The Game Changer

Ce qu'il fait

The design makes two popular board games more accessible for those with visual, audio, and tactile impairments. Specialized for those with disabilities of the senses, it boasts ergonomic and magnetic pieces, high contrast visuals, and an audio component.

Votre source d'inspiration

We created our design to help a local client living with usher syndrome, a condition that has progressively diminished her vison, hearing, and sense of touch. She relies heavily on others for daily tasks and errands. Rather than adding a device to an overwhelmingly large library of tools, we chose a different type of design. We wanted to bring genuine joy to our client’s life with a way to play and connect with her family. We wanted our design to focus on making the gameplay simple for anyone to play, regardless of ability - so that our client could get back the ability to build memories and have fun with loved ones.

Comment ça marche

The design is split into 3 parts the main board, the pieces, and the button. The main board consists of a wooden board sandwiched between 2 magnetic metal plates. On either side of the board there are 2 boardgames, “checkers” and “sorry”, each having their high contrast background prints, as well as sensory raised boarders made of aluminum. The pieces for each board game were ergonomically designed to be easily picked up. Each piece was 3D printed using PLA and had magnets attached to the bottom. The button was created using an Arduino, MP3 module, audio amplifiers and a speaker. Whenever the button was pressed, the Arduino would randomly access an audio file through the MP3 module. The audio signal would then be amplified and relayed through the button. Whenever the double button is pressed it would relay the previous instruction that was just said.

Processus de conception

We began by assessing which types of design would be the most important to our client – focusing on connection rather than daily utility. We arrived at the idea of a board game to facilitate our client’s joy best. We explored various board games like Monopoly, chess, backgammon, and snakes and ladders, but we selected Sorry! and checkers for their simplicity of play, familiarity, and number of pieces. Early prototypes involved different sizes of gameboards and game-squares. We needed to optimize the number of squares on the Sorry! board from the original number to allow for larger game squares. We were able to iterate many of our components in their design phase to mitigate material waste. For the game pieces, we opted for a larger magnet to err on the side of increased magnetism. We iterated the game pieces digitally to maximize their ergonomics for easy grasping. The audio component started with an Arduino connected to a beeping module. We added two speakers and an SD card module for vocal audio instead of beeping, but it was still too quiet. After adding an amplifier and resoldering many times, we achieved clear voice output. We planned to use an arcade button, but the housing was too small. Instead, we made a wooden one with a spring, which makes design more classic.

En quoi est-il différent ?

The Game Changer is unique because it combines multiple accessibility features into one design. Current alternatives tend to focus on only one disability, whereas ours supports those with visual, tactile, and auditory impairments together. Our design employs magnetism and raised borders for game-piece stability, high contrast visuals for visibility, and button prompted audio for gameplay actions. It also has exaggerated game board and piece style to enhance the accessibility. Other designs have braille action cards or braille on the game pieces to help players who suffer from vision impairments. We preserved the original gameplay rules to mitigate a learning curve and keep familiarity. Our design is also very durable and is fabricated to be ideal for tabletop use. Our solution is marketed to surpass simple function and emphasize focus on improving time spent with loved ones and creating meaningful memories.

Plans pour l'avenir

Future plans to improve The Game Changer include adding volume adjustment and an on/off switch. To make the button unit more compact and durable, we planned to redesign it with a printed circuit board and replace the current button with arcade button for stable triggering. We also planned to make the board more portable by cutting it into four sections that snap together via magnets or a puzzle piece design. Additionally, adding a filleted angle between the head and body of the game pieces would improve durability and breaking resistance. We would also create a wider variety of game options available on each side of the game in the future.

Récompenses

Our design received 1st place out of more than 250 groups at the McMaster University Engineering Showcase, which was sponsored by Dyson.