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Episode Name:
The Impact of QA on Player Experience
Episode Description:
Games succeed or fail based on the experience players walk away with, and few disciplines shape that experience more than QA.
In this episode, we look beyond bug reports and test plans to uncover one of QA’s most underrated strengths: communication and empathy. From UX and design discussions to player-focused problem solving, QA isn’t just about finding issues — it’s about connecting across teams to ensure the experience feels right for players where it matters most.
Q?Box Round Answers
What’s the most helpful or impactful advice you ever received?
“If you have a problem and there is a solution, there’s no need to worry.
If there is no solution, there’s no use worrying”. I don’t remember when I heard this quote/piece of advice, but when I did, it stuck with me immediately forever. It does not mean that nothing bad is happening or that the worries are imaginary, but rather, that If there’s a solution: your energy is better spent on action (choose a step, ask for help, make a plan) rather than looping in anxiety. And if there’s no solution, worrying will become extra suffering on top of a situation; the best move is acceptance, and focusing on what you can control. This piece of advise is about resilience.
Biggest gaming pet peeve?
For me, it is Tinnitus sound effects produced by an explosion. As a person with tinnitus myself, I get worried I might be experiencing a real tinnitus flare-up. If you don’t get those Tinittus spikes often you probably don’t know what I mean. I wonder if anyone else enjoys it.
Also, as mother of young kids, I need to be able to save my game anywhere, anytime. These days, if I cannot do that, then I cannot play the game.
What game are you playing now?
I am playing Survive 99 nights in the Forest with my son and his friend. It’s a survival game and a great way to bond with my son.
TIPS and ADVICE
We covered quite a bit today. Could you list 3 suggestions or tips you would recommend to indie devs based on our discussion?
- Focus on Usability and Accessibility as well as this is Usability for everyone. Don´t consider these as a “Nice to Have” these are actually retention factors because every confusing menu, unreadable UI or difficulty is a moment where players stop feeling in control and start feeling that friction we mentioned earlier.
- Include QA in your Production cycle, even if you have a small indie studio or you are a solo dev there are lightweight QA processes you can consider. There are solutions that fit everyone that range from hiring a small team to externalizing if you have a precise need during a development peak period. And if you don’t know where to start, talk to anyone on LinkedIn who is in QA. People is QA love helping others and really value when others ask for their expertise.
- Last but not least, include QA early, this may sound contradictory but including at least a QA Lead in the conversation during the the design phases will save the team money and effort in the long run. And that is because it is much cheaper to correct a bug or a design flaw early in the production cycle, than closer to release, when these issues are already buried deeply into other systems and ar far more expensive to untangle. Having a QA Lead adds to the equation because
RESOURCES and LINKS
How to get in touch with Francisca Butron
Website: http://huwiz.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisca-butron-b18a2786/
E-mail:
paquibutron@hotmail.com
fbutron@huwiz.com