Interview Reflection

• general impression for the interview - inspiration and outcome

• As an interviewer (reflect on the protocol preparation)

• as an interviewee (reflect on interviewee’s feedback)

• as an speaker (reflect on the process)

• as an researcher (reflect on the missing parts or failure and follow-up research)

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This interview operates fluidly with fair coverage to topics in the protocol. The greatest aspect is the vibrant conversation pace and the lacking part is the organization. From the content aspect, open-ended questions provide flexibility in topics, but are also lacking in-depth focusing discussion. In summary, this is a great starting point as a general case study and has potential for further research in visual perception and reactive interface design. 

 

For the protocol design, the part that went well is the variety of topics and guiding detail questions. The diversity in choice provided discussion flexibility. When preparing the protocol, I was inspired by online reviews and my interest in visual perception and sound design. I also intentionally taking notes on my gaming experience for design inspiration. Boyuan is also a matching interviewee because we know each other in college and share similar interest in visual design. He plays more video games and has more experience in different styles of games. So it is advantageous to hear insights from him because his interest may cover unique perspectives. 

 

As an interviewer, my attempt in tracking Boyuan’s information provides nice transitions for each question. However, these transitions may not be as necessary, because this is a private interview and is conducted majorly for academic contexts. Moreover, some topics were out of my expectation and familiar criteria. For instance, when I was hearing his experience in external devices, I realized my question might be unclear and lead to digression. It is also true that I need more preparation prior than the interview based on Boyuan’s interests for hardware preference. It would be helpful to have a questionnaire collecting general user preferences.

 

As a human interaction researcher, I think this interview is a good starting point because it covers diverse topics from user interaction feedback, game content designs, and game’s social impacts. Boyuan’s reply also demonstrates his thinking as a player, game designer, and game company strategic lead. Some recognizable aspects such as “dopamine stimulated” game addiction can lead to in-depth research on ethics, technology risks, and responsible user interface designing for benign gaming traits. Moreover, considering Boyuan’s age, it is worth thinking about addictive gaming behavior for teenage users. Animal Crossing is an excellent example for creating an immersive and inclusive gaming experience with effective user interface design.