Today, the developers are bringing you behind the scenes of Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator. They explore a vital part of the development process involving UI UX quality assurance. This ensures a smooth and enjoyable player experience.
Meet Our UI/UX QA Team
To dive into this fascinating area, the team introduces Petr and Jan. They share insights from a day at work. Their role involves ensuring that every menu, button, and interaction feels just right before it reaches your screen.
Petr – Console & UI/UX QA Lead
Petr states, “Hello! I am Petr, the Console & UI/UX QA Lead. Together with my colleagues, I built two teams ensuring our games deliver a seamless user experience.
Our responsibilities cover both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator. We work across PC, Steam Deck, VR, PlayStation, and Xbox Series X/S. In addition to the games, we also test projects like Driving Academy, Coaches, and Road Trip.
Roles and Responsibilities
I mainly focus on coordination, planning, and results analysis. My collaboration with other teams identifies bugs and UX issues early. I strive to alleviate pressure before each new patch or DLC release.
Alongside this, I still actively test every aspect handled by my team. Testing gives me valuable insights into areas that need improvement.
I support my team whenever they need advice. I aim to maintain a friendly atmosphere where everyone can enjoy working together.
Jan – Senior UI/UX Tester
Jan shares, “Hi, I’m Jan, a Senior UI/UX Tester focused on playtesting. I’m 31 and have been with SCS Software for two years. Initially, I joined as a Junior Tester, but my passion for user experience grew over time.
With Petr’s guidance, I helped establish our playtesting process.
Understanding UI/UX QA
Before new features are added, they must undergo a comprehensive process. UI/UX is integral throughout this journey. It starts with dialogue between our QA department and the Game Design (GD) department. We assess current functions to identify areas for improvement.
Feedback from QA informs future decisions about design and functionality. Cooperation between various teams occurs at every stage. Questions must be answered to ensure designs are intuitive and accessible.
Our role changes during the first playable prototype phase. We immerse ourselves in the player experience. This includes evaluating designs from many perspectives, including hardcore gamers and real-life truckers.
Testing Processes and Playtesting
Further issues can be identified as we work with the GD team and programmers. After reaching a confident state, we enter the internal Playtesting phase. Diverse employees provide insights into usability without prior knowledge of the design documents.
We prepare specific scenarios and observe player engagement with features. After testing, the feedback is crucial in processing data from playtests.
Identifying patterns helps us create themes for improvement. The final output summarizes behavior and offers solutions. Should deeper issues arise, we may return to the drawing board.
If only minor tweaks are needed, GD departments can finalize designs. The team then focuses on FQA. Ensuring everything functions as intended is essential. After this, the feature merges into the main branch where the Integration QA department takes over.
Enjoying the UI/UX Work
Petr: “There’s so much to enjoy! Everyone on our team loves games. Contributing ideas for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator is incredibly rewarding.
We prioritize players in all decisions, preventing designers from developing tunnel vision.
Looking at games from various perspectives is fundamental to our work. We strive to make them accessible and fun.”
Jan: “I appreciate the balance between technical and human aspects. The interplay between users and machines fascinates me.
My first project was creating the Graphics Settings screenshot to improve player understanding of visual changes.”
Community Feedback and Player Engagement
Petr concludes, “Player feedback is vital and inspires us. We carefully read your comments and ideas. Your engagement shows how much you care about our games, and we feel the same.
We want to improve Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator continuously. Your feedback helps shape our journey. Thank you for being an essential part of our community!”
Leave a Reply