Challenging Convention

A personal project that has been therapeutic and helped recapture some purpose

After much writing and editing this page was finally published 30 May 2025

In a spirit of using my abilities of imagining and making things – which included much Lego, a few Airfix models, paper models and my own inventions – in my early years (and refined somewhat by my desk-based career!) I decided, around October 2024, to try and make something to challenge convention.

The demonstration’s finished, painted elements appear in this photo of a completed game of Scrabble; the light-green side of a board shows and has the grid above it, holding quite a few words some of which are, coax, plate, yin, finger, leap and optimise; the tray holding the board and grid sits above the turntable with one player’s two remaining letters sitting in one of the four tile holders. — A finished game, almost: the letters Z, R and, out-of-shot, B and V have not been played; some of the ones that have been played show the handmade nature of it by not fitting in too well!

Having a go

I was choosing to challenge the tradition that seems to hold a much-loved game, Scrabble, back, in one’s opinion, from actually being a more inclusive game.

Despite a separate product existing – the RNIB’s braille version of the game – that aims to cater for a different form of perception and it having some good features, like tiles that remain in place on the board once positioned to aid touch of them (but not move them) during the game, it felt to me that more could (even should) still be done to work those things into one, mainstream product.

One that improves on the original – while sort of inheriting elements of some of its past editions’ approaches – to update it for contemporary times (but not at the expense of totally changing (or ruining!) the Scrabble brand).

All demonstrating the possibility of a physical product that can be made more suitable for more people, but still be the version for the mainstream, so as to show improved inclusivity, end the need for separate versions of the product for different impairments . . . oh, and kind of prove a point (or two) that it could actually be done.

Framing

With (partial) secondary lived experience, because of my father’s thirty-plus years of macular degeneration, further livelihood experiences as well as understandings in the digital and accessibility worlds, as well as recent, personal, lived experience, all helped frame and guide the possibilities and potential of actually making a physical demonstration (not just a PDF presentation!) of all my initial thinking and development.

My own visual impairments (coupled with some cognitive issues inherited after surviving a TBI) had to be dealt with more so on a project like this that requires close focus and careful and close control; all a consideration for me to take action given past conversations amongst family who had given the RNIB’s braille version a go but to not much satisfaction from my partially-sighted father who still struggled (despite its slotting in of tiles to its board) particularly with its lack of decent contrast between elements (or suitable font weights) and himself not really being a reader of braille, (sort of?) proving the point that specific products made for specific needs can be quite often, a fallacy.

If accessibility (and safety) are considered from the beginning of a design process better results can happen for all and cut out the need for it then to be seen as an addition that isn’t necessary, can’t be afforded or as a ‘feature’ that just gets applied on top, or as a separate, sort of similar, item; open and honest accessibility often helps to better frame overall (and mainstream) purpose and processes too, revealing that what’s being sought is actually unnecessary.

It was also a rehabilitative process that – despite quite a few mistakes – became a steady and formative lesson in exercising patience, pragmatism and potential. As such, it felt more valuable and meaningful to pursue because of those personal motives and that it was not on someone else’s list of things to do^* and make sure it gets followed so they can then tick it off their own to do list!

Material limitations

Putting together an actual version of what I would eventually plan for (and also quite soon after beginning to piece my demonstration together!) was defined by its material.

I did think about initially making my demonstration with balsa wood and did a few small tests of certain parts with an initial order; despite balsa’s ease of being cut and a variety of thin sheets available so as to build what I was creating in a sort of layered fashion it felt a bit loose, especially when it came to the grid part.

So, instead, I chose plywood. It’s stronger than balsa yet is still adaptable (just about!) with craft tools and so was still answering this project’s personal reasons for me steering its creation.

It was even suggested, at one point during a discussion of my own attempt with a supplier, that, aside from plastic manufacturing, 3D printing could be a good way to go. But, despite partial enthusiasm for the possibility, that kind of production and expense didn’t really match my enthusiasm for bringing it to life (reasonably swiftly) in a more hands on way, like I write about here.

During the latter part of this project’s development and the making of it, it was always understood by me that sizing of parts could be partially reduced. Like the tiles’ edges in my demonstration that allow for hanging to the grid and hide its dividing colour so that they stick out less and potentially work better if players choose to play the game without the grid^** and just the board – which would have clear, dividing lines unlike my attempts that don’t as it was too fiddly for me to try and paint those without likely (and innumerable) repaints being required!

Thinking

A key part of the project’s initial thinking was to make sure clarity and contrast was front-and-centre, certainly for the partially sighted that would benefit from it, but also show that good typography, namely slightly heavier-weighted type, would do a lot of good, for everyone.

Through later stages of thinking and sketching I also came to realise that the mantra less is more would need to be followed; after about three weeks or so of off and on ruminating (about three or four stages in) about the project, it started to make itself felt.

It was a useful moment and, alongside learning of more individual experiences of different visual impairments, became a turning point that made my work in progress become more of a potentially useful real-world demonstration.

Getting rid of and then discovering improved interpretations of game intent and that also could actually help more was a fine example of the less is more mantra coming good. As well as adding a little confidence to my efforts in showing the demonstration’s efficiencies when I get out of my own way, as it helped prove points by making improvements become benefits.

Less is more

A prime example being the two-sided board (a light colour one side, a dark colour the other) with its reduction of the cells that multiply a letter's, or word’s, score relying on (on-brand game) colours and actual holes, two or three depending on the multiplier cell’s double or triple value, so that any way the board is placed, players can see or feel what bonus is available.^† No text and no braille needed on either side, just holes which act as a sort of inverted form of braille (with cell colour helping if partially- or fully-sighted but not quite colourblind in all likelihood) that is less than maybe expected but offers more through its simplicity; even encouraging a little more cognitive effort in memory use (which is good for all of us) in just seeing a colour and holes, not poorly typeset words that get in the way, literally and figuratively.

Complemented by clear guidance in the game’s manual this feature seems useful to many while also minimising visual clutter as well as the physical clutter of oft-patronising layers of clear plastic with braille that have been placed wholesale, on top without much consideration or integrity to the overall essence and empowering nature of better approaches!

Having said that though, my tiles are in fact bringing (a bit) more to the game as they are double-sided!

However, quite frankly, without the tiles’ traditional blank back why would opponents be tracking another player’s picked letters anyway? They’ve got their own words to make (and points to accrue), so that loss of a Scrabble ‘tradition’ is irrelevant in my book.

It feels that my attempts at integrating visual impairment considerations into a mainstream product are similar somewhat to that of the intent to bring British sign language in as another language to learn at school and which seems to be gradually gaining more traction.

Why shouldn’t games like Scrabble, by default, include braille as well as just better typesetting and colour contrast options that can involve more people and that different ‘disabled’ participants can then feel and be more involved, rather then separated by difference?

See my Refining article (link near bottom of this page so as to aid continuous reading of this article!) that shows that essentially a real-world version of my demonstration could offer a set of tiles with dyslexic-suitable fonts to aid other players of the game and not mean another, separate but ‘dyslexic-friendly’ product; repeat that logic and offer a set of tiles that have braille on one of their sides.

Youngsters (and even all ages and cognitive groups) learning and playing with the English language through a more inclusive and accessible Scrabble that is essentially the version for all of us, even the typical mainstream, would be really helpful in aiding and empowering people and breaking down those ableist barriers (and assumptions) as well as broadening perspectives, understandings and learnings of different perceptions of and involvements in, our world.

A finished board’s dark-green shows and is sitting in the tray that itself has small holes at its corner to take hold of the grid and small semi-circles at its inner edges to allow player’s to lift out the board out and flip round, or replace it with a differently coloured board. — A demonstration board sits snugly inside a tray, possibly waiting for a grid to be placed above it and a game to commence!

Alt A black board, with appropriately coloured multiplier cells, has a grid, in neutral grey to assist contrast of all elements, above it that holds some white-facing tiles with black lettering; the words spelled in this non-game are: shove (running across); and hot (running down) from the previous word’s letter ‘H’. — A non-game that just shows the differences available with a modular setup.

Modularity

My example’s modular approach is a key part of allowing adaptation for players of the game so that a complete packaged game doesn’t need to be bought for every type of (visual) impairment. Instead, items could be chosen from a series of (agreed by relevant organisations so as to be badged as excepting of certain) options for boards and tiles so that customers (of the mainstream or otherwise) can see, choose and build their complete game package.

The core units of my demonstration are a tray, which holds the game board, a grid if needed (or favoured) and which holds the tiles above the board and a turntable that sits underneath all of that to allow easy movement of the tray between players; the turntable could even just hold the board given my slight mistake of not making the central cell have the typical, five-pointed star above it and see point five in the But . . . aside below that explains my demo’s oversight!

In theory, a complete version of the game only need be bought once and if some parts break or are lost can each be replaced separately, or even, like a set of tiles, purchased separately, because of the flexibility of items and how they get sold. To appease the (owner’s) marketers, suitable combinations for certain (visual or cognitive) impairments could be packaged and sold alongside a standard mainstream version.

1 – Despite my absolute given that, by default, braille should be present on a (new) mainstream version of Scrabble, my project clearly doesn’t. It is not for want of trying but with my tiles not being truly level because of their letter being debossed as a result of laser-etching and were then hand-painted, I eventually refrained from using my own RNIB-approved braille labeller. It would be great but I held back given the faff I’d had with gluing and painting and then potentially sticking labels that, quite likely, would degrade those efforts and not really help anyone who’s playing the game . . . so sorry, but braille is an integral part of this project’s intentions and so must be present if the whole project is taken forward.

2 – A travel version of it was never my worry in this personal project and not helpful to its core premise of being part of project’s therapy for me. Plus, never sure about fiddly-sized games and why wouldn’t you watch and take in your surroundings and experiences as you travel? Or if you can’t, just read a book or meditate or something that doesn’t infuriate other travellers (so much).

3 – The version I have put together is only for English-speaking players and so its default, whilst broad, is somewhat exclusive. Thoughts did come about other language versions and while inclusivity is always important to me, a line had to be drawn so as clear project intent could be made.

4 – Folding of my demonstration doesn’t happen. It was very briefly thought about but was a feature I felt not worth having in my demonstration. However, I would not rule it out, especially with further refinements and efficiencies made to size and features and different materials allowing for improved workings so as to enable smooth (and tiny hinge-based)

5 – The centre star that is typical of a Scrabble board is not present in my demonstration. A circle was added as I originally planned the turntable’s axle to reach to its height, well just shy of it so that those that (will) touch that area know they’ve found the centre of the board. Still, it’s handy if you just wish to fit board on the turnable, although that is not good for wear and tear given the materials my demo uses! With all that said though, it was an oversight by me, especially given demo parts ended up being laser-cut.

6 – Double-sided tiles need a notch on the top of one side to help inform unsighted players which side is which and what way is up; I intended lighter sides to always have that notch and this is where the game’s manual can explain these kind of features; wasn’t able to satisfyingly implement this on my demo’s tiles as the plywood was a bit tough for spiking and I didn’t want to risk drilling a small hole given the likelihood of it breaking them (and my morale)!

One would like to think, with others’ help in and around these things, my demonstration still shows and adds to the potential of better directions for an actual commercial and mainstream version of Scrabble; one that doesn’t separate the mainstream from itself!

At the very least

It would, frankly, be a step forward if every version, especially the mainstream one had better typography (namely a heavier font weight on tiles), even for their basic, black text on white surface, sets.

A finished game in this photo shows a board with its white side facing up with a grid above it holding many words; some have been played with the tiles’ yellow-on-black side and others with its black-on-yellow side; some of the words played are: niche, gums, ridge, move, leach and torque. — A benefit of modularity is improved contrast to aid the partially-sighted and in this finished game shows that two players can use opposite sides of a set of tiles to better see who played what word.

However, if the response to not do (something very similar to) my demonstration will be something like, ‘It’ll be too expensive and separate versions are easier for us to manage,’ is used (or words to that effect) then that just seems a bit defeatist to me and pretty much perpetuates further a type of social division and the oft-pointless hanging on to tradition: ‘But we've always done it like that.’

So let's break some barriers – of which hopefully my demonstration demonstrates the possibility – by setting an example and quite likely the Scrabble brand’s (and its owner’s) recognition and reputation (and dare I mention it, monetary profit) would increase.

And . . .

. . . in one’s humble opinion, sod the tournaments and the ‘expert’ word players that (will probably say that they) must use a ‘classic’ version of Scrabble to play with . . . if so, have a tournament version that costs more than others, looks plain and simple and effectively marginalising those players, not the apparently ‘disabled’.

Sizes

The plywood used in my demonstration is 3 millimetres thick; for a finished product, 2 (if not 1.5) millimetres would be an ideal thickness for its parts.
The board is 360 millimetres square and its 225 cells are 24 millimetres square but with no dividing line of 2 millimetres (in a neutral grey colour) between them as it was a detail too awkward for me to paint!
The tray the board sits in is 400 millimetres square; the turntable matches the tray’s size (but is made from the balsa I had initially purchased) to be a stable base when the tray is turned between players and not affect the game if pushed down when not square.
Tiles are 22 millimetres square and approximately 8 millimetres thick; each side is divided by a 1.5 millimetre edge that is 24 millimetres square; my tile edge sizes are not essential and a reduction would improve them, so still achieving colour continuity over a grid but lessening their impact, especially in a game that doesn’t use a grid to hold tiles.
Font size of letters on tiles is 56 point; the font size of a letter’s value is 20 point.
The grid is 400 millimetres square and its square holes, for tiles to sit in, are 2 millimetres apart; its border is essentially 20 millimetres wide but could (even should) be much slimmer for a proper release and, at a slightly reduced size, still be useful and structurally sound, right?!

The making of

Some words (but mostly pictures) that will take you through my (pretty much) seven-month journey (albeit not continuously) of bringing this project to life.

Planning: Pictures and explanations of sketches, plans and the actual putting together of my demonstration that hopefully get across its creation story.
Making: With help from some suppliers to get and then etch and cut the necessary parts, the making – well, putting together – was undertaken and took a fair few weeks.
Updating: After a few test games of use, and a little bit of thinking about possible changes, it was not long before some updating of various demonstration elements was done.
Refining: Like all worthwhile projects, refinements rear themselves quite soon (even during the gluing and painting stages!) but show further potential providing (hopefully sturdy) shoulders to stand on for further potential.