[R U X] Corner
................................................................................ We are graduate and undergraduate students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students. ................................................................................
Gaming on the Same Level Amanda Dhanpaul, Zoe Messenger, Carmen Van Ommen Graduate Researchers Introduction To Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology Options
Imagine: it’s Saturday morning, and you’re relaxing in your dorm room after a long week of college classes and studying. One of your roommates is using Slide-to-Type to send text messages to a friend; another roommate is catching up on the latest episode of House of the Dragon with the subtitles on. You might be thinking to yourself, “I’d really like to unwind by playing my favorite video game.” All of the electronics that you and your roommates are using this morning have assistive technologies available that may make life easier for yourselves and other people. An estimated 12.6% of people in the United States reported having a disability, according to a 2018 survey. People who have disabilities often experience a lower quality of emotional and mental health, in comparison to people who identify as not having disabilities. Assistive technologies are equipment or products that are used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of people with disabilities. They can also help people with disabilities navigate life with a greater degree of comfort. Assistive technology can include things such as automatic doors, closed captioning or subtitles, and word-predictive text input mechanisms. There are also many assistive technology options that exist solely to help video gamers who have disabilities, so they can have more rewarding gaming experiences.
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Adaptive Gaming Devices for Motor Disabilities by Input Method
People who have hearing impairments can choose from assistive technologies such as subtitles, speech-totext, screen alerts, and technology that transforms audio into light pulses or vibrations. Haptic technology, such as vests and other wearables, takes advantage of users’ sense of touch by generating vibrations that deliver more immersive experiences in gaming. Lighting kits can transform music and sounds into light pulses which can help convey information such as detection by an enemy unit, for example. As useful as these technologies are, they have limited compatibility for video games at this time.