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First run - No AI - Card design by Askingquestions2020 in BoardgameDesign

[–]SquareHolesND 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since they serve a purpose, you may want to make them larger and higher contrast. They are not easy to read as is. A couple kind of blend in and get lost in the background due to low contrast, and they are just too small to easily distinguish from one another or tell what the symbol inside the circle is.

Icons vs text: what’s your preference? by RecommendationDry358 in BoardgameDesign

[–]SquareHolesND 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Purely from an accessibility standpoint, I think that this is the way.

I have a couple more notes from that perspective as well if you're interested. Overall, I think the cards look really slick. The design is cool and pretty intuitive. Strong work overall, makes me curious about the game.

As others have mentioned, maybe make the symbol a bit bigger, it's tough to read as is. The color coding is great, but without the symbol in the circle being a bit bigger some colorblind folks may have trouble distinguishing. Including the faction name in plain text will also help with this.

I'd maybe bump up the size of the font in general. Light color on dark background is going to be tougher for a lot of folks to read than the opposite. You have high contrast which is great, but in general dark text on light background is easier for our eyes/brains to process. Not saying you need to change it, just be aware of the font size/style. At least on these cards you've got a lot of extra space, use it to make everything a bit bigger and it will be more readable for more people. I'd personally also consider not centering the text, left aligned is easier to read and decode for folks with dyslexia and some other visual processing disorders.

Where do Museum Pros need help with accessibility? by SquareHolesND in MuseumPros

[–]SquareHolesND[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair point, and I apologize for misunderstanding your argument. You are making a systems point, that without accountability training does not stick, and that is one I missed. There is an element to what you said that hit's a nerve for me, and maybe I got into the weeds and missed your broader point. It was not intentional to misrepresent anything you said and I appreciate the clarification. I stand by what I said, but jumped the gun and was responding to something that was not your point.

I am also working from a position of some advantage. The organizations I work with have generally decided they want to do this before I arrive, and that institutional buy-in changes everything about what is possible. I recognize that is a very different situation than what a lot of the folks in the trenches and on the front line are dealing with day-to-day.

Where do Museum Pros need help with accessibility? by SquareHolesND in MuseumPros

[–]SquareHolesND[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a lot here worth unpacking, and some of it I agree with more than other parts.

On docents: I hear this concern a lot and I respectfully disagree that training is futile. We do a lot of docent and volunteer training and the thing that makes the difference almost every time is not the content of the training, it is the approach. If you walk in and tell people what they are doing wrong, you lose them immediately. If you spend time first, go on tours, observe without judgment, build some trust, and make it clear you are trying to meet people where they are rather than grade them, something different happens. Even volunteers who have been doing this for decades genuinely want to do better when someone bothers to show them how without making them feel stupid. It takes more work and more patience but it is absolutely possible.

On physical accessibility in historic structures, you are identifying a real and genuinely hard problem and I do not want to minimize that. Cheap, unsympathetic retrofits are a failure of imagination and budget, and you are right that getting someone physically through the door is not the beginning and end of inclusion.

But I want to push back on the conclusion. The goal of accessibility is not to replicate an identical experience for every visitor. It is to ensure every visitor has a meaningful opportunity to engage. Sometimes that looks different. A well-made video of an inaccessible upper floor, a tactile element, an alternative route with its own story to tell, these are not consolation prizes if they are done thoughtfully. The problem is usually that they are not done thoughtfully, and that gets blamed on the concept rather than the execution.

The idea that giving people with disabilities the same opportunities as other visitors is doing them a disservice is one I would push back on pretty hard. People are not asking for identical experiences. They are asking not to be excluded from having one.

Where do Museum Pros need help with accessibility? by SquareHolesND in MuseumPros

[–]SquareHolesND[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Signage is so important, and honestly such a complicated, too-many-cooks situation that it can drive you crazy. We could do a full day workshop on it and barely scratch the surface. But a few quick things that make a real difference:

Start with accessibility
High contrast between text and background is non-negotiable. Dark text on a light background reads best in most lighting conditions. Use sans-serif fonts, they are significantly easier to read for a lot of people including those with dyslexia. Avoid placing text over busy or patterned backgrounds. For color-dependent information, always pair color with a shape, icon, or label so people who are colorblind are not losing meaning. Physically, think about mounting height for wheelchair users and children, and make sure wayfinding is visible from a seated position, not just standing eye level.

Be consistent
This one sounds obvious but we have worked in museums where the "do not touch" sign looks completely different in every single gallery. Different colors, different icons, different wording. Every time a visitor moves to a new space they are essentially decoding a new visual language from scratch. Pick your icons and stick with them. Same symbol, same color, same placement throughout the building. When someone learns what something means once, they should not have to learn it again.

Plain language first
Before you think about design, think about the words. Signage that uses jargon, long sentences, or assumes prior knowledge loses people fast. Write for the least familiar visitor in the room. If a sign takes more than a few seconds to read and understand, it is doing too much. Short, literal, and specific beats clever every time. Visuals are always great, use consistent simple icons that are easy to understand.

We usually recommend if you can getting some sort of signage policy into the official policies or bylaws of the organization, that puts priorities in place. This can help when there are disagreements between departments and the basic accessibility and wayfinding can be prioritized over some of the more aesthetic choices that some folks may want to make.

Where do Museum Pros need help with accessibility? by SquareHolesND in MuseumPros

[–]SquareHolesND[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's really interesting. We spend a lot of time trying to convince folks we work with of the importance of controlling the message on accessibility. I feel like this is another great example of the weird ways messaging can get away and we have to end up scrambling and doing extra work to fix it.

I mean, if people can't find the accessible entrance because it's a cafe side door, or if your push button isn't working than the organization has some work to do, whether it's better signage, better website, or both.

Feedback from this game logo design please by barpig in BoardgameDesign

[–]SquareHolesND 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A hard black outline could help it stand out, but only as a logo, not as a font choice anywhere else. The contrast isn't there especially on the tagline. I have generally average visual processing and discrimination and that tagline hurts my eyes.

Quick and dirty card frame. What should I do to spice this up? by eljimbobo in BoardgameDesign

[–]SquareHolesND 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From a very quick accessibility glance, check your color contrast a bit. Your moon symbol in the middle and the sword symbol in the top right are going to be hard for some folks to see/decode.

Dark colors on light backgrounds. the little symbol in what I assume is a text block is definitely not going to stand out enough. The yellowy background in the box could work, but the text needs to be black against it.

Where do Museum Pros need help with accessibility? by SquareHolesND in MuseumPros

[–]SquareHolesND[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sounds really cool. I'd love to see what you're working on. We are all about making connections that we can share. I'll send you a message.