Board Game Accessibility: Identifying and Addressing Design Flaws for Inclusive Play

Why It Matters

Understanding user needs beyond the typical player base is crucial for expanding the reach and enjoyment of a product. By proactively addressing accessibility, designers can create more inclusive experiences that cater to a wider audience, fostering greater market penetration and user satisfaction.

Key Finding

The study found that a significant number of popular board games present accessibility challenges that exclude potential players, highlighting a need for designers to consider a broader range of user needs.

Key Findings

• Many popular board games contain inherent accessibility barriers.
• These barriers span various aspects of game design, including physical components, rule clarity, and cognitive load.
• Identifying these issues provides actionable insights for designers to create more inclusive products.

Research Evidence

Aim: What are the common accessibility issues in popular hobbyist board games, and what design lessons can be derived to improve inclusivity?

Method: Content Analysis

Procedure: The research involved a systematic annotation and analysis of 116 board games, identifying specific accessibility challenges and their potential design implications.

Sample Size: 116 board games

Context: Tabletop board game design

Design Principle

Design for inclusivity by anticipating and mitigating potential barriers for diverse users.

How to Apply

When designing any product, consider users with varying physical, cognitive, and sensory abilities. Test prototypes with a diverse group to identify potential accessibility issues.

Limitations

The study focused on a subset of popular hobbyist games, and the vast number of board games means comprehensive coverage is not yet achieved. Subjectivity in annotation can also be a factor.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: This research looked at board games and found that some popular ones are hard for some people to play because of their design. It gives ideas on how to make games easier for everyone to enjoy.

Why This Matters: Understanding accessibility helps you design products that more people can use and enjoy, making your design solutions more impactful and ethical.

Critical Thinking: To what extent does the focus on 'popular' or 'critically successful' titles in this research represent the broader landscape of board game accessibility, and what might be missed by this selection criteria?

IA-Ready Paragraph: This study highlights the critical need for user-centred design by examining accessibility in board games. The research identified common design flaws that hinder inclusivity, underscoring the importance of considering diverse user needs throughout the design process to create more universally usable products.

Project Tips

• When choosing a product to investigate, consider its potential for accessibility issues.
• Document the specific features of a product that create barriers for certain user groups.
• Propose design modifications that directly address these identified barriers.

How to Use in IA

• Use this research to justify the importance of investigating accessibility in your chosen design project.
• Cite the findings to support your identification of user needs and potential design flaws.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an awareness of diverse user needs and how they impact design.
• Clearly articulate the accessibility challenges of a product and propose practical solutions.

Independent Variable: Design features of board games (e.g., component size, rule complexity, visual design)

Dependent Variable: Accessibility issues encountered by users

Controlled Variables: Type of board game, popularity of board game, user demographics (implicitly)

Strengths

• Addresses an under-researched area (tabletop game accessibility).
• Systematic approach to analyzing a significant number of games.

Critical Questions

• How can the subjectivity of 'accessibility' be objectively measured in design research?
• What are the economic implications for designers and publishers in prioritizing accessibility?

Extended Essay Application

• Investigate the accessibility of a specific type of product (e.g., educational toys, kitchen appliances) for a particular user group with identified needs.
• Develop and test design modifications to improve the accessibility of an existing product.

Source

Eighteen Months of Meeple Like Us: An Exploration into the State of Board Game Accessibility · The Computer Games Journal · 2018 · 10.1007/s40869-018-0056-9