SOE opens up Usability Lab
In-house testing services used on Free Realms to be made available to external companies
Sony Online Entertainment has announced that its in-house testing facility, the Usability Lab, will be made available to external companies for a variety of projects.
The facility will offer services including usability testing, heuristic evaluations, focus groups and product evaluations, and has been used on SOE's recent MMO release Free Realms, which has notched up over 5 million players since launching in April.
"New product development lends itself to a host of potential obstacles, many of which could be overcome with pre-emptive testing," said Paul Venuti, Director, Development Services, Sony Online Entertainment.
"By opening the doors to the Usability Lab we are able to share our industry expertise with other development companies, while offering a cost effective way to test their products and services prior to launch."
SOE is responsible for running an number of MMO titles and became part of Sony Computer Entertainment last March.