating a proper end screen with the final score and a high score tracker, because right now the game just keeps going without a clear ending moment. An end page would make the game feel more complete and polished.
On the physical side of the project, I had a few challenges. I wasn’t on campus for most of the week, so I only had Wednesday to work on the hardware. I tried soldering the buttons onto the board, but when I tested them, the connections kept failing. Because of that, I had to temporarily tape them with conductive tape just to get the buttons working for testing. This also means the buttons aren’t fully placed into the holes yet, and 2 leds weren’t working at all, so I had to test it without them. Once I solder everything properly, the inside of the box will look much neater, and the wires will be able to pass through from underneath the LED buttons. After that, I’m planning to close the back of the box, but I’ll leave a small opening so I can still access the components whenever I need to fix or update something.
Overall, this user testing session helped me see what’s working and what still needs attention. The concept, gameplay, and instructions are all clear, and the interaction makes sense even without any explanation. But I also realized that I still have a lot to improve in terms of responsiveness, speed, physical build quality, and overall design. The good thing is that my friend actually enjoyed playing, which reassures me that I’m on the right track, the project just needs more refinement to reach its full potential.