作者：Brent Knowles

反馈信息（游戏邦注：关于漏洞报告、用户分析和评论文章）是许多创造性活动的必备要素，从写故事，到制作电影，再到设计游戏。即便是最杰出的设计师也能从潜在用户反馈信息收获良多。设计师获悉如何提供优秀反馈信息非常重要，这样他们才能应对不时之需，给出回应。

video game tester from howstuffworks.com

本文的反馈信息是指玩法、界面和故事等元素的主观分析。

首先看看下述例子：

“你的界面比真空吸尘器还糟。既乏味又笨拙。我讨厌它。”

此反馈信息最多成为表格“不喜欢”列表中的数据点。但通常其很可能直接被删除。

为什么？

这里几乎没有任何信息。我不在乎测试者的类比有多巧妙，或者测试者多不喜欢某功能——若他们无法提供有建设性的反馈信息，就是在浪费金钱和时间。

“我最初撰写上述段落是以‘因为其一无是处’开头。我在提供反馈信息时偏向采用讽刺或无礼态度。我总是重新修改漏洞报告移除这些负面词语。”

game feedback from wordpress.com

什么是建设性反馈信息？页面搜索给出几个定义，但从根本来看，建设性建议应：

—有礼貌。设计师采取防御态度时通常也会开始拒绝聆听。礼貌态度能够确保测试者和设计师保持沟通。这包括礼貌陈述，避免“厌恶”言语，以及陈述成功内容（游戏邦注：优秀测试者通常不会假定设计师知晓成功内容），有时优秀功能被移除是由于无人表示喜欢该内容。

—详细。罗列考虑中的元素，陈述无效内容，且陈述原因。

—比较性。其他优秀游戏是否有类似功能？解释。提供其他游戏的截屏，辅助资料。

—进步性。提供完善功能的建议方式。若这些建议未被采纳，不要生气，若内容未得到任何完善，请保持追踪。

优秀反馈信息例子：

“主界面有些混乱。我欣赏游戏功能的多样性，但若陈述更清晰，我从中获得的乐趣会更多。我发现你们采用和《GameXYZ》类似的快餐台。在那款游戏中，玩家能够随意伸展此快餐台。我建议若可能你们也采用这种模式，最初以小型快餐台呈现，然后让玩家根据需要延伸。待他们准备充分时，让其自己控制‘复杂元素’的引入。参考附上的活动快餐台截图。”

测试者不应傲慢自大。反馈信息是完善作品的机会。它是开发过程中不可或缺的要素。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

How to Submit Feedback that Will Make it Into the Game (Not the Recycling Bin)

by Brent Knowles

Feedback (re: bug reports, user analysis, critiques) is essential for many creative endeavors, from writing stories to making movies to designing games. Even the most talented game designer benefits from seeing her product through the eyes of a potential consumer. Knowing how to provide great feedback is essential for a designer, preparing them for when they must solicit feedback and respond to it.

Feedback in this post refers to subjective analysis of gameplay, interface, story, et cetera.

Consider this example:

“Your interface sucks more than an vacuum cleaner. It’s stupid and clunky. I hate it. ”

At best this feedback would become a data-point on a spreadsheet under the column of ‘did not like’. Most likely it would be simply deleted.

Why?

There’s little information here. I don’t care how clever an analogy the tester has constructed, or how intensely the tester disliked a feature — if they are not providing constructive feedback they are wasting time and money.

“My first edit of the above paragraph started with ‘Because it’s useless.’ Often I have the tendency when providing feedback to be sarcastic or snarky. I (almost) always edit my bug reports to remove such negative bits.”

What is constructive feedback? A websearch will provide several definitions, but at it’s core, constructive feedback should be:

– Respectful. The moment the designer is put on the defensive they are going to stop listening. Being respectful keeps the door open between tester and designer. This includes being polite and avoiding ‘hate’ words, as well as explaining what did work
— good testers do not assume that the designers know what is working well… occasionally a great feature is cut because no one mentioned they loved it!

- Detailed. List the elements under consideration, explaining what did not work and WHY.

- Comparative. Is there a similar feature in another game that works better? Explain. Provide screenshots of the other game and/or supporting documentation.

- Progressive. Suggest ways to improve the feature. Do not be offended if those suggestions are not taken, do follow up if no improvements are implemented.

So, an example of better feedback might be:

“The main interface is a little cluttered. I love the variety of features available, but a cleaner presentation would have allowed me to enjoy the game more. I’ve noticed that you are using a quick bar like GameXYZ. In that game they allow you to stretch the quick bar to any size. I’d suggest we adopt this approach, if possible. Start with a small quick bar and then allow the user to grow it as required, let them control the introduction of ‘complexity’ when they are ready. See attached screenshots for an example of their quick bar in action.”

A tester should never be arrogant or condescending. Feedback is an opportunity to help improve the overall product. And it is essential.（Source：gamasutra）