How do I turn a playtest comment into a specific design question?

Make three columns: Observation, Reaction, and Proposed fix. Put a directly observed action or event in Observation. Put the player’s stated feeling or judgment in Reaction. Put their recommended change in Proposed fix. Leave a column blank if the comment doesn’t contain that kind of information; don’t guess what the player meant.

For example, imagine a player says, “I missed the symbol twice; it’s frustrating. Make it glow.” You might sort it like this:

1. Observation: “I missed the symbol twice.” If your note-taker saw this happen, record the relevant moment or action. If it is only the player’s recollection, label it as their report.
2. Reaction: “It’s frustrating.”
3. Proposed fix: “Make it glow.”

These parts serve different purposes: the observation helps locate a moment to examine, the reaction records what the player said, and the suggestion offers one possible solution. None alone proves what caused the difficulty.

Keep the vagueness visible rather than filling it in. Record the reaction as “Player described the part as confusing,” and mark the observation as “Not specified” unless your notes identify a particular moment. Don’t turn “confusing” into a claim about unclear rules, artwork, or controls without more information.

You can add a follow-up for a future conversation or test: “Which moment felt confusing, and what were you trying to do then?” If you ask during a session, avoid suggesting an answer. For instance, “Was the icon hard to see?” points toward one explanation; “What were you looking at when you decided what to do?” gives the player room to describe their experience.

Ask about the player experience or design goal underneath the suggestion. Name the situation and what you want to find out, without assuming a particular solution.

Using the symbol example, “Should we make it glow?” mainly asks whether to adopt one proposed fix. A more useful design question might be: “Can players notice and identify the symbol when they need to choose an action?” That question leaves room for several possible responses—or for finding that visibility was not the issue.

Keep the question narrow enough to investigate. If it includes multiple moments or goals, split it. Try this template:

When [specific situation], can players [intended action or understanding]? What did they notice or do?

For the hypothetical symbol comment: When choosing an action, can players notice and identify the relevant symbol? What do they look at or do before choosing? Treat this as something to examine, not a conclusion about the design.

Copy this for each comment. Keep the original wording so your interpretation doesn’t replace what was actually said.

Playtest comment worksheet

• Original comment: [exact note or clearly labeled paraphrase]
• Context: [what was happening, if recorded]
• Observation: [specific action or event; otherwise “not specified”]
• Reaction: [the player’s stated feeling or judgment; otherwise “not stated”]
• Proposed fix: [the player’s suggestion; otherwise “none”]
• What remains uncertain? [what the note does not tell you]
• Design question: [one focused question about the experience or goal]
• Possible next step: [review this moment, ask a neutral follow-up, or plan a later test]

For the hypothetical comment, the question might be, “When choosing an action, can players notice and identify the relevant symbol?” The note alone does not establish why the player missed it or whether making it glow would help. Preserve that uncertainty and use the question to decide what to examine next.