Smart search is an advanced enabled feature and is only accessible via the Findings tab recordings or trends within your test.
When to use Visual Search
Whenever you want to assess player behaviour in detail and build confidence in what you're about to report to the team.
The options for utilizing visual search are endless; however, below are some example use cases to give you some food for thought.
Teams use visual search to:
Fast-track themselves to individual levels or quests of interest.
Assess interactions or behaviours within particular menus or interfaces.
Watch how people engage with critical gameplay milestones and key experiences, such as mid or end-level boss battles.
Watch how people engage with particular game features, characters or mechanics.
Assess how people feel at the end of the storyline or mission.
QA a level design or environment where technical issues are potentially happening with players.
Best Practice(s) & Tips: Using Visual Search Effectively
TIPS: During your test,
To help assess critical features quickly once the test closes, consider watching the first recording and creating all your bookmarks before everyone else does.
TIPS: When analysing feedback,
Before searching a screen, consider where you wish to start watching from.
For best results, choose distinct image references.
If you see many irrelevant matches after exploring one or two players, review the match percentages of those clips giving the best results and use the filter option to reduce the noise.
Use the shortcuts up and down to move through clips easily, and left and right to jump back and forth 5 seconds to the moment you're looking for.
When bookmarking, add a title for your team to intuitively understand the context of each visual search. e.g. Character Menu, Loading screens, Boss Fight Level 10
When to use Transcript Search
Whenever you want to locate where/when people mentioned particular words/terms/topics across all transcripts.
The combinations for transcript search are endless; however, below are some common reasons why people use it.
Teams use transcript search when they:
Hear someone say something interesting, but wonder if anyone else felt the same way.
Wish to get an in-depth perspective of what someone has mentioned in the survey results.
Want to know if people are correctly using/understanding certain terminology communicated in the game.
Best Practice(s) & Tips: Using Transcript Search Effectively
TIPS: During your test,
To help locate instances in which people use specific terminology at pace during testing or after, consider creating all keyword combinations after launch and bookmarking those for when you have to review the feedback.
TIPS: When analysing feedback,
When cross-referencing participants who mentioned a particular word, consider all the descriptive terms people may have used to describe the experience, such as gold, coin, or money.
Rollover the row to get context before watching the clip
When bookmarking, add a title (theme/topic) for your team to understand the context
To improve post-survey understanding, consider looking at responses that aren't providing enough context, and use those terms in the transcript search to hear the perspective in real-time.
Don't forget that no matter what you're searching for, you'll get right back to where you left off!
We know how easy it is to get lost in the flow, so exiting Smart Search will take you back to the player and the exact time you were previously watching.
We hope you found this article helpful; however, our team would happily demonstrate those best practices for your game or test if you want to know more!