Problem Statements:

Gaming Performance: Design a controller that is lightweight, allows you to play anywhere, and easily accessible buttons for disabled people.

Compatibility with Devices: Create a controller that can be connected to any device through a USB so customers don’t need to buy a controller for every different gaming system.

Price: Manufacture a controller that is affordable and high quality so customers can afford the controller. 

Limited Amount of Product Options and no Customizable Products Available: Design a controller that is customizable to all consumers gaming styles and promotes innovation within the underserved industry.

 

Team Concepts:

Individual Concepts:

Will Roberts

• The first idea pictured is a one-handed keyboard with a rotational ball on the left side to be controlled by one’s thumb that acts as a mouse. Problem Statement that is being addressed here is Gaming Performance.
• The second image is a nun-chuck inspired design with eight buttons on the left side of the device for fingers and a joystick on top to be controlled by the thumb. In addition, there are buttons on the top. The main thing that differentiates this idea from the idea our team thought of in class is that the buttons on the side can be detached and put on the other side. In addition, the bottom is curved for conformable finger placement. The Problem Statements that are being addressed are Gaming Performance, Customizability and Compatibility with Devices.
• The third idea, the bottom right, is a similar device to the second one. With this one, then there are still the buttons on the side, but the top is a touch screen that the thumb can easily control. Problem Statements being addressed here are Gaming Performance and Customizability.

 

Sam Brandeis:

1. My first idea is a Nintendo Wii inspired nun-chuck, with the A-X-Y-B buttons (Microsoft Xbox One) on either the left or right hand on the controller and the LB-LT-RT-LT buttons on the same side as the other four. The joystick on the bottom of the front side of the controller and the d-pad is right above the joystick. This allows all the buttons of an Xbox One or Sony PlayStation 4 to be easily accessible.
2. My second idea is an iPhone-like design that has a touch screen on the front of the controller which can be used to operate the joystick and the d-pad is right below. The buttons are placed in a similar spot as the last design being on the side. This controller is connected to the respective console via BlueTooth.
3. My third idea is the same Nintendo Wii inspired nun-chuck design with different functions. There only is a joystick on top of the controller. The joystick can move in a “T” shape which can act as original functions of the joystick but, also acts as the d-pad. The buttons are divided into two sections with the A-X-Y-B buttons of the Microsoft Xbox One in a section of four on the top of the side of the controller and the LB-LT-RT-LT buttons on the bottom of the same side as the other four.

Design Project Assignment 4: Problem Definition

 

Step 0 – Review of Feedback:

Brief feedback:

• Great idea focus and great understanding of industry
• Interesting product ideas
• Great analysis of problems

Things that need to be addressed:

• Price – could be hard to lower it
• Can you make a product that is compatible with all devices?
• How will we prevent larger corporations from making a similar product? Patentability?

 

Step 1 – Persona:

Tim Devine

Birthday: September 14, 1995 (Age: 24 years old)

From New York, NY

 

Motivations:

Affordability and compatibility

Easy to use

Portable/ handheld

 

Frustrations:

Limited amount of options

No controller that allows you to play on multiple devices

Can’t play every game they want

 

Goals:

Wants to be able to play any game on any platform

Want easy set-up and installation

Needs to be able to order the product easily for a fair price

 

Images:

Picture Source: https://technisportusa.com/blogs/news/how-to-become-a-pro-gamer

Picture Source: https://gadgetgang.com/5-most-important-items-for-the-perfect-pc-gamer-setup/

 

Step 2 – Mindmap:

Step 3 – Problem Areas & Solution Goals

 

Gaming Performance:

Problem Area: Playing video games one-handed with a controller that does not compromise gaming performance.

User Needs: User needs a controller that is lightweight, comfortable to hold, actually handheld and allows for ease of movement – button’s are easily accessible. 

Solution Goals: Light-weight, small controller that has a good number of button’s accessible to the one hand being used but not too many to complicate the device.

 

Compatibility with Devices:

Problem Area: Playing video games one-handled with a controller that is compatible with all devices.

User Needs: User needs a controller that is able to connect to all different types of devices – much in response to the increase in tablet gaming.

Solution Goals: Connection system that allows the controller to connect to different devices.

 

Price:

Problem Area: All one-handed controllers that meet the users specifications (listed in the two problem areas above and one below) are all on the high end of the price spectrum.

User Needs: Controller that is high quality but not overly expensive.

Solution Goals: Low manufacturing cost, control of supply chain, efficient distribution network/key network of distributors, use of inexpensive but durable materials.

 

Limited Amount of Product Options and no Customizable Products Available:

Problem Area: Not being able to play video games because of the lack of products available and the lack of customizability for one-handed gamers.

User Needs: A product that widens the product space within the industry that offers customizability.

Solution Goals: Controller that is customizable to the person’s preferred gaming style, product that enables innovation within industry for betterment of consumers.

 

Step 4 – Problem Statements:

 

Gaming Performance:

Design a controller that is lightweight, allows you to play anywhere, and easily accessible buttons for disabled people.

 

Compatibility with Devices:

Create a controller that can be connected to any device through a USB so customers don’t need to buy a controller for every different gaming system.]

 

Price:

Manufacture a controller that is affordable and high quality so customers can afford the controller. 

 

Limited Amount of Product Options and no Customizable Products Available:

Design a controller that is customizable to all consumers gaming styles and promotes innovation within the underserved industry.

 

Step 5 – Reflection:

Through this assignment, our team was able to narrow our problems we are trying to find a solution to down to four. With that, we were able to create a persona and in doing such, were able to consider what a consumer like himself would want said solution to accomplish. Summarizing, our four problem topics, in short, are Price, Performance, Compatibility and Customizability.

Creating the persona was very much effective in defining problems for our group. We were having trouble thinking about what an actual customer of said problem looks for and what problems we need to address fully. We had a sense of what they were but did not know fully until we made the persona.

With that, being able to narrow down our problem areas and what our solution goals are was very much helpful in understanding where our group wants to take the project in the next steps. We now know some of the problems that need to be defined and fixed, in a sense, something that we would not have been able to figure out without a persona and the defining process outlined.

Lastly, being able to write out problem statements before thinking about possible solutions was helpful as well. One thing that we have noticed when doing research about said industry is that a lot of the problems are not consumer or problem focused, rather ideas that designers think they would like. Being able to identify the problems specifically through the persona will propel our group into finding beneficial solutions in the next steps.

All in all, the process of defining the problem was very beneficial for our group. The multiple problems at hand are much more clear now since we were able to figure out what the actual consumer, using Tim Devine as a persona, wants in the product.

Design Project Assignment Research

Idea: One-handed video game controller

Statistics:

• Video Game Industry Statistics
  • 67% of Americans play video’s games – 211 Million people (study by Electronic Entertainment Design and Research)

1. 1. 1. 90% of those people play on smartphones/tablets
      2. 52% on computers
      3. 43% on consoles
      4. 9% on handheld systems

• • Study shows that 92% of “people with impairments play games despite difficulties” (game-accessibility.com)
  • Gaming takes up 16% of “US gamers’ weekly leisure time” (variety.com)

• U.S. demographics for one hand amputees
  • 350,000 people with hand amputations
  • 60% of arm amputees are between the ages of 21-64, 10% are age 21 or below
  • 90% of all video games are played on a smartphone/tablet
  • 50,000 new hand amputations per year in the U.S.
  • Most common amputation is the loss of one or more fingers at an average of 61,000 a year

Current Products

• Game Control Mixer: A button pad that allows up to 4 joysticks, a multitude of adjustable switches, buttons, and speech inputs that allows the user to customize their locations for comfortable use. It is a flat pad design so that all buttons can be touched with one hand. compatible with PC, Xbox, Ps, and switch.
  • Cons: the user has to lift his hand and move it to be able to reach all of the buttons depending on the game, as well as its steep price of a 350$ and 450$ option.
• Evil Controllers Solution:
  • A controller add on to be used with a standard Xbox or PlayStation controller, a joystick stand is added to the bottom of whichever handgrip the user can use to allow a bottom-mounted joystick to take the place of the unreachable joystick by allowing the user to move the bottom joystick by pressing it against their leg or a tabletop. Costs 120$ on top of the cost for the controller.
• Ben Heck Controller:
  • A 350$ modified Xbox one controller, with a lower joystick that acts as an additional grip, as well as allowing the unreachable trigger to be reached by putting it on this grip. It also moves the d-pad to the center of the controller and moves the buttons to the other side/additional two buttons on the button side depending on which hand the user has. 

• The Microsoft Adaptive Controller:
  • A gamepad is compatible with Xbox and pc that features two very large buttons for the “A” and “B” buttons. It allows for up to 21 different external input devices such as floor petals/buttons and extra buttons but does not allow for joysticks, players must learn to move strictly with buttons in games where that is necessary, however some games can be configured for only foot use if no hands are available at all, and is very good when the user has two hands with limited movement. Although every reasonable with options of 70$ and 100$, it is not compatible with PlayStation or any other consoles besides Xbox and pc as it is a Microsoft product. 
• There are a couple of other options that have either been discontinued, such as the Access controller, and some that prices are so high they are almost impossible for the user to get unless they are extremely well off, such as LEMPIS Orthros controller for around 600$.

Current Events

• Xbox adaptive controller designed for people with all sorts of disabilities
• Designed with ports for specialized controllers
• The adaptive controller makes changes over time and adapts to all types of disabilities
• Games such as rocket league can be played with your feet with an adaptive controller
• The adaptive controller only costs $100

Best Practices

• Johns Hopkins Student created a computer prototype called GEAR (Game Enhancing Augmented Reality)
  • The computer is designed for a person who is missing an arm that needs to play videos with a mouse which is controlled by foot not hand
• A common practice for arm and hand amputees is to implement a prosthetic arm or hand which allows the user the ability to use two hands to play the video game 
• Existing products tend to follow the same design which includes a flat surface with all of the buttons easily accessible with the fingers on one hand

Task 1: PC Gaming

Fortnite

Traditional PC Gaming (2 Trials)

IMG_2824.TRIM

Task 2: Xbox (2 Trials)

IMG_2794

Task 3: Nintendo Switch

 

 

Task 4: Playstation (3 Separate Trials)

Task 5: GameCube

Task 6: PC Gaming (World of Warcraft)

IMG_1968