"Tutorial Hell: Our Kickstarter's UX Flaws, Not Just Docs"

Tutorial Hell: Our Kickstarter’s UX Flaws, Not Just Docs

We launched a Kickstarter for our indie RPG last year.

It failed.

Not spectacularly, but enough to make us rethink everything. We thought we had a great game, awesome art, and a well-thought-out campaign. Turns out, we were stuck in tutorial hell, not in the game itself, but on our very own Kickstarter page.

The Illusion of Comprehensiveness

The initial mistake was thinking “more is more.”

We crammed everything onto the page: detailed lore, complex gameplay mechanics, multiple reward tiers, stretch goals galore. We were so proud of the depth of our game, and wanted to show it all off. The result? Information overload.

Potential backers landed on our page and were immediately bombarded.

They didn’t know where to look, what to focus on, or even what the core value proposition of our game was. It was like throwing them into a level 50 boss fight without a tutorial.

UX is the Tutorial

We treated the Kickstarter page like a manual, not an experience.

That’s where we fundamentally misunderstood UX. The page wasn’t just about conveying information; it was about guiding the user through a journey. It needed to be intuitive, engaging, and ultimately, persuasive.

Confusing navigation was a huge problem.

We had a long, scrolling page with tons of sections, but no clear visual hierarchy or signposting. Users got lost and frustrated trying to find specific information, like gameplay footage or reward details.

A/B Testing is Your Best Friend

After the failed Kickstarter, we rebuilt the entire page from the ground up, this time focusing on UX first.

The key tool? A/B testing. We tested different headlines, layouts, video placements, and even button colors.

One example: we initially had a lengthy paragraph explaining the game’s core mechanic, which we thought was innovative.

The A/B test showed that a short, punchy sentence highlighting the benefit of the mechanic (e.g., “Create unique character builds in seconds”) performed significantly better.

User Feedback Loops Are Crucial

A/B testing is great for optimizing specific elements, but it doesn’t replace genuine user feedback.

We reached out to our community and showed them different versions of the page, asking them to complete specific tasks, like finding the game’s release date or understanding the value of a particular reward tier.

This revealed some painful truths.

For instance, our “about us” section, which we thought was charming and personal, was actually distracting and irrelevant to most users. They simply didn’t care about our backstory at that stage.

From Information Dump to Guided Journey

The biggest shift we made was moving from an information dump to a guided journey.

We identified the key information backers needed to make a decision:

1. What is the game about? (Clear, concise summary)
2. Why should I care? (Highlight core features and benefits)
3. What do I get for backing? (Reward tier descriptions)
4. How do I back? (Prominent call to action)

We then structured the page to guide users through these questions in a logical and engaging way. We made heavy use of visuals, particularly GIFs and short gameplay clips, to showcase the game in action.

The Value Proposition Problem

We also realized our value proposition was weak.

We were so focused on the features of the game that we forgot to explain the benefits. Why should someone back our game instead of playing another RPG? What made our game unique and worth supporting?

We needed to clearly articulate the emotional payoff of playing our game – the sense of adventure, the satisfaction of building a powerful character, the joy of exploring a rich and immersive world.

Conquer the Call to Action

The final, and perhaps most critical, element was a strong call to action.

We made it abundantly clear what we wanted backers to do: “Back Now” buttons were prominently displayed throughout the page, and we used persuasive language to encourage them to take action.

We learned the hard way that people need to be told what to do.

A clear call to action isn’t pushy; it’s helpful.

The “Tutorial Hell” Connection

Our Kickstarter page suffered from the same problems that plague bad video game tutorials: information overload, unclear goals, and lack of engagement.

By applying UX principles, we were able to create a more effective and user-friendly campaign.

We went from dumping information to guiding users, from confusing navigation to intuitive flow, and from a weak value proposition to a compelling reason to back our game.

Don’t make the same mistake we did. Treat your promotional materials like a game tutorial.

Make it engaging, intuitive, and rewarding.

Your game deserves it, and your backers will thank you.