[games_access] 9+1 Key Points

[AudioGames.net]

Hi,

*quote*
Re Item #8, Output Rendering. I'm also of the opinion that KISS trumps 
customization. Or more specifically, even though people say they want more 
customization, they have a limited tolerance for a multiplicity of options. 
The poster child for this was the pagination software I built for the New 
York Times. Literally every command was customizable; customer demands! As a 
consequence, the product took longer to enhance, debug, and support; oh, and 
cost more.
*quote end*

I understand where you are coming from but I think #8 can be applied to 
games in such a way that it doesn't challenge the tolerance of a user - for 
instance by using a limited number of presets. So for example, when applied 
to color-blind schemes and contrast schemes, you could simply add 4 or so 
presets, each catered towards the types of color blindness and/or contrast 
problem. A user simply chooses a preset and they're off. But I guess that 
for many users it is important that the application allows the user to tweak 
the presets a bit to his or her own liking. Some blind people like to set 
the speed of their speech synthesizer to a male voice at 100% speed, some to 
a female voice at 179% speed - based and what they need most. Some people 
always turn of the music because the game is too noisy for them too play 
with all the sound effects going on.

Each of the given solutions/examples is already used in games nowadays, many 
of them already together. Compared to what one can set in games already (for 
example: http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/8787/01settings8bj.jpg ), I 
don't think an extra "accessibility settings" would hurt. I understand that 
when you provide 36 types of chips in a supermarket, people have a hard time 
choosing and would be better of with simply having 2 or 3 types to choose 
from. But I also think that it is important for people with impairments 
(which can be very diverse) to tweak parameters to their liking so it works 
out best for them.

Thank you very much for your feedback on the 9+1 list, and please feel free 
to use any of it in your own guidelines. In the end we can compare them and 
see what usefulness there is in there.

Greets,

Richard


>
> Some sort of marginal analysis is appropriate here.
>
> In any event, you did a fine job with your 9+1 Key Points.
> Grids like this are something we can actually apply to product.
>
> John Bannick
> CTO
> 7-128 Software
>
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