UX & Accessibility 

PAX DEI ‒ Unexpected hurdles

Designing a traversal system for a sandbox MMO ‒ How to engage blind players. 

Role: Interview Lead & Research Lead
Tools: Miro, Adobe XD, Audacity
Methods: Research, Prototyping, Testing

Background - The client

Mainframe Industries, an independent game developer, and the client for this project. In this case study I will show how the team and I designed a  traversal system for a sandbox MMO to be more accessible and engaging for blind gamers.

Project Timeline

Introduction

This project was a unique challenge for me and the team, as we had to consider the needs and wants of a group to which we had previously not given much thought.

Through close collaboration with Mainframe's senior UX designer Jasmine Dahncke and accessibility consultant Brandon Cole, we genuinely understood and empathized with our target audience.  

The Brief

VIPs

"How can we make a traversal system for a sandbox MMO more accessible and engaging for totally blind individuals?"

Jasmine Dahncke: Senior UX Designer at Mainframe Industries. Mentor extraordinaire!

Brandon Cole: Accessibility consultant previously worked on the action-adventure game Last of Us Part 2, developed by Naughty Dog.  Made the team "see" and understand our target audience. 

Week 1 - Always start with research

The team and I began the project by thoroughly researching the needs and wants of blind gamers, as well as best practices for accessibility in video games. We consulted with Brandon to gain insight from his previous experience and expertise. We also reached out to the blind gaming community to get their input and feedback on what they would like to see in an accessible sandbox MMO.

The challenge here that we wanted to overcome was to empathize with the target audience. For example, have you ever gone through an accessibility menu on a video game with TTS(text-to-speech)? Or ever played an MMO with a blind person? 

No? - me neither. The benchmarking and playing games with Brandon had a significant impact on my understanding of the pain points he and so many other blind gamers have to face each time they want to play.

Games we benchmarked. From top left: Last of us 2, The Vale - Shadow of the Crown, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Sea of Thieves, Battlefield 2042.

Week 2 - Brainstorming & Prototyping 

With the information gathered from benchmarking, playtesting, interviews with the target audience and meetings with Brandon Cole, we began brainstorming.

We came up with these six key concepts.

1. Interactive Map
2. Navigation Assistance
3. Item scan
4. Resource Tracking
5. Audio Narration
6. Audio cues

Translating visuals into sounds is a key aspect of creating an accessible video game for blind players. One way to do this is by using descriptive audio cues to convey information about the environment and actions happening in the game.

For example, in a snow-covered landscape, the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow can help the player understand their surroundings and the type of terrain they are walking on.

Another example that the team and I, together with Brandon were especially excited about was the audio narration. A voice describing the environment in a way that further enhances the experience for someone who is blind.

Video: My brainstorming sketching. 43 seconds.

Key concepts

From our top-voted sketch, we identified the following concepts. From the top left;  Interactive Map, Navigation Assistance, Resource Tracking (Audio Cue Toggle), Audio Narration, Audio Cues + Audio Glossary, Item Scan

User Testing - "WHY DOESN'T IT WORK?!" 

The entire team realized that testing with sighted individuals was more harmful than helpful. Knowing this we only had one dry run with a sighted individual. After that, we only conducted usability tests with the intended target audience.

Being the test facilitator, I felt it to be nerve-wracking to test our prototype with a group that I am not a part of, especially when it is a product that is designed specifically for them. Luckily for me, all the testers were well aware of our challenge. Therefore knew that if I said something wrong, they could and should correct me. This gave the test sessions more flow and ease for both testers and myself. Knowing we are on the same team.

Prototype walkthrough. 5 min 18 sec

What we tested

• Reactions to the audio narration
• How the menu narration works
• The  interactive map
• Which sound effects are most important for navigation
• How the navigation assistance works

For more details read the report.

Week 3 - Wrapping up

Video: Feedback from the users that tested our prototype. 47 sec

The presentation

We presented our project to all employees at Mainframe Industries. As a team, we were extremely happy with the positive response and excited to answer their intriguing questions. Mainframe was very satisfied with the outcome of our project, and we received fantastic feedback from the company!

Video: Presentation to Mainframe Industries, length 05:18 minutes

"Their problem-solving skills, organization and teamwork was truly inspiring. The process used by the team was an almost flawless execution of the design thinking framework.

They have provided us with plenty of useful material that will help to create a better product in terms of accessibility and additionally they might have laid the groundwork to enable blind gamers to navigate in sandbox games, which would be an industry first."

- Jasmin Dahncke, Senior UX Designer, and Sulka Haro, Design Director, at Mainframe Industries

Conclusion

In conclusion, the team and I designed a validated solution for an accessible traversal system for a sandbox MMO for totally blind gamers. 

The narrated biome description was particularly successful in creating an immersive experience for players. We also gained valuable insights into the preferences of blind gamers and the importance of customizable and optional accessibility features.

Overall, the project was a success and received positive feedback from Mainframe.

Key takeaways 

Professional 

• Always make time for dry-runs before any interview or user test
• Test the meeting space before, especially if it will be held online
• Always change test scenarios

Personal

• Have fun during interviews(makes the one being interviewed more at ease)
  
• Voice concerns with the team(often it's not only you feeling a certain way) 

To read the full report click on the button! 

Contact

Mail: beatrice.ferrera@gmail.com
Connect: LinkedIn

© Beatrice Ferrera 2024 — UX Designer