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Designing Games for Everyone: Lessons from Sanibel and Wingspan’s Accessibility

UUnknown

2026-02-17

9 min read

How Wingspan and Sanibel show practical accessibility design—checklists for buyers and designers, 2026 trends, and community-rated tips.

Hook: Tired of buying board games that exclude half your friend group?

Finding UK-stocked titles that are truly easy to learn, comfortable to hold, and playable by everyone is still one of the biggest pain points for gamers and tournament organisers. You want clear rules, high-quality components, and a game that doesn’t demand perfect vision, hearing, or fine motor skills to enjoy. That’s exactly why studying modern hits like Wingspan and Sanibel matters: both show how layered design choices can make games more accessible without dumbing them down.

The evolution of game accessibility in 2026

By 2026, accessibility in tabletop gaming has moved from niche consideration to a mainstream expectation. Publishers now routinely offer digital rule PDFs in large-print and screen-reader-friendly formats, voice-narrated tutorials, and official component alternatives (high-contrast tokens, tactile markers, and companion apps). The community has also matured: user reviews, accessibility tags on sites like BoardGameGeek, and dedicated threads provide real-world ratings and practical tips that go beyond the marketing copy.

Why Wingspan and Sanibel are useful case studies

Elizabeth Hargrave’s design work — best known for Wingspan — set expectations for a cozy, approachable engine-builder with clean iconography and tactile components. Her later title Sanibel, designed with accessibility in mind (inspired by personal motivations including family-play considerations), refines those lessons further. Together they offer both a commercial and a design roadmap: how to build systems that are intuitive, how to use components to reduce cognitive load, and how to communicate rules clearly.

“When I’m not gaming, I’m often outside, and if I’m going to work on a game for a year, I want it to be about something I’m into,” — Elizabeth Hargrave

Core accessibility features: what these games get right

Below are the practical design choices found in Wingspan and Sanibel that designers can emulate and buyers should watch for.

1. Clear, consistent iconography

Wingspan’s cards and components use consistent symbols for actions, costs, and effects. This shortens the learning curve and reduces dependence on reading dense text. Sanibel follows the same principle with easily-scannable shell types and action markers.

2. Multi-sensory components

Physical weight, unique token shapes, and tactile counters (eggs in Wingspan; shell tokens in Sanibel) allow players to identify game state by touch if vision is limited.

3. Simple turn structure & teachability

A predictable, small set of possible actions per turn lowers working memory requirements. Wingspan’s four-action loop is a prime example: the same choices repeat every turn, which helps new players predict and plan. Sanibel keeps actions compact and repeatable to simplify teaching and remembering.

4. Progressive complexity & modular rules

Both games let groups add depth over several plays. Designers should provide a clear “starter” ruleset and optional modules so players can ramp up complexity at their pace.

5. Player aids & readable components

Large player mats, readable fonts, and quick-reference sheets reduce flipping through the rulebook. Wingspan’s tidy card layout and Sanibel’s bag-shaped player boards are practical examples of component-first accessibility.

6. Strong solo/automa options

Robust automa or solo systems expand accessibility by allowing play without a full group (helpful for social anxiety, scheduling challenges, or experimental learning).

Practical checklist for designers: making games more approachable

If you make games, use this checklist during prototyping and production. Many of these steps are low-cost but high-impact.

Design with icons first: Build card templates with an icon hierarchy—cost, effect, and metadata—so meaning is locationally obvious.
Test sightline and legibility: Print prototypes at final component sizes and test readability at arm’s length and 1.5x distance for older eyes. For economical printing tips and quick large-print runs, check out VistaPrint hacks.
Add tactile redundancy: Use different token shapes for resources and slot textures for placement cues.
Offer modular onboarding: Create a one-page starter and a progressive rulebook with clear milestones for additional modules.
Include non-visual support: Auto rules read-aloud or a companion app with voice prompts, and alt-text for all art in PDFs. If you’re building an app, templates and companion-app patterns can speed development (companion app templates).
Reduce reliance on dexterity: Make dexterity optional or provide alternative actions for players with limited fine motor control.
Solicit diverse playtest groups: Recruit players across ages, abilities, and gaming experience and pay them for feedback.
Publish an accessibility statement: List alternatives, component dimensions, and contact info for custom solutions.
Leverage AI for accessibility: Use 2025–26 AI tools to auto-generate large-print PDFs, alt-text, and simplified-rule summaries (see AI-driven personalization and accessibility workflows: AI personalization for publishers).

Practical checklist for buyers: what to look for when shopping

When you’re ready to buy an “accessible” game, scan descriptions, reviews, and the box for these signals:

Component quality: Are tokens chunky and different shapes? Does the box contain player mats or large cards?
Iconography: Do photos show consistent, clear icons on cards and boards?
Rule alternatives: Is there a one-page quickstart, large-print PDF, or an audio rulebook? For printable quickstarts and economical production options see VistaPrint hacks.
Digital support: Is there an official app, accessibility patch, or active community mod (e.g., large-text card packs)? App templates can shorten time-to-release: companion-app templates.
Community reviews: Look for reviews mentioning playability by neurodivergent or visually impaired players—these are more valuable than generic praise.
Automated solo play: Does the game include a tested automa or solo rules for practice?
Rule clarity: Are examples abundant in the rulebook? Are edge cases handled with sample playthroughs?

Deep dive: What Wingspan teaches us

Wingspan is often praised for its elegance and tactile charm. Here are lessons you can extract:

Minimal cognitive friction

Wingspan limits actions and places cost information in fixed, predictable locations on cards and the player mat. This predictability reduces cognitive load, allowing players to focus on strategy rather than remembering variable rules.

Component storytelling

Physical pieces (eggs, food dice, bird-feeder dice tower) communicate affordances. Players understand what the pieces do because their shapes and tactile properties reinforce their in-game role.

Player aids and examples

Wingspan’s rulebook and player mats act as ongoing references. The game’s popularity also created a wealth of community-made beginner guides, which is a pattern designers should plan for: make your rules easy to excerpt and summarise. When you publish updates or accessibility kits, use clear content formulas so community-made guides are easy to patch in (make-your-update-guide-clickable).

Deep dive: What Sanibel adds to the conversation

Sanibel, shaped around shell collecting and made with accessibility in mind, builds on Hargrave’s previous work by focusing even more on approachable physical and cognitive design.

Design for a specific human story

Sanibel was informed by personal motivations—designing for family members with different needs. That human-centred approach yields concrete design choices rather than only theoretical accessibility statements.

Bag-and-tile ergonomics

The bag-shaped player boards and chunky shell tokens help players who appreciate hands-on physical cues. Ergonomic components can make setup and play much faster for groups with mixed physical abilities.

Reduced text density

Sanibel uses simplified card text and enhanced icons to convey action flow without long paragraphs, making it easier for players with reading fatigue or cognitive processing differences to parse options quickly.

Playtesting & community validation: how to use user reviews and ratings

User reviews and community ratings are gold for accessibility research. They reveal how a game performs in the wild, especially in edge cases that designers didn’t anticipate.

How to interpret reviews

Search for specific keywords: “blind”, “low vision”, “neurodiverse”, “dexterity”, “teach”, “solo” and “automa.”
Weight experiential reviews more: Reviews that describe how a disabled person played the game, or how a group changed rules to include one player, are more actionable than generic 5-star posts.
Check for community patches: If players have made accessible variants or component mods, that shows both need and improvability.

Advanced strategies for designers (2026-forward)

Looking ahead, accessibility will be tightly integrated into production and customer experience. Here are advanced steps to future-proof your designs:

Accessibility-first component planning: Plan token shapes, colours, and fonts in the earliest mockups and lock them in before mass art is finalised.
Official mod kits: Publish cut sheets for large-print cards, tactile stickers, and template files for retailers or community print-and-play sets. For hands-on pop-up and hybrid play ideas see resilient hybrid pop-up strategies.
AI-generated accessibility assets: Use generative AI to create large-print rulebooks, alt-text, and simplified-rule summaries automatically—then human-review them. See AI personalization workflows for publishers: AI personalization for libraries and indie publishers.
Partner with accessibility orgs: Co-design with groups such as charities and community leads who specialise in accessibility testing.
In-box quickstart videos and QR codes: Put short video tutorials and narrated walkthroughs accessible via QR for each important rule or setup phase. Use companion-app templates to reduce development time: companion-app templates.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Some well-intentioned changes can backfire if not tested properly. Watch out for:

Over-iconifying: Using too many new symbols without consistent placement increases learning cost.
Colour-only distinctions: Relying solely on colour to differentiate resources excludes colourblind players—use shapes too.
Token bloat: Adding too many different tokens without systematic grouping confuses players with short-term memory differences.
Hidden complexity: Hiding complex options in optional modules with no clear entry points can overwhelm new players.

Quick reference: Accessibility buying guide (for UK shoppers)

Use this one-page checklist when browsing gaming-shop.uk or other retailers.

Look for product pages with an Accessibility section or tag.
Read community reviews and filter for comments that mention vision, mobility, or neurodiversity.
Check for downloadable assets: large-print PDFs, alt-text enabled images, and audio guides.
Prefer publishers that list component sizes and material quality (avoid vague “small tokens”).
Ask customer service if you need a custom solution (extra-large cards, tactile stickers).
Watch unboxing videos to evaluate component ergonomics and setup complexity.

Case study: converting an existing game to “accessible mode”

Here’s a short, actionable workflow to adapt a standard game with minimal cost:

Audit: List all visual, fine motor, and memory demands.
Quick fixes: Print large-print player aids and attach tactile stickers to critical tokens. For low-cost printing and design hacks see VistaPrint hacks.
Rule edits: Create a one-page quickstart and a “slow-mode” rule variant that spaces actions over more turns.
Community testing: Run three playtests with target users and iterate based on feedback. Consider running hybrid play sessions and pop-ups to reach diverse testers (hybrid play pop-ups).
Publish: Share the accessible kit on your product page and community forums.

Final takeaways

Accessibility improves market reach: Designing for everyone isn’t charity — it’s good business and increases replayability.
Small design choices matter: Icons, token shapes, and a single-page quickstart have outsized impact.
Community validation is crucial: Look to user reviews and community-made mods to assess real-world accessibility.
Technology is an ally: In 2026, AI and companion apps make it cheaper to offer meaningful accessibility features at scale.

Call to action

If you’re buying, start by checking our curated “Accessible Games” collection to compare component specs, community accessibility ratings, and downloadable large-print guides. If you design games, download our free Accessibility Starter Kit—templates, icon guidelines, and a playtest checklist—so your next prototype lands in more hands. Join our community review programme to leave usability feedback for other buyers and help push accessibility from feature to standard. For practical templates on update guides and community-facing materials, see Make Your Update Guide Clickable.

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