2. Abstract
This document will go over our team’s design for the Arges controller as well as
some of our work from Week 1. Our design will include measurements and various
control methods for different games. Pictures will be included that contain our
playtests, prototypes and layouts for the controls. We will justify and defend our
designs from Week 1 with research and sources.
3. Introduction
Accessibility is the ease of use of a certain design for an object and can vary from
different perspectives. Most objects rely on what function it serves and it is designed to
have a meaningful purpose that makes the function easier to perform. Creating a
design for certain objects relates to how it will be used when it is implemented in an
environment. It takes into consideration many aspects of what and who will be using
the object to make it easier on the person that is interacting with it.
4. Design Purpose
The goal of this controller is to provide a person(s), who lack the use of one arm, the
ability to play games on modern consoles. The controller gives the player all the controls
available to a two handed player in a one handed form. It is designed to be configurable
and modifiable for the player to find the best fit for them. The design is also
ambidextrous without modification allowing anyone to pick up the controller and make
use of it without needing to change around the controller.
5. Inspiration - Elijah Chapman
The inspiration for my design was a desire to make an accessible controller that’s also
comfortable to use. Rather than over-tax the player’s fingers, I thought of using the
range of motion of the entire arm to aid control. This led me first to the “ergonomic
shovel handle” design, which didn’t work, but gave me some direction in suggesting
alternative input devices rather than analog sticks.
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6. Inspiration - Brody Kelly
My main inspiration for designing my first controller was a pistol’s grip. I saw that it was
easy to use and fit in everyone’s hand. It could be used with one hand. I figured all
controls could be placed on that controller with in reach and make it modifiable to allow
players to select their prefered layout.
7. Inspiration - Ashley Day
My features were inspired by something that was easy to use for someone with one
hand. I thought of something that someone would be able to hold and use if they didn’t
have the use of their other hand. My two main inspirations for that were the Wii
controller for the location and use of the buttons and a baseball, for the size and shape.
The main part of the Wii Controler I used was the Nunchuck. It was small and ball like,
making my original inspiration for my controller.
8. Inspiration - Brian
Most of the inspiration for the design features on my controller came from the
Playstation Dualshock model. The first and third trigger were influenced by the
secondary triggers on the Playstation controller. The triggers were arced downward to
feel more responsive and secure. For my design, I wanted to go with something that
would be better for the fingers to rest on, so I went with an upward arc on the back of
my third trigger to be more comfortable. I had originally planned for the triggers to be
curved inward so that the finger could rest within the trigger making it easier to hold
and press the buttons. The Control stick of the Xbox controller inspired me to make the
control stick more curved inward as well so that it felt better on the thumb and made it
easier to press it down. The Complex Control idea came from the thought of how the
other side of a normal controller had different functions, and it would be easier if that
player had all those functions at their disposal while still be familiar with the setup.
9. Inspiration - Mario Arrieta
My features originated from holding my own hand and seeing what can be used for the
joystick aspect for the controller itself. By holding my hand, I was able to come up with
an oval shaped controller to generate this design that allows players to control with one
hand sideways as opposed to holding it upwards. This creates a more accessible
experience to players regardless of which hand it is being held. The directional pad has
a different aspect due to how close it is to the thumbstick, this was made to avoid
having the player get confused with which side they are holding the controller.
10. Design Method
The decision to have two D-pads was a choice to fit a variety of different style of play.
Fighting games don’t need to use the control pad for camera control, so players can use
the D-pad under it for button combos. The other D-pad is there to function for games
besides fighting games where the player might run into accidental button pushes.
The second major choice was to have the double trigger option. This was there to
enable a player to pull both triggers at once, while also trying to remove any accidental
button pushes.
14. State and Defend Design Assumptions -
Elijah Chapman
Twisting and Rotating Throttle Joystick
The reason that I pursued this idea was the thought that if the player didn’t need to use
their fingers for movement or camera control, it would be very easy to map the
remaining buttons to a device that would put them all in comfortable and easy reach.
The premise of this, in my case, was that it would be manageable to do standard inputs
with such unique movements. In my testing, this was difficult at first, but became quite
simple with more than twenty minutes of use.
Understanding this sort of motion came from my personal use and research of the
muscle groups in the arm. It is entirely possible to utilize the fingers, wrist, forearm, and
even shoulder simultaneously, which reduces the likelihood that prolonged use will
cause repetitive strain injuries, or carpal tunnel. [6]
15. State and Defend Design Assumptions -
Brody Kelly
Modular ambidextrous grip controller
Pistols and handguns in general are ambidextrous by design. Anyone can use a
handgun without needing to modify them a whole lot. The two fingers most used in my
design are the pointer finger and the thumb. This matches the design of a pistol that
uses the thumb for the hammer and the pointer finger to pull the trigger [3].
A simple exercise with the hand shows that the pointer finger is capable of moving
much easier without needing to adjust the rest of the fingers, simply moving the middle
finger left and right shows that it is very limited in movement compared to the thumb
and pointer finger.
16. State and Defend Design Assumptions -
Ashley Day
Sphere Shaped
The reason that I originally used the sphere shaped controller was because I believed
that it was easier to use. It could fit in the palm of your hand and the player would be
able to access the buttons on the back side of the controller with their fingers. A ball is
something someone can use with both hands and isn’t only someone with the right or
the left hand can use. Both of them would be able to use it equally. The sphere is a
natural shape and found frequently in nature [2]. It is something that we see and use all
the time, making it a great shape to use for a controller. Because the controller will feel
natural in the player’s hand, it will be easy to use and be just as accessible as other
controllers out there.
17. State and Defend Design Assumptions -
Brian Murphy
Ergonomic Ambidextrous Compact Controller
The controller is ergonomic because it was the best way to find a design that could fit
comfortably in one hand while also having all of the inputs necessary for the player to
express their intent to the system and receive the accurate response well also being
very compact. Research shows that decreasing the size of the targets for the thumb or
the fingers on touchscreen devices have proven to make inputs for the devices more
responsive and that reaching for targets is inconvenient for the user. The design of the
controller allows the user to comfortably hold it in one hand with finger rests on the
back and a good position for the thumb. All of the inputs for the controller are close to
each other so the user is not inconvenience by having to reach for targets around the
controller. [5]
18. State and Defend Design Assumptions -
Mario Arrieta
Oval Shaped sideways controller
Being oval shaped has the advantage of being easy to hold in either hand and with
inverse settings it can make the d-pad and the thumbstick to be an easier change for
them. The buttons are located on the back to help the player find the buttons according
to which finger is being used. By making the buttons on the back of the controller, it
helps players get a better understanding of what button coordinates to which finger
when being pressed to see that action being made in the game. This kind of controller
has compact design and exquisite appearance, simple to operate. [4]
19. Description of Three Games - FPS
Summary:
The Arges allows the user to have access to the
necessary inputs of switching between weapons,
which is necessary for situations when the user
runs out of ammunition in one weapon and
needs to use their secondary weapon. The player
is able to crouch, jump, reload, and move around
like normal. Just like with other controllers, the
player has access to the shooting input with just
the touch of a button and has their grenade and
melee on the same setup.
20. Description of Three Games - RTS
Summary:
With the Arges, the user has the ability to select
and deselect their army as well as move them
from one position to the next. They have access
to the map in order to review valuable
information and the ability to move around the
camera. The controller has a hotkey for alternate
commands and the ability to select all of their
army at once with the touch of a button. Since
there are a lot of commands available, the top
trigger buttons facilitate switching between the
buttons in order to avoid pressing several buttons
to reach the rest of the commands.
21. Description of Three Games - Platformer
Summary:
All the player’s controls needed for an average
platform are mapped out.
Since we allow the players to rebind all the keys
they are capable of changing them to fit their
preference if the default are not good enough.
Players can easily run and jump by simply holding
down the trigger and pushing the correct button.
22. Simple Prototype
Description: Mario created this physical prototype was made to relate with our
controller design to reinterpret how the controller would feel like in a person’s
hand.
Images:
23. Simple Prototype
Description: Brody created this paper prototype trying to match the size and shape
of our original controller design.
Images:
24. Simple Prototype
Description: Brian created this paper prototype trying to have a larger body for the
controller and having a little smaller buttons on the front of the controller.
Images:
25. Playtesting
Details: During the Brian’s playtest, the user found that the controller was a good
size, but that the buttons needed to be larger. They also mentioned that the
controller should probably spread the buttons out a little more. These were all
done to the final design.
Image:
26. Playtesting
Details: The playtests for Mario’s session had a few concerns with the handling of
the controller and how it was being held can have an effect on long play sessions.
Image:
27. Post Mortem
What Happened Correctly?
Creating the simple prototype was easy enough and gave us a good idea of our
design. The playtest went well and we learned of a few advantages our controller
gave such as the modifiability of all the controls gave the player more freedom
than they were used too.
28. Post Mortem
What Happened Incorrectly?
During the playtests we figured out that it was difficult to adjust the middle finger
for each trigger because the other fingers wanted to remain rigid. This made it
hard for players to swap between the two triggers.
We also learned that the controller needed to be tilted forward just a bit for
comfort while using it. Our design was changed to reflect this.
Finally our playtests revealed some of the buttons were small and we needed to
resize the controller a bit to make it more comfortable.
29. Post Mortem
What would you do Differently?
Do more research beforehand to other controllers that were one handed.
Search for more technologies that could have been used more in our design, such
as holograms and touch technology.
Think of more out of the box style approaches for the controller design rather than
sticking to known input methods.
A lot more playtests with a variety of experience levels with games, so we can find
other problems with the design other than problems a gamer would run into, such
as how confusing it is for a new player. As well as testing multiple different designs.
30. References
[1] Valdes, L. (2004, March 31). Special: Accessibility on the Internet. Retrieved December 6, 2015, from
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disacc00.htm
[2] Spheres in Nature. (2013, October 16). Retrieved December 6, 2015, from
https://greenacorns.wordpress.com/tag/spheres-in-nature/
[3] Writer, S. (2013, November 26). Colt Model 1851 Navy. Retrieved December 6, 2015, from
http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=490
[4] 12-24V Oval-shape Wireless Touching RGB Controller. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2015, from
http://alexnld.com/product/12-24v-oval-shape-wireless-touching-rgb-controller/
[5] Karlson, A. K., & Bederson, B. B. (2007). ThumbSpace: generalized one-handed input for touchscreen-based
mobile devices. In Human-Computer Interaction–INTERACT 2007 (pp. 324-338). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
[6] Macgregor, D. M. (2000). Nintendonitis? A case report of repetitive strain injury in a child as a result of
playing computer games. Scottish Medical Journal,45(5), 150-150.
