Testing the Prototype
You made it to the final stage of the development process! Now that your first virtual gaming simulation is ready, it’s time to test the prototype of your virtual gaming simulation with your learners.
This is an important stage to assess the overall game design and user experience playing the virtual simulation. You can invite students, educators, and your expert advisory team to participate in testing the prototype. You can also invite current or past students who have completed the course the virtual gaming simulation will be hosted in and have knowledge related to the virtual simulation learning outcomes.
The goal of testing the virtual gaming simulation prototype is to:
- determine if the virtual simulation flows,
- meets the course learning outcomes,
- is realistic to the learner, and
- is error free (e.g., missing or incorrect content).
The INACSL Standards of Best Practice: SimulationSM Simulation Design document outlines recommended criteria, including pilot-testing the simulation, to ensure the design achieves the purpose and learning outcomes of the virtual simulation.
You can create an evaluation or checklist that asks your advisory committee and prototype participants if:
- the virtual simulation was easy to use,
- were the learning outcomes achieved, and
- was the content accurate to the learners’ level.
The feedback will help you to update the virtual simulation in preparation for the official launch in the course curriculum.
Insights from the Student Team
As key stakeholders of virtual gaming simulations, learners can have the opportunity to provide feedback by testing the prototype prior to its release. This is an important step in the virtual gaming simulation process as it confirms whether the game is ready to be released or requires further refinement.
When testing the prototype, it is important to provide your honest feedback, including both strengths and areas for improvement. As demonstrated in this chapter, creating a VGS is a lengthy process, and something that is clear to you might be missed by the development team. Your perspective and ideas will ultimately enrich the game and spot potential challenges prior to the release.
Here are some potential questions to guide you when you are testing the prototype:
- What are the strengths of the game?
- What are the areas of improvement?
- Does the game flow? Is it clear?
- Is the game engaging and realistic?
- Did you find the game challenging?
- Would you recommend this game to your peers?
Additional Resources
To read more on usability tests, you can review the following articles:
Luctkar-Flude, M., Tyerman, J., Ziegler, E., Walker, S., & Carroll, B. (2021). Usability testing of the sexual orientation and gender identity nursing education eLearning toolkit and virtual simulation games. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 16(4), 321–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2021.06.015
Luctkar-Flude, M., Tyerman, J., Tregunno, D., Bell, C., Lalonde, M., McParland, T., Peachey, L., Verkuyl, M., & Mastrilli, P. (2021). Designing a virtual simulation game as presimulation preparation for a respiratory distress simulation for senior nursing students: Usability, feasibility, and perceived Impact on learning. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 52, 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2020.11.009
Verkuyl, M., Romaniuk, D., & Mastrilli, P. (2018). Virtual gaming simulation of a mental health assessment: A usability study. Nurse Education in Practice, 31, 83–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2018.05.007
Reference
INACSL Standards Committee. (2016). INACSL standards of best practice: SimulationSM simulation design. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 12, S5–S12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2016.09.005
