| Tester | Device | OS | Gaming Profile | Session Length | Completed Flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | iPhone 14 | iOS 17.4 | Casual (mobile only) | 6 min | No — uninstalled |
| T-02 | Samsung Galaxy A54 | Android 14 | Core gamer (console + mobile) | 18 min | Yes |
| T-03 | Pixel 7 | Android 14 | Mid-core (mobile primarily) | 14 min | Yes |
| T-04 | iPhone 13 mini | iOS 16.7 | Casual (occasional mobile) | 5 min | No — uninstalled |
| T-05 | OnePlus 11 | Android 13 | Mid-core (mobile + PC) | 21 min | Yes |
| # | Location | Description | Severity | Frequency | Tester Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-01 | Launch & Permissions | App requests camera, microphone, and contacts permissions on first launch before any gameplay context has been established. Both casual testers denied all permissions and uninstalled within 6 minutes, citing the requests as "suspicious." | Critical | Why does a game need my camera? I'm not installing something that wants all my stuff before I even play it. | |
| F-02 | Combat Tutorial | The "power slash" mechanic requires a two-finger diagonal swipe — taught only through a single static icon with no animation, haptic cue, or retry prompt. All 3 completing testers attempted this gesture multiple times incorrectly before succeeding. | High | I kept swiping and nothing was happening. I didn't know if I was doing it wrong or if it was broken. | |
| F-03 | Combat Tutorial | Tutorial timer creates visible urgency with no option to pause. One tester exited to the menu mid-tutorial to search for a pause option and lost all progress. | High | The countdown was stressing me out. I wanted to read the instructions but the timer kept going. | |
| F-04 | Map Navigation | World map uses unlabeled icons for dungeon types. Testers could not distinguish between "story" and "daily challenge" dungeons without trial and error. Two testers entered a challenge dungeon with starter equipment and were eliminated. | High | I had no idea what the icons meant. I just tapped one and ended up in something way too hard for where I was. | |
| F-05 | Combat Tutorial | Audio cues for enemy attack warnings are too quiet on default volume and do not scale with device volume. Testers playing in a typical environment (ambient noise) missed all audio-based warnings. | Medium | I didn't even notice there was sound telling me something was about to happen. | |
| F-06 | Map Navigation | "Return to base" button is not visible while on the dungeon selection screen on smaller displays (iPhone 13 mini). Tester had to use the hardware back gesture to exit, which triggered an unintended app close. | Medium | I couldn't find a back button so I used the phone's gesture and it closed the whole app. | |
| F-07 | Character Select | Character stat tooltips require a long-press to view but this interaction is not indicated. Testers skipped character selection without reading stats, defaulting to visual preference. | Low | I just picked the one that looked coolest. I didn't know there was more info available. |
Camera and microphone permissions should only be requested when a feature that requires them is about to be used, accompanied by a one-line explanation of why. Contacts access should be deferred to the "invite friends" flow, not the initial launch. This change would have prevented both early abandonments in this panel. This is the highest-ROI fix available — it costs minimal development effort and directly removes the most significant churn point in the first-session experience.
The power slash instruction should use a looped animation demonstrating the two-finger diagonal swipe, paired with a gentle haptic pulse on correct execution. Add a "try again" prompt after 2 failed attempts. Gesture-based mechanics are a known UX risk on mobile — the tutorial should expect failure, not assume success.
A countdown timer during instructional content creates anxiety and forces testers to choose between reading and acting. Either remove the timer entirely from tutorial sections or implement an auto-pause when instructional overlays are visible. Consider offering a "relaxed mode" toggle for players who want a less pressured introduction.
Map icons should display a short text label on tap and a visible recommended level or difficulty indicator. New players should never be able to enter end-game content by accident. Consider adding a warning prompt ("This dungeon is recommended for Level 15+. You are Level 1. Continue?") as a short-term solution while icons are redesigned.
Enemy attack warnings should have a visual component (brief screen flash or icon pulse) that functions independently of audio. Increase the default mixing level for warning sounds. This change improves accessibility for players with hearing differences while also solving the ambient-noise problem reported by all testers.
A Small Evaluation would expand this panel to ~20 testers across a wider range of devices, OS versions, and player profiles — including older hardware that pilots don't cover. It would also add a second testing pass after changes are made, so you can verify that fixes resolved the issues found here. View the Small Evaluation sample report →