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Graphical Abstract
Abstract
“Empathy makes you a better innovator. If I look at the most successful products we [at Microsoft] have created, it comes with the ability to meet the unmet, unarticulated needs of customers.” —Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO.
Conclusion
Several months after the middle school “Build a Better Game” camp, a 12-year-old girl and her mother sit across from each other at a table, engaged in a cut-throat game of Othello (Figure 9). It could be a scene from any family game night, but this is taking place at the National Federation of the Blind state convention in Colorado and the girl is visually impaired. She delights as she gradually takes over the game board, identifying her game pieces by touch and flipping them over in a tactile game grid created by a laser cutter.
Figure 9A From prototype to play. (A) Early prototype of a tactile Othello board game designed by middle school students, including sketches of tactile game pieces and a tactile game board created with paper and Wikki Stix.
Figure 9B (B) Two teen girls with low vision play a later version of the game that incorporates 3-D–printed game pieces and a laser-cut game board.
The game, originally designed and prototyped by a small team of middle school students, has been improved over multiple iterations through testing with users who are BLV: game pieces have been smoothed and 3-D–printed with two colors of filament, a raised dot has been added to the center of the board to orient players to the starting point, and the game board has been painted in high-contrast red and white as a visual cue for those with low vision. A family, previously hindered by traditional games, now has a game that they can play together, and a group of young designers is empowered and inspired, knowing that they can use their skills and technology to make the world a better place.
Interested in bringing Build a Better Book to your community?
The Build a Better Book national network is available to help you bring this experience to your community. Visit the project website to dive into an array of online resources, explore project ideas contributed by other educators in our network, and find digital files to replicate youth-designed accessible products. We host an active listserv and several social media channels (including Instagram) that enable BBB partners to share their work and troubleshoot potential hurdles. We also recommend that makerspaces, librarians, and STEM educators connect with others in their community. Needs abound, so try to identify partners in your community who might benefit from the making activities your youth are engaged in.
Resources on the Web
Acknowledgments
The Build a Better Book team gratefully acknowledges the valuable contributions of our partners at the Colorado Center for the Blind and our many library and school makerspace partners around the country, whose input and creativity have served to improve the program. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants 1615247 and 1453771, and by the University of Colorado Boulder Office of Outreach and Engagement.
Notes on contributors section
Stacey Forsyth ([email protected]) is director at CU Science Discovery at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Kathryn Penzkover is assistant director at CU Science Discovery at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Bridget Dalton is associate professor in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Gigi Yang is Build a Better Book program coordinator at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Stacey Forsyth
Stacey Forsyth ([email protected]) is director at CU Science Discovery at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Kathryn Penzkover
Kathryn Penzkover is assistant director at CU Science Discovery at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Bridget Dalton
Bridget Dalton is associate professor in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Gigi Yang
Gigi Yang is Build a Better Book program coordinator at the University of Colorado Boulder.