The Battle.net App’s Settings menu includes everything a player might want to adjust in-game. Prior to the Battle.net App, users controlled chat settings, voice chat, and game settings in the games themselves. The app was designed to allow full control across all supported titles.
Gaming audiences generally have more technical knowledge, which means app settings can also be a bit more technical. I kept the voice casual, in line with Blizzard’s standards, giving the user options like “Launch Battle.net when I start my computer”.
The app can automatically update games, which is convenient, but may affect the computer’s performance on certain systems and networks. To keep this in mind, I included options to pause updates so they can be performed manually.
The Game Settings menu only shows games the player has installed. The vast majority of users speak and write in the same language, so I combined “Text & Spoken Language”. This menu also includes more technical options like 32-bit and 64-bit installation options for more technically inclined users.
Blizzard uses a system called Real ID that includes users’ real names alongside their username (known as a BattleTag). Real ID can be turned off for privacy or to simplify the friends list.
I included human language like “Let others know when I am typing” to keep granular controls approachable.
The "Toggle Mute Key” option was the most discussed portion of the Settings menu. This option sets a keybinding to mute and unmute the mic. The capitalized styling in the app meant nuances like “Toggle Mute key” weren’t possible. To clarify, I requested we add mouseover text, which reads “Choose a key that will mute/unmute your microphone”. Users can also choose an “Open Mic,” indicating that their voice is audible without a key press. The word choice here matches user language.
The original word choice on this menu referred to “a Blizzard game”; it was changed to “a Battle.net game” when Battle.net began hosting games for sister companies like Activision. These settings allow for a uniform experience across all games downloaded via Battle.net.
Players can opt in to the Battle.net Beta, which gives them access to new features to test. Because Battle.net users are tech savvy, I chose to keep this explanation short, directing them to patch notes for detailed information.
