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RESEARCH REVISITED

MY ROLE
I guided the new research, reviewed the findings, and decided what was actually useful. Parts of the original research can be seen here.

AI’S ROLE
My bot helped with searching, summarizing, organizing feedback, and spotting patterns across sources.

THE EXPERIMENT

Redo the same research with AI and see how much faster the process could be and what other materials could be produced.

Old Workflow vs AI-Assisted

Original Project

  • Manually searched articles, reviews, forums and player comments
  • Read through sources and pulled out useful feedback by hand
  • Manually grouped findings into accessibility categories
  • Compared Halo Infinite pain points against other games
  • Turned the research into recommendations and presentation materials

AI-Assisted Version

  • Helped find relevant sources much faster
  • Summarized sources and pulled out relevant accessibility feedback
  • Helped categorize findings and identify recurring patterns
  • Connected problem areas to examples from other games
  • Helped create additional charts, visuals and presentation content

What AI Couldn't Do

  • Capture gameplay footage directly from the games
  • Record feature demonstrations
  • Create in-game screenshots showing specific features
  • Personally experience how the features felt during play
  • Capture GIFs, videos and screenshots and organize them into the Confluence reference page
The original research also included hands-on game capture. I launched the games, found the relevant features, recorded GIFs and videos, took screenshots, and collected everything in Confluence so the team could quickly see each example in context.

Halo infinite Audit

As part of the Accessibility Research project, I had looked into sentiment on Halo Infinite’s Accessibility features for opportunities for improvement.

The Prompt
“Research negative sentiment around Halo Infinite’s accessibility features. Search accessibility reviews, player feedback, forums, articles, and other relevant sources for recurring complaints, limitations, or barriers. Focus on opportunities for improvement rather than features that are already working well. Organize the findings into Visual, Input, Audio, Gameplay, and General accessibility categories. Include links to the original sources for each finding.”
The Findings
The new research was compared against the original 2023 findings to see how closely the AI-assisted process reproduced the same accessibility issues.

Visual

Original Findings

  • Colorblindness options did not help everyone with colorblindness
  • Low contrast made text, UI and important information harder to see
  • Text, icons and UI elements were too small
  • Subtitle customization was too limited
  • Some visual effects contributed to motion sickness

AI-Assisted Findings

  • HUD text, prompts and waypoints remained difficult to read even with scaling options. Source: Can I Play That
  • Glow, blur and low-contrast UI styling reduced visual clarity. Source: Can I Play That
  • Players continued requesting more colorblind customization after launch. Source: Halo Waypoint
  • Subtitle sizing could still be too small during fast combat. Source: Can I Play That
Very Close Match Nearly all of the same visual problems surfaced again: readability, contrast, subtitle sizing and color customization. Motion sickness was less prominent in the recreated search.

Input

Original Findings

  • Some input requirements were physically awkward
  • Repeated actions could cause physical strain
  • There were limited options for reducing fatigue
  • Controller remapping was limited
  • Keyboard mapping and menu navigation caused friction

AI-Assisted Findings

  • Remapping did not eliminate every difficult stick-click requirement. Source: PC Gamer
  • Toggle alternatives could still create difficulty during demanding gameplay. Source: PC Gamer
  • Players requested additional movement accessibility, including auto-sprint. Source: Halo Waypoint
Close Match Both research passes identified physical strain and input flexibility as problems. The original research surfaced keyboard mapping and menu navigation more specifically.

Audio

Original Findings

  • Text-to-Speech and screen narration did not always work as expected
  • Some UI was not narrated
  • Important audio cues were missing
  • Players had difficulty distinguishing what sounds represented
  • Audio customization lacked granularity

AI-Assisted Findings

  • Narration struggled to keep up with fast gameplay and interaction prompts. Source: Can I Play That
  • Directional and targeting audio cues were identified as missing. Source: Can I Play That
  • Players requested audio visualization so critical information would not rely on hearing. Source: Halo Waypoint
  • Text-to-Speech and UI narration issues were documented after launch. Source: Halo Support
Very Close Match The same core issues appeared again: incomplete narration, missing audio cues and difficulty communicating gameplay information without relying on sound.

Gameplay

Original Findings

  • Difficulty could not be adjusted during gameplay
  • Some encounters required very precise situational reflexes

AI-Assisted Findings

  • Fast combat and constant switching between weapons, grenades and equipment created a high physical workload. Source: PC Gamer
  • Open-world traversal combined with fast combat was described as tiring. Source: Can I Play That
Partial Match Both approaches found barriers in the underlying gameplay. The original research emphasized difficulty and reaction requirements, while the AI-assisted search emphasized physical and cognitive workload.

General

Original Findings

  • Accessibility changes could not be previewed before committing
  • Players had to leave the menu to test settings
  • Some setting descriptions were unclear

AI-Assisted Findings

  • Some UI and subtitle changes could not be previewed before gameplay. Source: Can I Play That
  • Having many accessibility settings did not necessarily mean the underlying barrier was removed. Sources: Can I Play That · PC Gamer
Close Match Both approaches surfaced problems with evaluating settings in context. The manual research captured unclear descriptions more directly, while the AI-assisted research surfaced the broader gap between having an option and actually removing the accessibility barrier.

Accessibility in the shooter genre

Before making recommendations to the team, I first needed a definition of what “good” accessibility actually looked like. There wasn't an existing benchmark to work from, so I built one from the experiences people were already describing as genuinely helpful.

Original Process

  • Searched articles and accessibility lists for shooter games worth investigating
  • Read specialist reviews and player feedback to see what people actually praised
  • Built a shortlist of games that repeatedly surfaced as strong examples
  • Looked for features that genuinely helped players rather than simply checking an accessibility box
  • Only then launched the games to inspect and capture those features firsthand
Manual Shortlist I Built
Fortnite Surfaced for sound visualization, subtitles, HUD scaling and flexible input options. Sources: Can I Play That — Deaf Game Review · Accessibility Review
Gears 5 Surfaced for unusually rich subtitles, directional combat information, sound visualization and flexible controls. Sources: Can I Play That · SightlessKombat
Far Cry 6 Surfaced for accessibility presets that grouped settings by player need while still allowing individual customization. Sources: Can I Play That · SightlessKombat
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Surfaced for detailed captions and unusually granular difficulty settings that could be customized around individual barriers. Sources: Can I Play That · Polygon · SightlessKombat
Watch Dogs: Legion Surfaced for captions and subtitles that communicated environmental, directional and non-dialogue information. Sources: Can I Play That · SightlessKombat
Sources Used to Find Candidates
The shortlist was built by cross-checking specialist accessibility resources, “best accessibility” articles and player reviews. EIP Gaming · IGN · G2A · Polygon · GameRant · TheGamer

AI-Assisted Process

  • Searched across accessibility reviews, articles, awards, lists and player discussions at once
  • Pulled out games that repeatedly appeared in positive accessibility coverage
  • Identified which specific features were being praised and why
  • Grouped recurring patterns across titles before any hands-on game capture
  • Produced a much larger starting shortlist that could immediately be validated in-game
AI-Generated Shortlist
Gears 5 Praised for detailed captions, sound visualization, remappable controls and strong motor-accessibility options. Source: Can I Play That
DOOM: The Dark Ages Recognized for granular difficulty controls, adjustable game speed, targeting assistance and visual threat indicators. Sources: Can I Play That · The Game Awards
The Last of Us Part II Frequently recognized for navigation assistance, audio cues, high-contrast presentation, extensive input customization and granular combat settings. Sources: Can I Play That · Sony Accessibility Awards
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Surfaced for Intelligent Movement, input customization, hearing accessibility and options that reduce physical demands. Sources: Call of Duty · GAConf
Borderlands 3 Praised for scalable UI and subtitles, control flexibility, visual identification of enemies and loot, and accessibility being considered early in development. Sources: Can I Play That · GDC Vault
Far Cry New Dawn Stood out for sound captions, readable subtitles, audio controls, remapping and Deaf / Hard of Hearing accessibility. Source: Can I Play That
Apex Legends Recognized especially for its contextual ping system, which allows tactical communication without requiring voice chat. Sources: EA Accessibility · Can I Play That Awards
Battlefield 2042 Praised for visual accessibility, text-size controls, extensive color customization and granular audio options. Source: Can I Play That
Metro Exodus Surfaced for detailed directional sound captions that communicate what happened and where the sound came from. Source: Can I Play That
Dead Space Remake Recognized for aim assistance, menu narration, subtitle customization, colorblind support and options that reduce demanding interactions. Source: Can I Play That
DOOM Eternal Praised particularly for visual accessibility, colorblind customization and strong presentation of important gameplay information. Source: Can I Play That
The biggest time saver wasn't analyzing the games — it was finding them. A large part of the original research was spent searching for credible examples and deciding which titles were worth opening in the first place. With AI helping build that shortlist, the hands-on portion could have started much sooner — and with a much larger pool of games to investigate and compare.
The Prompt
“Within the shooter genre, find games that players with disabilities, accessibility specialists, reviewers, or industry organizations have recognized for particularly strong accessibility experiences. Prioritize examples where people describe how a feature actually helped them play, rather than simply listing features that exist. Identify the specific features being praised, look for patterns across multiple games, and include links to the original sources.”
The Findings
I compared the examples surfaced by the AI-assisted search against the games and features I had selected manually in 2023.

Fortnite

Original Findings

  • Visualization of sound effects
  • Subtitles
  • HUD scaling
  • Keyboard and controller remapping

AI-Assisted Findings

  • Visualized sound effects repeatedly surfaced as a standout accessibility feature. Source: Can I Play That
  • Subtitle customization and visual communication of gameplay information were also praised. Source: Can I Play That
Very Close Match. The AI search surfaced the same defining strength as the original research: communicating important sound information visually.

Gears 5

Original Findings

  • Content of subtitles
  • Sound visualization
  • Keyboard and controller remapping

AI-Assisted Findings

  • Rich subtitles surfaced repeatedly, including speaker identification and information beyond spoken dialogue. Source: Can I Play That
  • Sound visualization and flexible input options were also highlighted. Source: Can I Play That
Very Close Match. The recreated research landed on essentially the same features as the manual benchmark.

Far Cry 6

Original Findings

  • Accessibility presets

AI-Assisted Findings

  • Accessibility presets surfaced as one of the game's most notable approaches, giving players starting configurations for different accessibility needs. Source: Can I Play That
Direct Match. The AI-assisted search independently surfaced the exact feature that drove Far Cry 6's inclusion in the original benchmark.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Original Findings

  • Content of captions
  • Subtitles
  • Difficulty settings

AI-Assisted Findings

  • Granular difficulty settings surfaced as a particularly strong design decision, allowing individual parts of difficulty to be adjusted separately. Source: Can I Play That
  • Subtitle and caption customization were also positively highlighted. Source: Can I Play That
Very Close Match. Both approaches highlighted the same combination of strong captioning and unusually flexible difficulty controls.

Watch Dogs: Legion

Original Findings

  • Content of captions and subtitles
  • Subtitle and caption presentation

AI-Assisted Findings

  • Gameplay captions surfaced as a strength because they communicate environmental and directional information in addition to dialogue. Source: Can I Play That
  • Caption presentation and speaker information were also highlighted as useful. Source: Can I Play That
Very Close Match. The recreated research identified the same core reason the game appeared in the original benchmark: captions that communicate more than spoken dialogue.

What ai helped me add

Once the original research had been recreated, I used the same findings to see what else AI could help me make — from clearer charts and comparisons to more polished recommendations.

A Broader Starting Point

Games Identified for Research

One of the biggest differences was how quickly AI could surface a larger pool of promising games before any hands-on investigation began.

Manual Research
5
AI-Assisted Research
11
More options before opening a single game. The manual process produced five games to investigate. The AI-assisted search surfaced eleven strong candidates, each with an explanation of why it was worth looking at and sources that could be checked before moving into hands-on capture.
The Prompt
“Using the shooter games surfaced in the AI-assisted benchmark, organize the praised accessibility features into broader themes. Group similar examples together, identify which themes appear most often across the list, and show which categories of accessibility support were most consistently associated with positive player or reviewer feedback.”
Patterns Across the Research

Accessibility Themes That Kept Appearing

I also used AI to organize the highlighted features across the new game shortlist and look for broader patterns in what players and accessibility reviewers were praising.

Visual & Readability
9
Audio, Hearing & Captions
8
Input & Motor Support
6
Gameplay & Difficulty
3
Navigation & Communication
2
Counts represent how many of the 11 AI-surfaced games had at least one highlighted feature that fit each theme. Categories overlap, so one game may contribute to multiple themes.
The strongest pattern was making information easier to perceive. Visual clarity, captions, sound visualization and alternative ways of communicating important gameplay information appeared much more often than any single specialized feature. Input flexibility was another recurring theme across the strongest examples.
The Prompt
“Using the Halo Infinite accessibility pain points and the strongest examples from the shooter benchmark, connect recurring problems to patterns that worked well in other games. Turn those comparisons into clear design opportunities that could help guide future accessibility work.”
Turning Research Into Opportunities
I used AI to connect the problems found in Halo Infinite with patterns that were repeatedly praised in other games.

Problem

Important gameplay sounds were not always understandable or usable without relying on audio.

Pattern

Gears 5, Fortnite and Watch Dogs: Legion all communicated sound through captions, directionality or visual indicators.

Opportunity

Present critical gameplay information through multiple sensory channels instead of depending on sound alone.

Problem

Some accessibility settings existed, but players still struggled to find or configure combinations that worked for them.

Pattern

Far Cry 6 used accessibility presets as starting points while still allowing individual settings to be customized.

Opportunity

Use presets to reduce setup effort while preserving granular control for players who need it.

Problem

Fast combat and repeated inputs could create physical strain or require more precise reactions than some players could manage.

Pattern

Games like Guardians of the Galaxy and newer shooters separate difficulty, timing and assistance settings instead of relying on one global difficulty level.

Opportunity

Let players reduce the specific barrier they are experiencing without lowering every aspect of the game.

Problem

Players could not always tell whether accessibility changes would help until they left the settings menu and tested them.

Pattern

Stronger accessibility implementations make settings easier to understand, preview and adjust in context.

Opportunity

Show previews and clearer explanations so players can understand a setting before committing to it.

The benefit here was speed, not replacing judgment. AI could quickly connect repeated problems with examples from other games, but deciding which patterns were actually relevant and worth recommending still required design judgment.