Prelaunch testing: creative readability across orientations: Use final creative build in player-view preview for each supported orientation.; Check text contrast, message order, and whether essential claims are cropped or obscured.; Revise layout using responsive sizing (e.g. wrap_content, match_parent) if needed.
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In-Game Formats

Part of Creative localisation for game audiences

Prelaunch testing: creative readability across orientations

Check game ad text, cropping and controls in each portrait or landscape view the booked placement supports.

Formats Desk · · 3 min read

Use the final creative build in a player-view preview for every orientation its booked placement supports. Portrait and landscape can change the available space, crop and control position, so approval of one rendered view does not approve the other.

Confirm the supported views

Ask the placement owner which devices, orientations and ad states are supported. Include the smallest intended display and any materially different tablet view. Do not infer orientation support from a game screenshot or a buying platform’s list of possible asset shapes.

For each supported combination, use the final creative build in a player-view preview. Record the device or viewport, orientation, placement state and build version. If the unit expands, collapses or changes screens, include each state that affects reading.

Follow the reading path

At normal playback speed, check whether the advertiser, main claim, essential qualification and action are visible in the intended order. Pass a view only when each essential message is legible and unobstructed, with no crop or line break changing its meaning.

Check text contrast and where game controls sit in each rendered view. Fail an orientation if an essential message is cropped, obscured, difficult to read or arrives too late to read. A still can reveal a crop but cannot show whether an animated claim arrives too late.

Pause to identify a fault, then watch again at normal speed. If audio carries part of the message, repeat the review with sound off and check whether that message remains readable on screen.

For example, if the portrait view keeps an offer qualification visible but the landscape view crops it, fail the landscape view. Revise the crop or layout, then review every supported view affected by the change.

Testing Readability Across Orientations

  1. Check message sequence at normal playback speedAdvertiser → main claim → essential qualification → action
  2. Ensure all essential messages are legible and unobstructedNo crop, line break, or obstruction altering meaning
  3. Verify text contrast and control positioningControls do not interfere with readability
  4. Fail if any essential message is cropped, obscured, hard to read, or arrives too lateStill images cannot show timing issues
  5. Pause to identify faults, then replay at normal speedFor accurate assessment of timing and flow
  6. Review with sound off if audio carries part of the messageEnsure on-screen content remains readable without audio

Fix and repeat

Name the cause of a failure: crop, line break, contrast, motion, control overlap or too little reading time. Try a different crop, an accurate shorter line or a revised layout. Do not remove a material offer condition simply to make a variant fit.

If the creative uses an Android view-based layout, use responsive sizing rather than hard-coded width and height. In ConstraintLayout, wrap_content, match_parent or 0dp (match constraint) lets views adjust as available display space changes.

Review the changed build in every supported orientation it affects. Keep a brief result for each combination, including the version and any remaining limitation. This is a prelaunch creative check; campaign delivery and player understanding require separate evidence.

Using Responsive Layouts vs Hard-Coded Dimensions (Android)

Pros: Responsive sizing (wrap_content, match_parent, 0dp)
Views adjust dynamically to available space across orientations
Cons: Hard-coded width and height values
May cause cropping, misalignment, or poor fit in different orientations

Common Causes of Orientation Failures

Crop
Most frequent issue in landscape view
Line break altering meaning
Can change offer clarity or intent
Low text contrast
Impacts readability, especially in bright game scenes
Control overlap
Game buttons may block critical ad content
Insufficient reading time
Animated claims arrive too late to be read

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