This prototype created a way for its users to not only find but also purchase assistive hardware for gaming & looked to help eliminate some of the burden that comes with the trial and error of purchasing new titles.
At the start of this project my goal wasn’t to reinvent the wheel that AbleGamer’s had formed over the years through developing assistive technology and getting it in the hands of its users. My goal was simply to make AbleGamers more of a one stop shop for its users who, for the most part, all explain the process of finding equipment or titles that work WITH them as an “expensive trial and error” process usually ending in failure.
This project looks to fill the gaps AbleGamers has left behind for its community members by.
Creating a system for game reviews which highlight the accessibility features of a title. Creating a similar system for hardware that features tutorial and set-up videos. As well as a profile system for all of this to be saved for users quickly to come back to.
Creating a similar system for hardware that features tutorial and set-up videos. As well as a profile system for all of this to be saved for users quickly to come back to.
As well as a profile system for all of this to be saved for users quickly to come back to.
Executive Summary
Problems Addressed
Created other avenues for disabled community members to interact with AbleGamers.
Crafted a way that allowed users to locate hard to find accessibility information for hardware as well as video game titles.
Created a Profile System to save all of this under.
Competitive Analysis
AbleGamers has found themselves in the interesting position where there isn’t any competitors. Even after changes were made to this system to make it more robust, there isn’t anybody else on the market looking to do the same for these users.
User Testing & Iterations
While there was 3 major iterations, multiple rounds of testing were performed on different users for each iteration. Changes were then made after each round of testing with iterative testing being implemented during the final course of Hi-Fi testing due to time constraints. While different individuals were tested, all were able bodied persons that had no limitations, this is something I would wish to change in the future.
Final outcome
From the start of this project my goal wasn’t to reinvent what AbleGamers did for its community, but after my initial research into the company something became apparent.
From the outset I knew they worked with individuals to find what type of assistive hardware worked best for them. But the one thing I couldn’t find till after a bit was what all hardware were there go-to’s as well as where could I even find it!
At this point in development I feel that new and returning users will want to keep coming back to AbleGamers after seeing these new addition to the platform because:
It gives users a reason to return for those on their journey to find and learn new assistive hardware.
It helps eliminate some of the burden that comes with the trial and error of purchasing games. Users no longer will be going into a title completely blind about what settings are offered to them.
Lastly they will be able to save this information for later use, whether its a review or a video it will give them more of a reason to return.
Problem Statement
The Why
The current state of the video game industry has focused primarily on the ideal everyday gamer. What existing products fail to take into account for the most part is the disabled community. Our service will help address this by creating a way for these gamers to no longer go into a title or piece of hardware completely blind like they have been for so long. On top of that it will help them get ahold of the hardware they have been struggling to find, while at the very least letting them know what is available.
Hypothesis
I believe I can create opportunities that enable more ways to play among disabled gamers by adding a few new features that work with and for our users rather then ignoring all of the problem.
Target Users
Finding All of My audience
This project came with a built in target audience just based off of why they exist.
Individuals that face adversity through countless disabilities.
However the changes I’m looking to make through this project accounts for another segment of the market that is starting to feel over looked in 2021.
An older generation of gamers whose vision or hand dexterity have diminished do to age & use.
Scope & Constraints
A few challenges needed to overcome
From the start of this project I was faced with barriers I needed to navigate every step of the way.
To start I was a one man team working on every aspect of this project.
From start to finish this project had a 4 month timeline I needed to account for whenever I did anything.
Another thing that plagued me during this project was finding disabled gamers to test prototypes with. While I was fortunate enough to work with 7 individuals during survey’s I wasn’t able to get these individuals for prototype testing.
In person tests meant precautions needed to be taken to ensure safety of all individuals present throughout this process.
Distance minimums were kept in account as well as face coverings.
Online Testing also implemented, user recorded using screen recorder and built in microphone recorder
Because this was being built onto an existing system, care was taken to make sure that new elements added looked and felt like they belonged within the original system.
***Blue indicates changes made through prototype.
Ideation & Brainstorming
Where I started
Ideation for this project began with my initial research into the AbleGamers project in trying to find out as much as I could from the start. This helped me not only understand what specifically they did but also what they didn’t do.
This initial research lead to the creation of a short survey and served for the information I would ask for from disabled gamers.
Survey results
Due to difficulty of finding disabled gamers to speak to in person, I reached out to multiple social and forum groups for my survey & ultimately received 7 respondents total over the course of a few days.
For the most part all of the respondents were individuals that played video games on a daily if not weekly basis, who not only needed assistive technology in there day to day lives but while playing video games as well.
Something that quickly became apparent when going through the results, that was noticed during my initial research, was how different each one of these individuals paths were to finding what was, for them at the very least, a measure of success (with a couple still left looking).
This trial and error approach seemed to be how many of these people were left not only to find hardware and video games they could actually play as well.
Possible Solutions & IA
The results of this survey is what ultimately pushed me toward how I would define my own success for this project.
Some of the things I began to wonder about AbleGamers existing platform:
Why was there no profile system for people to come back to information they found helpful?
Why didn’t the store offer a way to get ahold of hardware or at the very least clearly display it?
If the hardware had a store page, what all would you find on it?
And lastly, why wasn’t there a section like this for video games as well on AbleGamers?
These initial questions were used to help craft the IA which ultimately went through a few iterations as the fidelity and details of the prototype became more clear.
Design Iterations
Lo-Fi Sketches
While I new I would be building these changes onto an existing platform, what I didn’t know at first was how it would take form. Multiple iterations were done up for things like the profile page, how games and hardware would be broken down, as well as how their individual pages might look.
A/B Testing
Sketches of different iterations had A/B testing performed on. Four users assisted in deciding which ideas were worth moving forward onto the Mid-Fi with.
Some pages had multiple iterations created at this next level due to indecision with original A/B test.
Mid-Fi Prototype
Moving onto this next iteration I wanted to have for myself concrete measurements for what success would look like. At this stage I defined 3 final tasks I wanted this first real working prototype to be able to perform.
I wanted users to be able to:
Find information about hardware, such as where to purchase it, how it worked, or what it was compatible with.
A similar feature for Video Games where users could get reviews from other disabled gamers.
Lastly a profile system to save this information as well as offer other hardware options they may find to be useful.
Mid-Fi Prototype Test results
During this round of testing a lot of the questions being asked dealt with trying to find out what individuals might wish for from on a product page as well as how they would like information to be filtered.
Other aspects of this design that were tested on at this point were icon recognition which went well from the get go, excluding the mobility icon which went through multiple rounds of iteration throughout the project.
Overall navigation was never to much of a problem for individuals though one individual tested did struggle to find game reviews during this iteration.
Final Solutions
Hi-fi prototype (PC)
Moving onto this third iteration some of the biggest changes that occurred were due to fleshing out how the profile quiz would look and feel. This quickly helped find the more successful direction between the two I had been working with.
After multiple iterations with the mobility icon, finally I was able to get it to where even new users instantly could recognize it with little to no thought.
Hi-fi Prototype test results
During this round of testing due to time constraints at this point in the project, I performed three rounds of iterative testing making obvious needed changes in between each test as they arose. By the time the third user got ahold of my prototype they were flying through it with little to no frustration.
Atomic Design
Hi-fi prototype (Tablet)
One of my goals during the initial work on this project was wishing to see how this platform might transition to tablet. For individuals with disabilities this medium would allow for a closer experience then would be afforded through a PC. This allowed for users to still comfortably navigate AbleGamers for any information regarding hardware or accessibility options through a device that was still large enough to view.
Going Forward
Next up
During the next phase of this project the big thing I would want to push for is not only getting this revised product in customer hands but getting there feedback on such things like the sign up quiz & ease of use of the new features.
While user testing was performed throughout this project, due to many outside limitations finding disabled community members who wanted to let alone could test would be incredible to have being that this project originated with them in mind.
