Hi, I’m Ian Livingston - Research Director
Ian Livingston is Research Director at Blizzard Entertainment, leading user research across World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch and Hearthstone. He has previously led research at Electronic Arts and Ubisoft Montreal, has spoken at GDC, CHI, and SIGGRAPH, and contributed to Game User Research (Oxford University Press).
Not to be confused with Sir Ian Livingstone, co-founder of Games Workshop.
My Approach
Research earns its place when it changes a decision. It's easy to look at a number and draw the conclusion you already expected. It's hard to question yourself and look for the other plausible explanations.
That is what I love about research.
The right question at the right time
Most research fails on timing. A perfect study that lands after the decision is made has cost the team more than it gave them. I build research programs around when teams actually need answers.
Understanding over knowing
Data can tell you a level has a 40% drop-off. Observation can tell you players think the door is locked. Neither provides a complete understanding, and I've spent most of my career delivering the ‘why’ behind the data.
Support actions over delivering insights
An insight that gets politely absorbed and ignored has failed. Clarity, specificity, and a clear issue someone can take immediate action on are part of the work, not a nice-to-have.