The goal of the first focus group conducted was to take the first prototype created that can be used as a game, and have it tested by the group that this game is being created for. The prototype had a game where the user would wear the VR headset and be in a grocery store setting. They would have to navigate through the store in order to get Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup after seeing that it was out of stock on the shelf.

During the focus group we had five students from the MasonLIFE program that were picked specifically by the administration of the group. These five students will be the same students used during every focus group moving forward now, in order to see growth in the reactions based on changes we make to the game. We tried not to give them any information about the game other than a very broad generalization before the focus group started, so they could ask any questions if there were any concerns. Each student had a turn sitting in the swivel chair and playing through the prototype like it was a normal game. Then, after their turn with the game, one of the group members would sit down with the student individually and go through our list of Likert Scale questions and open-ended questions and we would write down their responses. We also timed the amount of time each student took to complete the game. The Likert Scale responses are seen below.

Overall the focus group went really well. It took the students on average about 5 minutes to finish the game. The only technical issue that occurred was that during the last student’s turn to go, the game shut down and the phone needed to be restarted. But when the game was being used, there were no issues with any technical aspects. Also, the students gave us very good feedback. The most common comment we received was that the students wanted a game that was more challenging and also more fun, like a quest. Also, one student added that they did not know when the game was over. The students told us that they like the interactions with the people in the game and being able to make the choices within the game. Overall the students gave a very positive response to how the game worked, but simply wished for a more exciting experience.

 

The plan is to implement the suggestions that the students gave us, as well as add more functionality to the game that needs to be included. An end screen when the student accomplishes the goal of the game will be added. Also, the game will have an internal clock to time the game usage instead of having to time them while they use it. Finally, the main goal is to add another level to the game in order to make it more challenging. This will let the students have more fun with the game, which will in turn allow them to benefit from practicing the difficult scenarios as well.

 

Likert Scale: