The Unigrip Command Stick is a joystick style controller designed to work with any console. It has button placement such that a person with only one working hand can use it with all of the same effectiveness as a standard console controller.

1. The ‘Uni-grip Command Stick’
BloodHound
Studios

2. Abstract
The number of disabled people grows every day. In the United States alone, 15.1% of the population is disabled in some
manner; physical, mental, and emotional disability. In a recent survey by PopCap games, just over 20% of people who
responded labeled themselves as disabled. Nearly 50% of respondents said that they had a physical disability of some sort
(with about a 25/25 split between mental and emotional disabilities for the rest of respondents). With such a large number
of people identifying themselves as having a physical disability, it stands to reason that game developers should make
efforts to include disabled gamers. If nothing else, providing more accessible hardware and games provides a greater
share of the gaming market. There is a greater purpose, though; reaching more people and helping disabled gamers to
enjoy life just a little bit more through games. (PRNewswire, 2008)

3. Game Usability as it Relates to
Controllers and Accessibility

4. Introduction
Accessibility simply means to provide means and ways for disabled gamers (of any disability) to play games just as non-
disabled gamers play them. Accessibility encompasses everything from color-blindness to loss of limb and any other
disability imaginable. The idea is to design products (games in our case) with accessibility in mind from the start instead of
as an afterthought. In looking at accessibility from a controller standpoint, we can understand the trials that a disabled
gamer has before even turning on a game, let alone the issues that they have within the game. There are numerous
websites and documentation that have guidelines for all levels of development. These guidelines are as simple as allowing
for button remap capabilities to more complex guidelines such as creating one-handed use controllers with the full
functionality of a two-handed use controller.

5. Design Purpose and Intentions
As a means of improving the quality of life for disabled gamers, Bloodhound Studios has adopted a philosophy and project
line that aims to put gamers with only one functioning hand on equal footing with non-disabled gamers. Our controller has
all of the functionality of a two-handed controller but can be controlled with a single hand. The intent is to allow a one-
handed player to control character and camera movement, trigger buttons, and all action buttons with only four fingers.
This leaves the pinky finger as a stabilizer at the bottom of the stick for more exact control and efficiency. At Bloodhound
Studios, we want disabled gamers to be able to enjoy games just as or more than non-disabled gamers.

6. Inspiration
Inspiration comes in many
forms and from many places,
and each of our members
finds inspiration in different
ways.
Where our ideas came from

7. Inspiration
Wayne Work
“I am a PC gamer first, and a console
gamer second. Because of this dynamic,
the Single Grip controller comes from
primarily using a mouse. The controller
has a generally flat bottom and can be
placed on nearly any surface, including the
player’s lap, as it does not have an
underside laser pointer or trackball.
Requiring that the controller is resting on
some surface frees the player’s hand from
holding the controller in place. This allows
the player to use all five fingers without
fear of dropping the controller or losing
grip on it and maximizes the player's
dexterity.” - Wayne Work

8. Inspiration
John Miniel
“My big inspiration behind my design
is creating space on a controller for
those who are only able to use limited
control. With the easy-to-grip
controller, the impaired are also able
to use the ‘control pad’ that allows
more space on the controller, as well
as the easy use of all face buttons on
one button.” - John Miniel

9. Inspiration
Jerry Rauhuff
“Sometimes, in order to create a new
method of enjoyment we must go
back to the beginning. Going back to
the late 1970s, and getting my
inspiration from the fascinating multi-
use (Atari, 1977) joystick that was
used early on in gaming history, I
thought of this idea for a new
controller.” – Jerry Rauhuff

10. Inspiration
Cody Rinehart
“This controller concept not only
works for gamers who have both their
hands, but also player who may have
lost their right or left hands. That is the
point of this controller to not alienate
the market, and have everyone be able
to use this controller if they so
choose.” - Cody Rinehart
Joystick 1
Joystick 2
/
J1 Button
(Pushed
in)
T2
T4
(Holding Z)
T1
T3 (Holding
Z)
A
B
X
Y
Z
USB 8ft. Cord6 in.
2 in. 2 in.
2 in.
5 in.

11. Inspiration
Jesus Olivares
“The touchpads, which are the core
feature of this controller, took
inspiration from the recent Steam
controller’s touch pads. With touch
based controls allowing more actions
with less buttons and yet being easy to
use, touch-technology is the key to
creating a controller for one-handed
gamers. Smartphones and tablets
have been dominating the market in
recent years and make use of touch
based technology, making the
interface of this controller familiar to
most audiences.” - Jesus Olivares

12. Design Method
Our controller is a
collaboration of five different
controller designs. We picked
the best design decisions
from each and molded them
into a single unit.
The decisions we make

13. Physical Form
We opted to use a joystick form for the
controller. A wide base with a 360
degree rotating stick make up the
physical form of the controller. This
form lets the player use the controller
without requiring them to hold it in the
air, wasting energy and finger control
to do so. This also provides a main
joystick (left stick) for character
movement that is native to a standard
Flight Stick style joystick.
Joystick style model taken from
Jerry’s Individual idea
Stationary controller type taken
from Wayne’s Individual idea

14. Button Placement
The touchpad rests under the Thumb and is
used for Camera movement in most games.
It also has a built-in 4-way Directional pad for
extra functionality. This setup, along with the
other buttons on the stick, provide the player
with nearly every button on a standard
controller
The Start and Select buttons are generally
not used for anything but as Pause/Menu
buttons of some sort. They are placed on the
base of the controller so they are out of the
way, do not take up valuable stick real estate,
and can be quickly tapped if needed.
The Angular pad at the top of the controller has a 4-
way push capability. This allows the player’s index
finger to tap up, down, left, or right at will and activate
the correspondingly mapped action buttons. (much like
the Xbox One Elite controller’s Angular pad).
The four trigger buttons (two triggers and two shoulder
buttons) are placed in pairs on top of each other so that
the middle and ring fingers can quickly tap them at will
without any extra hand movement.
Touchpad taken from
Jesus’ Individual idea
Angular pad taken from
John’s Individual idea
Trigger buttons/location taken
from Cody’s Individual idea

15. Touchpad
The touchpad functions much like the
PS4 controller’s touchpad or a
standard mobile device screen, but it
also has a built-in 4-way Directional
Pad. Movement of the thumb on the
pad is generally mapped to controlling
the camera in a game, but we wanted
the button to do “more”. The built in D-
pad not allow gives the player more
freedom and controls to work with and
having them directly under the thumb
makes them very easy to access and
tap as needed.

16. Schematic Diagrams

17. Controller Dimension
Specifications

18. Top View

19. Right-side View

20. Isometric View

21. State and
Defend Design
Assumptions
Each of our controllers brings
a fresh take on accessibility in
controller design. Intelligent
and useful design elements
are key to helping disabled
gamers find greater enjoyment
in gaming.
Why our design makes sense

22. Defend - Wayne Work
“According to the Amputee Coalition, the number of people living with limb loss in the United States is nearly two million,
and 500 Americans lose a limb every day. While the majority of cases involve lower body amputations, the most common
type of amputation according to the National Center for Health Statistics relates to the hands, where loss can involve one or
more fingers. That’s followed, in statistical terms, by the loss of one arm” (Peckham, 2014).
In building the Single Grip Controller with the above numbers in mind, I wanted to maintain a stationary unit as much as
possible to help improve the player’s experience with the controller. Placing the same buttons as a controller on a
stationary unit gives the hand freedom to adjust about the unit as needed. Using a laser/trackball for movement defeats
the purpose of a controller, so in not having that, I have a stationary unit that provides the same functionality as the main
buttons on a controller. I also used a one-sided model instead of an ambidextrous model as it gives more freedom for
button placement and unit testing. This requires the player to purchase the controller for the hand that they intend to use it
with but is a worthy trade-off to make the controller better overall.

23. Defend - John Miniel
The idea for my “control pad” came from the new addition of Microsoft’s Xbox One Elite Controller’s specific “control pad”
they designed for their d-pad. I was intrigued by the design of this new button and remembered how painful it was to use
the d-pad in the newer games coming out today. According to Alastair (2007) , “It was clear that in order to have good 3D
control, players needed to be able to move more freely and in more directions” (p. 4). This is a big influence on my design
because it speaks to me in terms of usability of the functions of a controller. This aided me, as well as the new Elite
Controller, in my design to use a “control pad” as a multifunctional button for the face buttons, effectively giving them more
room, as they are only able to utilise one hand.

24. Defend - Jerry Rauhuff
Ryan and Mooney speak on the ease of use for right-handed gamers while using the joystick. This is especially so for
games that free up the left hand for use on keyboards. (Mooney, S., & Ryan, M. E., 1997, page 361). With a little modifying
on the button configuration, my design can work just as easily with the left hand as traditional joysticks do with the right.
This design is used with the PS4 system so either hand can be used and there is no need for any controls other than what’s
available on the joystick.

25. Defend - Cody Rinehart

26. Defend - Jesus Olivares
When designing my controller, I knew the primary key would be for the controller to be able to fit all of the actions of a
traditional controller into fewer buttons and inputs. In Beyond Fingers and Thumbs - A Graceful Touch UI, the authors talk
about how functions normally performed by buttons can now be performed by a combination of touches and gestures
(Hessey, 2014). Smartphones and tablets use this concept rather well as they take advantage of touch controls to allow
players to perform numerous actions on a single touch screen, as opposed to a traditional controller that would require a
series of buttons. These devices have become so mainstream, that any audience would naturally become familiar with a
touch interface.

27. Game Type
Layouts
Regardless of the accessibility
of a controller, it must be able
to play all types of games
without rearranging buttons.
In-game remap capabilities
should be sufficient for any
game type.
Same controller, different games.
Same buttons, different layouts.

31. Prototype Images

32. Putty Model

33. Object Model

34. Playtesting

35. Playtest
Participant:
David Davis – David is Jerry’s daughter’s boyfriend and an
active gamer. He has experience in different game genres,
making him a suitable test subject for our controller.
Setup:
Because our prototype obviously cannot work, the playtest
was setup so that the tester and overseer took turns playing
a game with an actual controller and the other trying to mimic
the other’s actions with the prototype controller.
For the first playtest session, David played a few levels of the
games below while Jerry tried to mimic David’s actions with
the prototype controller using our assigned button layout for
each genre. This was done so that our overseer would have
first hand experience with our controller.
For the second play session, Jerry and David switched
places. In this session, Jerry played through the games listed
while David tried to mimic his actions with the controller
layout provided. This was done to receive more unbiased
feedback from an outside party.
Games:
● Far Cry 4 (FPS)
● UFC (Fighter)
Questions from me to David:
Q: Did the controller feel right in your hand?
A: It felt fine while I was holding it.
Q: Did the button placement cause any strain?
A: Somewhat with the index finger. Pressing the
A button and Y button put a little strain, but I
didn’t have to use it that much.
Conclusion:
The feel of the controller and placement of
the buttons were methodical and well placed. They may
take some time to get used, but are simple enough that
even a novice player should be okay.

36. Playtesting Images

37. Postmortem Every design team has its
story.
Post completum

38. The Good
Our team started early and had little trouble molding together a controller from our Individual ideas. We decided on the
joystick style controller very quickly and each team member’s ideas came like a waterfall after that. The button layouts
were almost immediate and unanimous amongst the team and the joystick style held well with the concepts that each
member brought to the discussion.
Each member had valuable input into the controller and changes or concerns were voiced without contention. Individual
experiments with the controller design successfully revealed any issues in our design, allowing us to find proper solutions
in a reasonable amount of time. Nearly all concerns were valid and included specific reasoning related to how the player
would use the stick to play a particular game. There were no true conflicts and the team kept the player in mind throughout
the process.
Team collaboration was at a high during the first discussion and the team kept in high spirits throughout the week. The
controller quickly took on a life of its own, apart from our combined individual design concepts, such that our new team
controller is certainly the “best” of what we could make as a team.

39. The Bad
Playtesting was essentially the only “bad” item that our team encountered. The look and feel of the controller was easy
enough to determine using the putty model that we built, but the actual playability of the controller was a problem for us.
Without a physical, electronic and working version of the controller, playtesting the usability of the button placement and
such was a bit tricky. The extremely short time table and lack of manufacturing capabilities certainly put a damper on the
playtesting capabilities of the team.
Despite how well our team combined the main concepts of each member’s Individual designs, the team did struggle some
with putting together everyone’s design and molding it into something efficient and comfortable without creating a literal
Frankenstein controller. The limitations put on the controller from the start also seemed to pigeon-hole the individual
designs, which brought greater limitations to the team controller. The team seemed to bee-line directly for a joystick style
controller without giving a lot of thought to more abstract types of controllers.

40. The Changes
As a whole, we did not have any major changes to the
overall design of the controller. We did, however, have a
few minor changes, mainly dealing with button
placement/mapping.
- The Start/Select buttons were initially directly behind the
control stick. This caused the person’s arm to rest directly
on them and could possibly cause them to press the
buttons without meaning to. We moved the Start/Select
buttons off to the side of the base and had no issues after
that.
- The Trigger/Bumper buttons are a major point of
contention in terms of button mapping. This is largely up
to the player, of course, but these four buttons will be a
major learning curve for any player as they require the use
of the middle and ring fingers. These fingers are not
generally used in standard control schemes and could
prove difficult for more novice players. We do not have a
solution at this time as to how to handle the placement of
these buttons (if we decide to change it at all).
Given more time, we would have liked to build multiple
prototypes and test for look and feel as well as mock
playtesting. This would have enabled the team to focus
less on things like button placement in the beginning
and more on getting an overall product that was easy for
the player to hold and use. Button placement, although
important, would come after the fact in this case.
Relegating the button placement and mapping to a
secondary issue and creating multiple styles of
controllers would have likely given the team a better
look at all of the possibilities we could create for a
disabled gamer.
Also, we would certainly like the capability to create
working, electronic prototypes of the controllers to
better enable true playtesting methods.

41. References
Barton M., Loguidice B. (2015). A History of Gaming Platforms: Atari 2600 Video Computer System /VCS. Gamasutra. Retrieved from
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131956/a_history_of_gaming_platforms_.php?print=1
Cummings, A. H. (2007, January). The evolution of game controllers and control schemes and their effect on their games. The 17th Annual University of Southampton Multimedia
Systems Conference (Vol. 21).
Hessey, Sue, Szu Han Chen, and Catherine White. (2014). Beyond Fingers and Thumbs - A Graceful Touch UI. Springer International Publishing. Retrieved from
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-07626-3_53
Mooney, S., & Ryan, M. E. (1997). Get a grip. PC Magazine, 16(20), 361.
Peckham, M. (2014, March 11). Need a One-Handed Playstation 4 Controller? How About for Xbox One? Retrieved from Time Magazine: http://time.com/20127/need-a-one-handed-
playstation-4-controller-how-about-for-xbox-one/
PRNewswire. (2008, June 11). Survey: 'Disabled Gamers' Comprise 20% of Casual Video Games Audience. Retrieved from PRNewswire: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-
releases/survey-disabled-gamers-comprise-20-of-casual-video-games-audience-57442172.html