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Audio Screen: Unsighted Game Mechanics for Mobile Devices

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Audio Screen: Unsighted Game Mechanics for Mobile Devices Audio Screen: Unsighted Game Mechanics for Mobile Devices Jonathon Brammer A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science & Software Engineering University of Washington 2016 Committee: William Erdly Min Chen Kelvin Sung Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Computing and Software Systems – Bothell © Copyright 2016 Jonathon Brammer University of Washington Abstract Audio Screen: Unsighted Game Mechanics for Mobile Devices Jonathon Brammer Chair of the Supervisory Committee: William Erdly, Ph.D., Associate Professor Computing and Software Systems Historically, most video games lean primarily on visual communication, making them inaccessible to the blind. Non-sighted gaming is beginning to gain some momentum, particularly with the proliferation of mobile devices, whose multiple sensor inputs allow for the exploration of inventive control schemes. The arrival of built-in 3D audio support on iOS also represents a significant opportunity to easily explore audio-only gaming on the mobile platform. This study tests two variations on a paradigm for aurally representing a 2D screen in a virtual 3D audio world, as well as the effects of three input control schemes and a game mechanic called “auto- lock.” Users take on the simple task of finding and selecting stationary targets on the screen. The resulting data support the hypothesis that the “Flat” environment permits higher accuracy than the “Curved” environment, and also shows improvements in speed as well as subjective metrics of usability, enjoyableness, and immersion. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 2. Background ................................................................................................................. 12 2.1 Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 12 2.1.1 Modifications of Existing Games ......................................................................... 12 2.1.2 Inclusive Games .................................................................................................... 15 2.1.3 Original Content .................................................................................................... 15 2.1.4 Current iOS Games ............................................................................................... 16 2.2 Study History & Development ...................................................................................... 20 2.2.1 The Case for Mobile ............................................................................................. 20 2.2.2 Head-Related Transfer Functions ......................................................................... 22 2.2.3 Problem Statement ................................................................................................ 23 2.2.4 AudioScreen 1.0: The Idea ................................................................................... 24 2.2.5 AudioScreen 2.0: The Study ................................................................................. 25 2.3 Hypotheses .................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 3. Methods ....................................................................................................................... 27 3.1 Study Factors (Independent Variables) ......................................................................... 27 3.1.1 Environment .......................................................................................................... 27 3.1.2 Control Scheme ..................................................................................................... 30 3.1.3 Auto-Lock ............................................................................................................. 33 3.2 Dependent Variables ..................................................................................................... 34 3.2.1 Test Data ............................................................................................................... 34 3.2.2 Survey Data ........................................................................................................... 36 3.3 Implementation Details ................................................................................................. 39 3.3.1 Target Size ............................................................................................................ 39 i 3.3.2 Distance attenuation model ................................................................................... 41 3.3.3 Sound sources ....................................................................................................... 41 3.4 Testing Equipment ........................................................................................................ 43 3.4.1 Software ................................................................................................................ 43 3.4.2 Hardware ............................................................................................................... 43 3.5 Testing Environment ..................................................................................................... 44 3.6 Testing Process ............................................................................................................. 45 3.6.1 Start Screen ........................................................................................................... 47 3.6.2 Pre-Test Survey ..................................................................................................... 47 3.6.3 Orientation & Instructions – Volume Adjustment ................................................ 47 3.6.4 Orientation & Instructions - Controls ................................................................... 48 3.6.5 Orientations & Instructions – Environments ........................................................ 50 3.6.6 Environment A Testing ......................................................................................... 52 3.6.7 Environment A Feedback Survey ......................................................................... 55 3.6.8 Environment B Testing and Environment B Feedback Survey ............................ 56 3.6.9 Environment A/B Comparison Feedback Survey ................................................. 56 3.7 Potential Threats to Validity ......................................................................................... 56 3.7.1 Internal Threats ..................................................................................................... 57 3.7.2 External Threats .................................................................................................... 58 3.8 Data Post-Processing .................................................................................................... 59 3.8.1 App Data ............................................................................................................... 59 3.8.2 Survey Data ........................................................................................................... 60 3.9 Test Subjects ................................................................................................................. 63 3.10 Uniformity of Randomization ....................................................................................... 66 Chapter 4. Results & Discussion .................................................................................................. 70 4.1 Data Representation ...................................................................................................... 70 4.2 Demographic and Testing Effects ................................................................................. 70 4.2.1 Experience Level .................................................................................................. 71 4.2.2 Testing Effects ...................................................................................................... 72 4.2.3 Learning Curve ..................................................................................................... 76 ii 4.2.4 Order Effects ......................................................................................................... 77 4.3 Accuracy – Preliminary Analysis ................................................................................. 80 4.4 Accuracy – Main Effects .............................................................................................. 84 4.4.1 Environment Accuracy ......................................................................................... 85 4.4.2 Control Accuracy .................................................................................................. 88 4.4.3 Auto-Lock Accuracy ............................................................................................. 92 4.5 Accuracy – Interaction Effects ...................................................................................... 94 4.5.1 Auto-Lock vs. Control .........................................................................................
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