Topic

Ideas for TS Special Needs Input?

Hi all.  This is a fantastic game, and I've been playing since alpha, and have to say that Tiny Speck's ethos is fantastic.  There are a few ways in which, as someone with a Visual Impairment (VI), I find the game can be difficult at times.  For example, the energy/currants on-screen messages are very difficult for me to read, and also the chat/group windows are hard to read even when I have my overall browser magnification set high.  Lack of control/options for the visual interface is the key problem for me.  I don't know what systems TS currently has in place for input/feedback with regard to maximising the accessibility of the game.  One of my suggestions, if it does not currently exist, is an online focus group of players that could give input with regard to these accessibility issues, to ensure that this great game is available to as many people as possible.  I would really welcome everyone's thoughts on this.

Posted 5 months ago by stripe/shrimp Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • If you haven't before, I recommend a bug report just to get the dialog started.
    Posted 5 months ago by Kip Konner Subscriber! | Permalink
  • [I think a post in the ideas forum is preferable to a bug report (first of all, it's not a bug; second, and more importantly, an open conversation is better than one which is just between a single player and a single player support rep).]

    s₮☈⦚ρ∉  — we're glad to hear it is working out even reasonably well :)   Mostly, we rely on reports from people to say what's not working. Text-handling is one of our biggest challenges in Flash (there are hacks upon hacks upon hacks just to get the basic layouts working and we still can't do things like mix bold and non-bold text in a single block) so it is harder to give options for text sizes, etc., but it is something that we're slowly tweaking … and we do plan to keep refreshing the client over time so options for visual display is not something that's out of the question.
    Posted 5 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Stoot, thank you for the response.  I don't understand the issues regarding text handling in Flash - and to be honest I don't want to lose my life to that one! - but I appreciate how difficult these things can be.  What do you think to the idea of a group that can highlight these issues to your staff members?  I really want to see this game available to everyone :)  An issue specific response would probably work really well given how responsive you cracking TS staff are, but perhaps it would be useful to consider a more organised input to these issues, given that we want Ur to be accessible to as many people as possible :)
    Posted 5 months ago by stripe/shrimp Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think there have been queries about accessibility for those with sight problems before, it might be useful to ask in the general forum if anyone else has problems and see if you can get a group together to discuss it.
    Posted 5 months ago by Cassandria Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There's definitely been talk of the buff notifications being too hard to read, and the skills table colors being kind of insane, and I'm not sure on the first one but the second one really can't be all that hard to fix, can it?
    Posted 5 months ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • But why limit the input to only people who have self-identified as having accessibility issues?  Isn't it better to let everyone who is having a problem with an issue have a public place to comment?  

    If you post in the Ideas forum, you will get the widest possible group of suggestions about what would make Glitch more accessible. Some of us might not volunteer for a focus group but would be quite vocal about problems and have been so in the past.  It seems to me that an open process is going to give you better data than a more limited focus group.
    Posted 5 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Good points all...yes, while there are folks with sight issues...I know of a number of folks with mobility issues (ie, a mouse click repetitively might be problematic, folks that may be using the keyboard exclusively, and others that might be using the mouse exclusively - due more to physical challenges vice just a preference to use).  I know there are some pretty active players that don't highlight their personal challenges as to not call themselves out, but I hope that when those folks make recommendations, TS will take into account their special needs / requirements to make this game even more fun for them. 
    Posted 5 months ago by b3achy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • b3achy: Constraints on actions that are imposed by physical challenges don't always take the place of preferences, but could sometimes - although I'm assuming you mean "versus" instead?

    WindBorn: I also don't think that the ideas forum is a bad place for these sorts of ideas (although I do have to wonder if the skills colors would have been changed by now had a "focus group" of some sort mentioned it.)
    Posted 5 months ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Just to clarify my reason for suggesting something like a focus group.  I think the ideas forum is great, hence my posting this idea here.  However, as b3achy mentions, some people may not wish to post such personal information in a public forum.  A means of communicating these ideas/issues that allowed more privacy would perhaps be worth considering.  That was my reason for suggesting an alternative that would offer a higher level of privacy whilst still allowing a live dialogue.  I'm sure there are a number of ways that could be achieved - a focus group is just one suggestion.
    Posted 5 months ago by stripe/shrimp Subscriber! | Permalink
  • So the focus group would be a private group and people would need to make their difficulties known to TS staff so they could be invited?  And TS would let anyone who claimed that they had accessibility issues automatically be invited to the group?  

    Frankly, all of us who wear corrective lenses are considered to have accessibility issues and would be eligible to make comments in such a focus group.  But why make us jump through hoops like that?

    On one hand people who don't want others to know that they have accessibility issues would have to send a  private email to Flickr staff so they could be invited to the group.  

    On the other hand people who don't want to put in writing on the internet that they have accessibility issues would no longer be able to comment on these issues, since the discussions would be limited to those who were willing to reveal medical information to TS staff.  

    Saying "red/green" is not distinguishable by people with certain types of color-blindness" is not  revealing personal medical information.  I happen to know a great deal about it because I had a business partner who taught me about it.  

    People who comment in public threads are often simply knowledgeable allies, and not always those whose access is limited.  It seems to me that letting everyone with knowledge about an issue contribute to the conversation will result in a more well-thought out solution.  

    Currently, if you want to comment privately to staff, you can via a help case.  The rest of us do not have to reveal our own limitations unless we feel comfortable doing so.  And many of us would not join a group whose sole criterion was that you were willing to tell TS staff that you had medical issues.  

    I really think TS is better off not limiting input on accessibility issues.  
    Posted 5 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • WindBorn, some of what you're saying makes sense, but I'm not sure a focus group type of thing would have to "limit" other input given/received.
    Posted 5 months ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • WindBorn, thanks for the response.  I just want to clarify some of the reasoning behind my post, as I may not have explained myself as well as I intended.  My suggestion was to look at additional ways of providing input around these issues for those who may not feel comfortable posting about them in a public forum.  It was never my intention to suggest a narrowing or restriction of the possible channels - quite the opposite.  I think that the ideas forum is excellent for those that want to use it - myself for one.  Also, my idea was simply a suggestion in order to stimulate a discussion, not a demand for a focus group - hence my comment that "a focus group is just one suggestion".

    Nor did I intend to give the impression that TS staff would need to insist people give intimate personal and medical details over in order to provide input via such a group.  That was not what I had in mind.  I don't think that would be either necessary or desirable.

    Regards
    Posted 5 months ago by stripe/shrimp Subscriber! | Permalink