Let’s see if the action adventure game Journey has an accessible UI for older adult gamers.
The game being reviewed for this post is the mobile release of ThatGameCompany’s Journey. Journey is an action adventure game designed to take players through the steps of Joseph Campbell’s Hero Cycle as the player character is guided through a variety of abandoned landscapes toward a mountain shining in the distance (ThatGameCompany, 2019). In terms of the user interface, the main and sub-menus will be addressed, as well as the in-game heads-up display (HUD), which provides both the control scheme and a means to access the options menu (ThatGameCompany, 2019). This is a highly critically acclaimed game, one that, per the developers, was designed to reach a broader audience of players, and yet there are decisions made in the design of the game’s user interface that would likely lead to older adults having quite a challenging time with this game (Ohannessian, 2012; Finn & Johnson, 2017). 
There are problems with Journey’s user interface design that could be classified as minor, moderate, important, and critical, with examples being given of each, along with a potential solution. The most minor issue with Journey’s user interface design is with the small distance between the levels of camera speed (Finn & Johnson, 2017; Isbister & Schaffer, 2008; ThatGameCompany, 2019). Finn and Johnson (2017), state that spacing between elements of the interface need to be larger due to motor control issues that begin to affect accuracy of pointing.
This same issue of spacing is a moderate problem in the HUD controls for the right virtual joystick and “calling” button that draws scarf creatures close, because accidental miss-strikes use a player’s flight resource (Finn & Johnson, 2017; Isbister & Schaffer, 2008; ThatGameCompany, 2019). The camera speed selection buttons could easily be spaced out further, helping to avoid accidental taps (Finn & Johnson, 2017; ThatGameCompany, 2019). On the in-game virtual joystick and “calling” controls, the virtual joysticks could be moved a bit more into the center, which would help to avoid accidentally triggering the “call” button, and also help to circumvent issues caused by decreased peripheral vision (Finn & Johnson, 2017; ThatGameCompany, 2019).
On the level of important issue, Journey has two potential problems, one is that the main menu button to start or continue a game, see Figure 4, is only clickable in a tight area around the icon and descriptive text, which goes against tapping accuracy suggestions found in literature on UI design for aging adults (Finn & Johnson, 2017; ThatGameCompany, 2019). The flashing they use to indicate those are interactive areas is a nice way to grab attention in that problematic peripheral vision area (Finn & Johnson, 2017; ThatGameCompany, 2019).
Another is the lack of labeling in the options menu to explain the impact of the player’s decisions for selecting a virtual joystick movement side, though the decision is clear, it is not stated that camera movement is tied to the other joystick (Finn & Johnson, 2017; ThatGameCompany, 2019). There also isn’t any labeling or tutorial to explain the use of the “call” button, the player needs to experiment to discover its use (Finn & Johnson, 2017; ThatGameCompany, 2019). In terms of fixes, the main menu could be easily adjusted to make the whole area around the icon and text clickable, and in the options menu, the virtual joystick that isn’t selected for movement could contain the same camera icon used for the “invert” that appears below it that selection area.
On the level of the critical issue, there are two primary ones that will be addressed, the placement of elements in the player’s peripheral vision range, and the use of low contrast visuals throughout the user interface, including as a means of offering feedback as to choices made (Finn & Johnson, 2017; Isbister & Schaffer, 2008; ThatGameCompany, 2019). Both in the in-game HUD and the pause menu there is a use of peripheral icons that are low contrast, both of which would make them harder for the older adult player to see (Finn & Johnson, 2017; ThatGameCompany, 2019). Having a plain background in the pause and options menus, with larger icons in a higher contrast color, could be a solution to this problem (Finn & Johnson, 2017).
In the design of the options menu for Journey, while there is feedback when options are chosen, the desaturated background and change between a soft white and opaque gray is not easy for older adults to distinguish due to vision changes that happen with age (Finn & Johnson, 2017; Isbister & Schaffer, 2008; ThatGameCompany, 2019). For the feedback issue tied to contrast, moving away from subtle changes in whites and grays, to something more high contrast would be helpful, along with removing background imagery (Finn & Johnson, 2017; ThatGameCompany, 2019). It is also worth noting that Journey doesn’t have any options to replace text or visuals with audio cues, which, particularly when paired with the other issues pointed out, might be an example of pushing the simplicity heuristic too far (Finn & Johnson, 2017; Isbister & Schaffer, 2008; ThatGameCompany, 2019).
The cognitive and physiological changes that come with age have a distinct impact on the player’s ability to interact as intended with interfaces and will require careful consideration of how to apply what are accepted as standard usability heuristics (Finn & Johnson, 2017; Isbister & Schaffer, 2008).
References
Finn, K., & Johnson, J. (2017). Designing user interfaces for an aging population[eBookedition]. Morgan Kaufmann. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/designing-user-interfaces/9780128045121/XHTML/B9780128044674000025/B9780128044674000025.xhtml
Isbister, K., & Schaffer, N. (2008). Game usability[eBook edition]. CRC Press. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/gameusability/9780123744470/K16163_C005.xhtml
Ohannessian, K. (2012, March 12). Game designer Jenova Chen on the art behind his“Journey”. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/1680062/game-designer-jenova-chen-on-the-art-behind-his-journey
ThatGameCompany. (2019). Journey. (Version 1.0.2). Annapurna Interactive. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/journey/id1445593893