The time I tried to ruin Halo 2

The time I tried to ruin Halo 2

A former Microsoft user researcher writes about how you can’t always trust the data in front of you

John Hopson, former Microsoft user experience researcher, tells a story from the development of Halo 2. I’d love to get more insights like this into how UX research has shaped game design and what lessons have been learned from it.

This particular case is a reminder that people are often incorrect about what they’ll enjoy, but also and more pointedly a reminder that it’s easy to misconstrue your own data. Research telling you that users expect to dislike a design choice doesn’t tell you that they actually will dislike it. It’s important to design user tests carefully and understand what they actually teach you, lest you confidently lead yourself astray.