Game Usability

If anyone needed a reason to consider usability, this article on GUUUI - Competitive Usability makes a strong point that as a market (such as MMOs) matures, usability becomes a key competitive differentiator. While not all game genres are out of the second stage (functionality), I think we are rapidly heading to down this road.

Stage 1: Introduction Stage 2: Extension Stage 3: Utilization Stage 4: Refinement Key Differentiator Innovation Functionality Usability Price Customer Behaviours Customers are eager to experience the new product and are tolerant of imperfections and usability problems Customers expect a fully operational product and will pick the one with the most features Customers will expect advanced features and pick the product that is most simple to use Customers will expect a flawless product and will pick the one at the lowest price Focal Point of Development Making the product work Adding new features and fixing bugs Making the product easy to use Reducing cost of development and maintenance