Interface:

Four sides of the enclosure are used during gameplay. Two sides are used for utility: the top and bottom surfaces. The top surface has a shell design that serves as a tactile “home” cue and houses the power switch. The bottom surface has a concentric pattern that led to a proposed, centrally-located USB power jack.

To readily identify the enclosure’s walls, each exterior surface was given a unique texture. The textures were modeled after the organism coral. As a species, coral has diverse textures. The use of coral provided a unifying visual and tactile motif. Similarly, the shell atop the “Home” square is modeled after a gastropod called a “limpet”.

Gameplay encouraged grasping the cube with two hands. The use of both hands insures secure rotation of Coral.

Sound Design and User Experience:

The Neutral state is defined as the Home square facing upward and the tapered side of the shell pointing at the player.

Tones:

Coral has families of codified tones. They are categorized as follows:

A. Utility:

Welcome: A set of three tones indicating that the device was first powered on.

Menu Confirmation: In Utility Mode, a tone indicating that a player’s gesture was received.

Orientation: When the Home square is upside-down, a tone encouraging the device to be returned to the Neutral state.

B. Gameplay:

In-Game: Four tones total. One tone is mapped to one side of the device.

Acknowledgement:

a. Positive Tone: During Gameplay mode, the tone indicating that a tonal sequence was matched.

b. Negative Tone: During Gameplay mode, the tone indicating that a tonal sequence was unmatched.

All tones were distinct. The Utility Tones were differentiable from the Gameplay Tones. Players can understand whether they are in the menu or in the game based on sound.

Similar to the game Simon, Coral has four In-Game Tones, which are loosely based on the F Major chord. These notes are:

F4: 349 Hz

A4: 440 Hz

C5: 523 Hz

F5: 698 Hz

The F notes differed by an octave.

Wherein the tones of Simon are reminiscent of trumpet fanfare, the In-Game Tones of Coral were inspired by an instrument called the “handpan“. All Coral tones were in consonance, with the exception of the Negative Tone.

Example of User Experience (UX):

Player turns on device

Welcome Tone plays

Player selects Game Mode

Game Modes:

1 Player:

Tilt device towards self and return to Neutral State

Play confirmation tone

2 Players:

Tilt device away from self and return to Neutral State

Play confirmation tone

Game Mode: One Player

Play In-Game Tone:

If matched, then play Positive Tone. Then, device plays a different In-Game Tone plus one more In-Game Tone.

If unmatched, then play Negative Tone. Then, game over. Return to Game Mode Selection.

Play two In-Game Tones:

If matched, then play Positive Tone. Then, device plays two different In-Game Tones plus one more In-Game Tone.

If unmatched, then play Negative Tone. Then, game over. Return to Game Mode Selection.

Name:

The name Coral was chosen for numerous reasons. There is an obvious reference to the visual motif. The more subtle aspect is that the name can double as a person’s name. This feature alludes to the history of games, like Simon and Henry.

Discussion:

Humans are visually-oriented. This preference is seen in such forms as movies, books, magazines, and live theater. There are numerous facets of life that demonstrate a bias toward the sighted, such as advertising. Focusing on under-explored aspects can yielded new and surprising results.

There are numerous technologies for the blind. However, they tend to be utilitarian, such as the walking stick. Quality of life includes ways of enjoying life, such as entertainment.

The use of wood in Coral refers to the tradition of wooden toys that spans centuries and diverse cultures, such as Ancient Egyptian. There are designers of contemporary wooden toys, such as Playsam.

Some lessons learned:

Challenge your assumptions:

There are many assumptions that sighted people make in their interactions with the world, such as using landmarks for providing directions visually. When visual cues are inaccessible, a new mode of communication needs to be established. In developing Coral, consideration was taken in making components accessible tactilely, such as the power switch.

Many sighted people were drawn to the textures of Coral. Their visual study of the forms often led to touching and exploring the cube.

Prototypes:

The first prototype was made of cardboard, which was useful in understanding the basic interaction with the cube. The second prototype was made of Open Beam and acrylic, which helped in understanding weight and robustness. The third prototype emerged from tests of wood and textures.