OZ Wizard: a communication tool to empower human computer interaction user studies
Zhi Xian Tay · DR-NTU (Nanyang Technological University) · 2026
This project designs and develops a platform that facilitates Wizard-of-Oz (WoZ) experimentation for evaluating user perceptions of system behaviour. The platform takes the form of a browser-based delivery-rider game that provides a controlled environment for studying how users make decisions under varying conditions such as difficulty scaling and perceived fairness. Players navigate a grid-based city to enter designated shop locations, select delivery assignments and complete deliveries under constrained resources within a bounded playthrough. The prototype incorporates progression-based gating, transparent decision-support features such as destination previews and structured outcome feedback (e.g. completion summaries and penalties) to ensure that differences in user responses are attributable to rule changes rather than ambiguity. The system records gameplay outcomes including playtime and performance measures (e.g. completed and missed jobs, score) which serve as behavioural indicators of user engagement and perceived legitimacy of the mechanics. These records also enable scalable evaluation through repeated playthroughs and future online deployment for crowdsourced participation. This report documents the development process, design rationale and implementation choices that support the platform’s role as a research testbed.