How do you research your target audience for game design?

1 Define your goals

Before you start researching your target audience, you need to define your goals and objectives for your game design project. What are you trying to achieve with your game? Who are you trying to reach and why? How will you measure your success? Having clear and realistic goals will help you narrow down your target audience and focus your research on the most relevant aspects.

2 Identify your segments

Your target audience is not a homogeneous group, but rather a collection of different segments that share some common characteristics, such as demographics, psychographics, behaviors, or interests. Identifying your segments will help you understand the diversity and complexity of your target audience, and tailor your game design to their specific needs and preferences. You can use various criteria to segment your target audience, such as age, gender, location, income, education, personality, lifestyle, gaming habits, preferences, motivations, challenges, or goals.

3 Conduct primary research

Primary research is the process of collecting data directly from your target audience, using methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, or user testing. Primary research will help you gain deeper insights into your target audience's opinions, attitudes, preferences, feedback, and behavior regarding your game design or similar games. You can use various tools to conduct primary research, such as online platforms, social media, forums, blogs, podcasts, or analytics software.

4 Conduct secondary research

Secondary research is the process of gathering data from existing sources, such as reports, studies, articles, books, or databases. Secondary research will help you complement and validate your primary research, and provide you with additional information and context about your target audience and the game industry. You can use various sources to conduct secondary research, such as market research firms, industry associations, academic journals, media outlets, or competitors.

5 Analyze your data

After you have collected enough data from primary and secondary research, you need to analyze it and interpret it to draw meaningful conclusions and insights. You can use various techniques and tools to analyze your data, such as descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, qualitative analysis, data visualization, or data mining. Analyzing your data will help you identify patterns, trends, gaps, opportunities, and challenges related to your target audience and your game design.

6 Create your personas

A persona is a fictional representation of a typical segment of your target audience, based on your data analysis. A persona usually includes a name, a photo, a background story, a profile, a scenario, and a goal. Creating personas will help you humanize your target audience and empathize with their needs, preferences, and expectations. You can use various tools to create personas, such as online templates, software, or sketches.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?