GrandPad
/
2021
Improving accessibility across a suite of 20 games for players in their 80s and 90s, lifting engagement by 33% on average.
Client
GrandPad
Year
2021
My role
Led usability and accessibility updates across 20 games
The problem
GrandPad's games are some of the most-used features on the tablet, with 21,000 average monthly users. But for players in their 80s and 90s, accessibility gaps made them frustrating: low contrast and small text hurt readability, inconsistent navigation added cognitive load, and players couldn't save progress, so every session started over.
What I did
I led usability improvements across all 20 games. I ran a heuristic review of contrast, navigation, and readability, combined it with feedback from reviews, surveys, and support requests, and met with a group of seniors with vision challenges to hear what would make play easier.
With limited development time, we prioritized the highest-impact changes: resuming a game where you left off, choosing a difficulty level, and a standardized high-contrast interface with consistent color, layout, and spacing. Small in-game instructions helped players feel confident in their moves, and became a default for every new game.
What changed
Engagement rose 33% on average across the updated games. Daily playtime in Sudoku grew 35%, and total plays in Hangman grew 31%. Resume and difficulty selection proved to be the biggest drivers of players returning.
Outcome
33% higher engagement on average, including 35% more daily Sudoku playtime.