1) Design Problem

Accessibility Design

For this project, we were tasked by the SAS Product Design team to create a unique product powered by SAS App Factory. We started the process by researching the tech stack available through SAS App Factory specifically within the gaming industry. We discovered that there is very little standardization for accessibility features in gaming.

2) Proposed Solution

VAUX: The Gaming Overlay

After experimenting with multiple product concepts, we ultimately decided to design VAUX: a game companion that utilizes customizable autogenerated captions and generative AI narration to augment primarily indie-based story games.

We will create a new way for users to interact with games implementing text-to-speech software and autogenerated captions. This will gives users the power to turn games that have not been narrated into their own personalized audio experience. This application will allow unique customization for everyone, and will be designed with gaming accessibility as a main goal.

Mission Statement

There is limited options for human-sounding autogenerated narration and accessible caption generation in the gaming community. Each game has widely varying accessibility features when they could be uniform and fully customizable for the user across all games.

Identified Problem

3) Research

Exploring Users & The Market

We conducted extensive research on accessibility requirements implemented in big budget games to find why these same features weren’t available in independently developed games. We took stock of the most common accessibility features in gaming that were missing from developers who didn’t have a big budget.

→ Based on our research, we formulated our tech stack to utilize large language models to support human-sounding voices, generative AI to produce accurate narration and captioning, database management through several APIs, and predictive modeling to predict custom settings for each user.

→ We completed research case studies on color blindness impairing video games, utilizing sound notifications instead of visual cues, and autogenerated narration already implemented in games.

→ We conducted research on other overlay options with similar tech stacks such as Grammarly, Speechify, and ReadSpeaker.

Who uses accessibility tools? Do they use them because they HAVE to or because they WANT to? From conversations with casual gamers, we found that many use accessibility tools even when they don’t necessarily need them. We created 2 personas: one who requires accessibility features in order to have a positive gaming experience and one who simply enjoys the features. Our goal was to design for those who require the features while making them widely available for everyone’s enjoyment.

4) Persona & Flow

Using an Overlay

5) Visual Identity

Branding & UI

This project was focused totally on the UX research and user flow as well as connecting the tech stack to the product, but we wanted to brand the product in a way that was very simple and easily recognizable.

6) Wire Framing & User Flow

Adjusting Our Scope

We started the process of wireframing by approaching the product like we would build out the entirety of it. We ultimately selected a specific flow to build the interface from due to the 8-week timeline.

We had quite a lot of hands-on early prototypes of our product focusing mainly on the flow of the taskbar. Because we created a small overlay that functions in a relatively unique way, we wanted to make sure someone who hadn’t seen it before could intuitively use it.

The Iterative Process

7) User Testing

8) Accessibility Design Systems

Accessibility as a Priority

We created the taskbar to be navigable with a mouse or with a keyboard. We separated it into windows that could be edited independently of each other. If the user would like to have the VAUX screen reader on, when they use the down arrow key to select a new slider, VAUX will verbalize what setting they have selected to adjust.

We wanted VAUX to be highly customizable, but we also wanted to show the user only the features they need. We did this by creating a smart sign-on feature that customizes the dashboard and the taskbar to fit the user’s needs. The VAUX AI sign-on assistant asks a set of questions, and based on the answers your dashboard and taskbar will prioritize AI-generated narration, AI-generated captioning, or language translation. We used these 3 features as our first set in the hopes that if we continued this project more would be added.

→ Becca’s smart sign-on process generates a dashboard populated with her Steam games with a primary focus on autogenerated narration and screen-reading accessibility features.

→ Becca’s taskbar automatically prioritizes the same settings. This can be changed in the taskbar tab at any time.

9) Final Product

Completed Prototype

Additonal Features

→ Community Marketplace for users to create voice packs for specific games to encourage greater immersion.

→ Representing what the caption settings would look like.

→ Representing different game types.

10) Presenting Our Work

SAS Product Pitch

To finish this sponsored project, we presented our product at the SAS headquarters in Cary, NC. We have an overview of our research, showed detailed examples of how SAS App Factory was implemented in our project, and talked through how AI can contribute to a positive user experience.

The product was well-received and the concept was effectively articulated to give the viewers an understanding of how SAS could be the data management and tech stack provider.