🔭

Inexperienced users making sense of slots - an observational study

🗓 9th December, 2021

Video summary

Link to test

First round

Second round

Learning objectives

  • What are the first things people observe and analyse when opening a new slot?
  • What are some things new players observe but do not understand when starting out with slots?
  • What do people do in order to learn how to play slots?
  • Do people understand how to operate the game?

Sample

Sample size
5
Gender
Male/female
Age
35-44
Market
UK
‣
Demographics data sources

Screener questions

How long have you been playing online casino slot machines?

I've never played
✅ Accept
I played a few times
❌ Reject
I've been playing for quite a while
❌ Reject

Setting the scenario for participants

Thank you for participating in this study. Your participation will help mrq.com design a better online casino experience for its current and future players.

In this user test you'll be provided a link which will take you directly to a page with online slot machines. After landing on that page, simply pick the first slot machine titled 'D'Cirque' and then:

  1. Click through the game intro until you land inside the game itself
  2. Begin with the tasks
  3. If a pop up with a 'restart' button shows up at any time, simply click the restart button

Throughout the study, try your best to:

  • Communicate what you're seeing, feeling, thinking and doing in as much detail as possible
  • Be yourself and avoid trying to be 'correct'. You are not being tested

Also note that the game will be setup with play funds; you will not be using up real money and therefore can play with no risk for anyone.

To get started, click this link

Tasks

  • You clicked through the game intro and landed inside the game itself. Without clicking on anything, what are some of the first things you observe?
  • What are some things you see that aren't clear and understandable to you?
  • How would you go about getting started with playing? Go ahead and do what you're thinking.
  • If you had to teach a friend how to play a slot machine, what would you tell them?

Synthesis

Tasks
Sunshine32
Rapidqualtesting
FallingHill5107
Log34
SyriBug
You clicked through the game intro and landed inside the game itself. Without clicking on anything, what are some of the first things you observe?
(1) User observes game reels and symbols first. (2) User clicks on 'menu' button first.
(1) User observes balance. (2) User observes game symbols.
(1) User observes game art around the reels (2) User observes game symbols (3) User observes game theme in general
(1) User observes game symbols. (2) User observes game theme in general.
(1) User observes balance, win amount and bet amount. (2) User observes 'quick spin' and 'auto spin' and thinks that the latter is a 'restart button'.
What are some things you see that aren't clear and understandable to you?
(1) User doesn't know how to start playing and feels completely lost. (2) User hovers over game symbols to interact with them - she completely misses the spin button. (3) User tries to interpret the game symbols but doesn't understand them. (4) User thinks that the 'spin' button is a 'refresh' button. (5) User notices money balances and notices she could win money if she 'does something right'.
(1) After landing inside the game, user says "it looks like the start of the game; although nothing is happening". (2) User doesn't know she must spin to play. (1) User thinks the 'spin button' is a 'refresh button' and felt confused by this for quite long. (2) User hovers over game symbols to interact with them.
(1) After landing inside game, user says "it's not clear what I must do next". (2) User doesn't understand how to start playing. User says "there is no start or play button anywhere". (3) User thinks the 'spin button' is a 'refresh button'. He says "there's a refresh button, but that's about it". (4) User is unsure 'what' he can win.
(1) User expects to see a 'how to play or game instructions button'. (2) Doesn't understand the 'quick spin' and 'auto spin' buttons. (3) User doesn't understand what she needs to do to play the game. (4) User hovers over game symbols to interact with them.
(1) User doesn't understand how to play. (2) User doesn't understand what he must to next. (3) User says "this will be a trial and error until you get it right".
How would you go about getting started with playing? Go ahead and do what you're thinking.
(1) In the game intro, user clicks the info icon and reads the rules. (2) Inside game, user clicks on game symbols to play. (3) User then discovers the spin button later on. (4) User doesn't understand how the wins are achieved and feels confused and lost.
(1) User eventually hit the spin button and understood she needed to spin to play.
(1) User hovers over game symbols to interact with them. (2) User then says "I'll refresh" and clicks the spin button. User then understands that's a 'spin button'.
(1) User looked for game instructions first and found them. (2) User then tried to interpret the quick spin and auto spin buttons. (3) User then said "that (spin button) looks like the biggest button on the screen. Let's click it and see what happens". (4) After spinning user said she has no clue what's happening in the game.
(1) User tries to interact with slot symbols by clicking on them. (2) User looks for game rules. (3) User eventually discovers the spin button and says "it wasn't obvious at all and looks like a refresh button".
If you had to teach a friend how to play a slot machine, what would you tell them?
(1) Put some money in. (2) Spin. (3) The slot will tell you if you won. (4) You don't need to think about it.
(1) It's a betting game. (2) You need to bet money. (3) Click on the play button to play a round. (4) The rest is done by the game.
(1) Press the play button. (2) Let the reels spin. (3) Hope you get some matching symbols.
(1) Read the game rules. (2) Set a bet amount. (3) Spin the spin button. (4) See what happens.
(1) Match about 3, 4, 5 symbols to get a prize. (2) Click on the spin button to "pull the slot machine handle" until you win or lose something. (3) The amount you bet is the amount you win.

Key findings

Users feel lost after landing inside a slot

  • 5/5 users didn't understand how to begin playing after landing inside a slot.
‣
📺 User testing video clips

Users don't know how to play a slot

  • 5/5 users missed the spin button and didn't know they need to click it to play.
  • 5/5 users thought the spin button was a 'refresh game' button.
  • 5/5 users tried interacting with the game symbols to play.
‣
📺 User testing video clips

Users don't know what triggers a win and how they can win in general

  • 3/5 users didn't understand what triggers a win at all.
  • 2/5 users vaguely understood that matching symbols triggers a win.
‣
📺 User testing video clips

Users don't read game rules and instructions in general

  • 3/5 users didn't search for game rules and information to learn how to play - instead, they learned by playing
  • 2/5 users looked for information and rules on how to play.