Play Personas: Lean in, Lean forward, Lean back and Lean out.
In Ahmed Salama the Game UX Summit 2019 talk, he laid out his ideas for play-based personas and how they can be applied during the design process for AAA games. A useful insight that can be a good tool for all designers throughout the industry to be aware of and to add to their repertoire when it comes to catering for the user’s Cognitive abilities during different Phases of play.
Here is the full video
The UX Personas in Gaming
These four types of personas will help the game designers craft experiences around the cognitive load abilities of users. These are
Lean In- most immersed yet least capable of absorbing information
Lean Forward
Lean Back
Lean Out - least immersed yet highly capable of absorbing information:
The Lean In Persona
This type is very much into the game loop. Thus, since it is very much exposed in the game loop, you should be able to incorporate them into the game properly with the correct execution.
Always ensure to include minimal features and other elements in the UI.
This should be done to not irritate them with anything unnecessary that they may not be interested in.
Lean Forward Personas
This type of persona is also focused in the game but not as focused as the lean in personas. Since it considers a non-core pillar of the game, it should not be the prime focus of the game.
It is best to include this in the design but keep it in the minimal or enough amounts.
Skimming is also a good idea in adding them to the game.
Lean Back Personas
They are very open to seeing other elements or non-core features and information while gaming but given in a particular situation.
You can probably include features in the design that highlight information and other helpful factors within the stages of the specific game.
This way, they can enjoy the experience more and be filled with the much-needed information they can use as they go along.
Lean Out Persona
More information, More enjoyment in the experience. This type of persona does not worry about harvesting non-core gameplays or elements as they don't invest much time in the gameplay.
Keep the design accessible to other functions or features, even if it is the game's settings or the general information tab.
These personas will appreciate anything in the design that can present them with helpful information in the game.
The Flow Theory, Immersion, and Presence
The experience of play happens in the mind so a good understanding of the basic principles of psychology is important to craft the best games. As well as understanding cognitive load theory it is important to also consider the Interplay Between Flow, Immersion, and Presence in order to understand the players mental states and mental capacity.
Characteristics of achieving a flow state can be summed up as the sense of timelessness, of being at one with the game, of exhilaration, focus and the immediate. of This is an area which overlaps greatly with game design and is core to the reason we play games.
To achieve this flow state, designers can employ a number of tools such as responsive controls and engaging gameplay, balancing and pacing and intuitive interface design in order to create complex, but negotiable challenges that lay between anxiety and boredom.
Conclusion
Designers should consider wide tools methods depending on their objectives but this methodology can be a useful way of helping yourself and your teams to understand the cognitive load of users at any stage of the game. As games get more complex and ambitious there is always the risk of feature creep.