by jakob.schnurrer -

First literature Research – Impulse #4

The last three blogposts where all about my intentions and the reasons for picking open source as the topic of my masters thesis, this one is about first steps, I took in researching about open source and how this influenced the next steps, I want to make.

During the “Proseminar Master Thesis” course, we were tasked, to gather some sources we could use for our thesis in the future. Two books and an article. Skimming through those texts really changed my view on open source. Especially the impact of UX work on open source projects interested me.

1. Working in Public

Reading Working in Public felt like having someone open a curtain. I always knew open source was built by volunteers, but the book made me understand just how much work, coordination, and emotional labor goes into maintaining a project. I was especially struck by the part that explained how most projects start small and private, and how everything changes once people begin to use them.
The sections on hidden costs and funding were honestly eye opening. Until now, I never really questioned how open-source creators manage to keep projects alive despite having almost no resources. This book made me more aware of why people burn out, why documentation suffers, and why newcomers have such a hard time finding their place.

2. Producing Open Source Software

Where Working in Public explained what is going on, Producing Open Source Software finally gave me how. This book was far more structured, and honestly much easier to navigate. For the first time, I read concrete advice on where design can fit into an OSS workflow, especially the points about improving documentation, lowering the “activation energy,” and funding dedicated UX roles.
The most influential part for me was the idea that newcomers should write beginner tutorials. That simple thought made me reflect on my own homelabbing struggles: of course the docs feel hard, because they’re written by experts.
This shifted my thinking from “What UX problem should I research?” to “Maybe the onboarding experience of designers in OSS is the problem.”

3. Untold Stories

The third text, Untold Stories, finally backed many of my assumptions with research. UX professionals do help OSS projects. Their contributions are valuable. And still, hardly any of them participate.
The paper helped me understand why: the culture, the tools, the developer-first mindset.
What surprised me most was how differently UX people write issue reports: more factual, more user-centered, more structured. It made me think that maybe designers don’t need to force themselves into OSS spaces—they just need to show the value of this way of communicating.
It also strengthened my idea that UX needs its own “space” within OSS—something that current platforms don’t provide.

Accompanying Links

Link to the book “Working in Public” (sadly no free download): https://press.stripe.com/working-in-public

Link to the book “Producing Open Source Software”, which is free to download: https://www.producingoss.com

Link to the article “Untold Stories”: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706599.3720063

Ai was used to formulate this blogpost (ChatGPT)

by florian.prasse -

Impulse #4: The Role of Playtesting in Game Development

Understanding Users before Building a Game

Game development today involves more than programming and visual design. The process has expanded to prioritize player experience, usability, and comfort. As a result, user research and structured game testing have become established parts of development rather than optional additions. Developers collect information about potential players’ expectations, preferred interaction styles, and prior gaming experience. These findings help define the core direction of the project, informing mechanics, interface design, and accessibility considerations.

The Role of Continuous Playtesting

Playtesting follows throughout production. During testing, participants play the game while developers evaluate how easy it is to understand controls, complete objectives, and maintain engagement. Feedback may take the form of performance metrics, interviews, or surveys. Insights gathered from testing lead to adjustments in difficulty, interface structure, pacing, and overall design. By repeating this cycle of testing and refinement, developers aim to reduce friction and improve player satisfaction prior to release.

VR as a Special Design Challenge

Virtual reality development highlights the importance of this approach. In VR environments, issues such as motion sickness, spatial confusion, and physical fatigue can occur if design choices are not aligned with human perception and comfort. Prototypes are therefore tested early, often using basic shapes or limited interaction, to observe how players move, react, and navigate. These observations allow developers to refine interactions before expanding the experience. The overall purpose of these processes is to ensure that the final product functions as intended when experienced by diverse players. Testing with real users helps identify challenges that may not be visible to designers or engineers working closely with the system.

Source: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/how-to-understand-user-needs-in-virtual-reality?srsltid=AfmBOopOKeH_8sjLighvBVX2mjNCNtP7S0dj0D1mwOKBO1bDZp9lVcOC

UX Quality in Video Games

As I learned more about UX design and testing, I began to view video games very differently. Instead of only enjoying them as a player, I now pay close attention to how mechanics are introduced, how controls feel, and how smoothly the experience guides me from one action to the next. I’ve noticed how a well-designed game teaches its systems without overwhelming the player, while a poorly designed one creates confusion or frustration through unclear feedback or awkward navigation. My own play experiences have become a source of learning — I can sense when a game’s UX supports my immersion, and equally when it breaks it. Understanding the development behind these decisions has made me appreciate how much careful thought goes into balancing challenge, flow, and usability. Games have essentially become case studies, helping me recognize what makes an interaction feel right, and inspiring ideas for how those same UX principles can be applied in design work beyond gaming.

Source: https://uxplanet.org/how-video-games-can-develop-your-ux-design-skills-e209368330ac