As with any development new and improved ways get explored and created from initial beginnings and already this project clearly demonstrates potential avenues and realities to be taken to refine its point and purpose and improve its making.

We’ll overlook the reply I finally got from an enquiry I made to a provider that could help with laser-cutting and that arrived pretty much the final day of completing the putting together of version one – both of which took approximately just over five months (of the just over seven month total for the overall project); am thankful for the eventual acknowledgement to my original ask and, within a day, I let them know their facilities were not needed by me anymore.

However, like mentioned at the start of this section, steps were already being thought of before this project’s eventual completion and this last article about its possible improvements was (and I think I can include the second (well, strictly third, even fourth) applied coats of paint here too!) so it all has been another step in the journey, so this part is essentially version 1.5 of challenging convention!

Images above and below show the additional refinements that could be made to tiles; or, that were potentially offered as alternative tile sets within a suite of potential ones that serve different purposes, like colour-contrast or a more dyslexic-friendly typeface.

Size of individual tiles does dictate the size of the board and other elements and the refined demonstration I show in this article is guided by that principle. So, obviously, if tiles are made (slightly) smaller, the game elements that make it modular follow suit and become a little reduced in size, making the whole piece a little more compact (and in theory, more like a ‘normal’ version so as to help continue breaking those mainstream barriers that seem to divide, rather than include, different ways of viewing the world).

Not much between it all

There isn’t really going to be much between all these things to be honest and you could split hairs over this kind of detail for a long time (and probably not make any progress). But really, my real, physical demonstration and certainly my refined effort shown here prove that a (sort of) halfway house between the actual braille game version size of tiles (24mm square) and my efforts here (approximately 22mm square) prove that an in-between size can work for all; my refined and foldable demonstration images prove that even being a little smaller (or nearer a tile’s original size of 18x20mm and thus other original game elements) can be had (although not rectangular tiles, as I’m not sure that has any real benefit over a square tile, although it might be a trademark thing!) along with better typography (i.e. at least medium weight, even bold), colour contrast and braille all make for a much more inclusive version of Scrabble; if the game owner hasn’t already, invest in a custom font family and use a heavier weight of type to transform (and better) not just the brand’s look-and-feel but its purpose, its essence away from tradition so as to actually move things forward, for all.

It might even help people to be a bit more considerate and patient, see more clearly so as they can slow down and engage with the world and not just through a screen.

Tile holders

After I had put together my tile holders that have a dual side, depending on a player’s preference for a slightly easier angle for braille (or even to better see for the partially-sighted) one side and its other, more upright side, closer to a traditional Scrabble tile holder, I had an idea! Dangerous, I know, but this one was pretty slick: the more upright side of my tile holders should be sacrificed for showing a player’s score.

With a neat and narrow tactile mechanism (ideal for all) along the tile holder’s top that allows players to add ones and tens to their score, which converts those inputs to the displayed, calendar-like number score on the more upright side would be pretty neat (in my opinion)!

It no doubt requires (quite) a bit of clockwork-like skill and nous to piece something like that together but given the space underneath the tile holders, it seems like a really great opportunity; something worth trying surely, despite it’s ‘deluxe’ feel, as even the non-blind benefit from something like that and so it deserves to be the default type of tile holder, right?

Plans of refinement

What is written to the left of each of the following images of my refined plans is below, despite being (sort of) visible and not actually part of their alternative text tag as those don’t actually describe that text to those that will read it.

Anyway, here goes . . . and, all the text summarises each of the elements that make up my refined, modular approach (and they happen to have, on the plan, a side-view of each element for a little additional context, primarily for the sighted!) . . .

• Foldable, double-sided board with its central star and holes cut right through it, retaining an inverse braille effect without needing braille on either side.
• Alternatively, a sturdy but thin (black) layer between each printed side (shown in orange purely to aid sight of in the plan) of the board could be had so contrast (and holes) still work when board used singularly and so tray can remain totally grey.
• Two halves of grid. [Which could be better, discreetly hinged on one of the dividers so as a unit it remains essentially as a singular unit.]
• Two halves of tray, hinged appropriately, to keep flat and connected when opened and placed on turntable (or flat surface) to hold board.
• Sturdy circle slightly raises tray from surface allowing it to be rotated.
• A containing box with manual(s), a bag of 100 tiles and 4 tile holders, would likely need to be, approximately: 200 x 350 x 40 millimetres.

My refined demonstration’s left-hand side (or right-hand if turned over for the other side, shown in a dark colour) is essentially branding space for the game’s name and other, useful information which could potential show how the four types of multiplier cell work and the grid that may be placed on top of it could then have a clear plastic cover with braille to also assist the blind, rather than duplicating that same branding space on its top; setting the branding to be read ‘sideways’ will be better so that units work whether the grid is ‘up’ or ‘down’ because of board orientation; however, that’s a set of decisions for someone else (if something like my refined approach might ever happen for real!) with hopefully much better ways of showing that information (as well as maybe a list of all the letter values!) in a concise and thoroughly well presented manual that has good typography and a separate version of it in braille.

Conclusion

Thinking and working on updates has been an exercise – initially on completion (well, mostly) – of being flipping annoying but a comfort in that it shows and fuels progress for an official, manufactured attempt . . . doesn’t it?

Hope has wobbled alongside my demonstration attempts at modularity and improved clarity and inclusivity in a product and showing these next stages are hopefully a helping hand in convincing those that might be willing to actually change tradition, to start changing it.

Still, given this is the end of the article (and the project!) that’s it . . . not much else to say about it all . . . have never been the greatest salesman for things, generally preferring to let my work speak for itself . . . but, always hopeful of credit, even involvement (but not the grandstanding, meetings and other corporate shenanigans) if something might happen from all this challenging of convention . . . anyway, thanks for reading.