From Wingspan to Sanibel: Designing Accessible Board Games — Lessons for Game Developers

Designing Accessible Board Games — Why it matters now

Pain point: Players and buyers in 2026 are overwhelmed by choices and uncertain which titles are truly playable for people with mobility limits, low vision, neurodivergence or sensory sensitivities. Developers face the opposite pain: how to make beautiful, distinct games that are also meaningfully accessible without bloating costs or losing design intent.

This article uses Elizabeth Hargrave’s Wingspan and her 2026 release Sanibel as a lens for practical, actionable accessibility principles that both tabletop and video game developers can adopt today. Hargrave’s design choices—driven by personal experience and careful ergonomics—give us a clear template for making games that are easy to learn, comfortable to play, and welcoming to diverse communities.

The fast takeaway (inverted pyramid)

• Design for clarity first: legible icons, consistent actions, and short rule sets reduce cognitive load.
• Make play optionally multimodal: support sight, sound, and touch so people can pick the mode that works for them.
• Prioritize onboarding: tutorial scenarios, quick reference sheets, and optional app assistance increase retention and accessibility.
• Test with the communities you want to include: lived experience beats assumptions—run inclusive playtests early and often.

Why Wingspan and Sanibel matter to accessibility

Wingspan (2019) helped define a category of calm, engine-building "cozy" games that emphasize approachable mechanics, attractive components, and intuitive iconography. Sanibel (released Jan 16, 2026) continues that family of games—designed explicitly with accessibility in mind, in part because Hargrave designed it for her father. That intention shows up in compact rule flows, tactile-friendly components, and a design that reduces unnecessary bookkeeping.

"When I'm not gaming, I'm often outside..." — Elizabeth Hargrave (paraphrased). The point: accessible design can grow from personal motivation and real-world constraints.

What these games do well (and why it works)

• Clear iconography: Wingspan uses consistent symbols across cards and mats to communicate actions quickly. Clear icons cut down rule lookups and speed decisions—critical for players with working memory or language processing differences.
• Tactile components: Both games emphasize pieces you can feel and sort—egg tokens, chips, bags—helpful for low-vision players and anyone who benefits from hands-on cues.
• Modular complexity: Gameplay layers are gradual. Beginners can play the base loop while advanced players explore expansions and optimizations.
• Theme and tone: Cozy natural themes reduce stress, making the experience less exclusionary for neurodivergent or sensory-sensitive players.

Principles every game developer should copy

1. Reduce cognitive load with explicit affordances

Design elements should signal their use immediately. Use consistent color-meaning mapping, repeated icon sets, and a single clear action sequence per turn. For example, Wingspan’s player mats make resource flow visible at a glance—players don’t need to mentally track complex states across pages.

Actionable steps:

• Create a one-page turn summary and include it in the box and on player mats.
• Limit unique iconography to a small, reused set; avoid bespoke symbols for every new mechanic.
• Use high-contrast printing and a type size that respects low-vision needs (12–14 pt minimum for body text on cards).

2. Support multiple sensory channels

Not everyone processes information the same way. Offer visual, tactile, and audio cues so players can use the channel that works best for them. Sanibel’s bag-shaped boards and tactile tokens are an example of how physical design supports alternative input.

Actionable steps:

• Add embossed or raised symbols on cards and boards for touch recognition.
• Provide optional audio guides or narrated rules via QR code and a lightweight web player—don’t force players to download a full app.
• Include high-contrast, colorblind-friendly palettes and test with standard simulators (Protanopia/Deuteranopia/Tritanopia).

3. Make accessibility optional but robust

Accessibility shouldn't be a hidden hack or an expensive add-on. Integrate it into the core design so the base game is playable while enhancements add comfort. In Sanibel’s case, deliberate component choices make the base game friendlier without needing extra inserts or aftermarket hacks.

Actionable steps:

• Build the base game with accessible affordances; offer an upgrade pack (embossed replacements, larger print) as an optional add-on rather than the only inclusive solution.
• Provide a "low-barrier" variant in the rulebook—simplified setup and fewer decision branches for shorter plays or new players.

4. Onboard players with scenarios and play aids

Onboarding is the single most cost-effective accessibility feature. A short tutorial scenario reduces friction for all newcomers. Wingspan’s rulebook structure and playmats act as onboarding tools; Sanibel expands on the idea by simplifying common routines.

Actionable steps:

• Design a 10–20 minute tutorial game that demonstrates one mechanic at a time.
• Create laminated player reference cards and a quick-start foldout included in the box.
• Offer a paced, narrated "first game" experience via a lightweight web app for people who prefer audio guidance.

5. Use modular difficulty and choice scaffolding

Modular difficulty lets players tune tension without changing the core rules. Cozy games like Wingspan and Sanibel often achieve accessibility by making failure rare and choices meaningful but not punishing.

Actionable steps:

• Include optional advanced rules that can be toggled on or off.
• Provide default handicaps or catch-up mechanics for mixed-skill groups.
• Use visible, trackable goals instead of hidden or complex scoring when possible.

Checklist: Accessibility audit for tabletop games

1. Icons and text: Are symbols consistent, explained, and at least 12–14 pt with high contrast?
2. Tactile affordances: Do essential components have tactile cues or distinct shapes?
3. Playtime and complexity: Is there a short tutorial variant and a full variant?
4. Optional digital support: Is there a simple QR-linked rule narration or web guide?
5. Playtesting: Have you run sessions with players who have mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive differences?
6. Manufacturing pragmatics: Are embossed cards and larger print costed into your BOM or available as an add-on?

Lessons for video game developers

Many accessibility ideas translate directly to digital games. The two big takeaways from Wingspan and Sanibel for video designers are: (1) structure information to reduce cognitive load and (2) give players control over how they receive information.

Concrete video game implementations

• Progressive disclosure: Introduce mechanics one at a time, with optional tooltips and an interactive tutorial mode.
• Multi-sensory feedback: Use visual highlights, distinct audio cues, and optional haptic feedback to signal important events. By late 2025, mainstream consoles and mobile devices made haptics more precise—use subtle, remappable haptic patterns for core actions.
• UI scaling and remapping: Offer scalable fonts, UI contrast presets, and fully remappable controls including gamepad and keyboard profiles.
• Assistive AI: Integrate optional real-time voice summarizers (e.g., narrated turn highlights) and intelligent hint systems. In early 2026, lightweight on-device AI helpers became common—leverage them for privacy-friendly narration and rule summarization.

Production and cost—how to include accessibility without exploding your budget

Common pushback is that accessibility is expensive. Thoughtful design choices reduce costs:

• Choose component shapes that serve multiple purposes (e.g., color + texture) rather than separate add-ons.
• Standardize card sizes and typography across products to benefit from economies of scale.
• Offer optional upgrade kits (embossed replacements, large-print cards) sold separately to keep the box price competitive while giving buyers choice.

Playtesting: The non-negotiable step

Designing for accessibility is not a checklist exercise; it’s collaborative. Recruit playtesters who live with different access needs and compensate them properly. Ask specific questions during testing:

• Which parts of setup or gameplay feel frustrating?
• Are rules and icons understandable without reading long paragraphs?
• Do tactile cues help? Which ones are most useful?

2025–2026 trends you should factor into design

Recent developments have changed the landscape:

• AI-assisted narration and summarization: Late 2025 saw broad adoption of on-device AI tools that produce short, private game narrations. Developers can offer optional narrated tutorials without privacy trade-offs.
• Precision haptics: By early 2026, more controllers and phones support refined haptic patterns—use them for non-intrusive cues.
• 3D-print friendly components: Low-cost, community-driven 3D models for tactile aids are now mainstream; provide official STL files for accessibility inserts and quick prototypes.
• Cross-modal rule delivery: QR-linked web players and progressive web apps (PWAs) offer accessible rule narration and searchable FAQs without forcing full app installs.

Case study: Translating Sanibel’s decisions into your next project

Sanibel’s design intent—rooted in a personal need—gives us a small step-by-step blueprint:

1. Start with the core loop: Identify the one action you want players to repeat. Simplify and make it visible on the player surface.
2. Reduce bookkeeping: Replace incremental tracking with physical tokens or a simple meter that shows progress at a glance.
3. Make components distinct: Use different sizes, textures, or shapes so pieces can be sorted by feel.
4. Document low-barrier variants: Put them front-and-center in the rulebook. Don’t bury accessibility in an appendix.
5. Ship small digital helpers: A short narrated first game and a quick reference PDF—low cost, high impact.

Measuring success

Define metrics that matter beyond sales:

• Time-to-first-win or time-to-first-complete-turn for new players (should decrease after redesigns).
• Accessibility satisfaction score collected after playtests and social play events.
• Rate of repeat play by players who identify as having access needs.

Final thoughts and actionable checklist

Accessible design is not a constraint; it’s an expansion of audience, empathy and quality. Hargrave’s Wingspan and Sanibel show that accessibility and aesthetic charm can reinforce each other. They also show accessibility can be baked into the core—affecting components, rule structure and onboarding—without sacrificing identity or depth.

Quick checklist to implement this week

• Draft a one-page turn summary and include it in next print run.
• Create a 10–20 minute tutorial scenario for playtests.
• Run three diverse accessibility playtests and pay participants.
• Export a QR-linked narrated ruleset (PWA) and add it to the rulebook.
• Prototype tactile markers for one component and test with low-vision users.

Call to action

If you’re a developer: start small, test early, and share your accessibility notes publicly—your community wants to help. If you’re a player or organizer: help by joining inclusive playtests and giving constructive feedback. To get a jumpstart, download our free "Accessible Game Design Checklist" and sign up for early access to community playtest slots—tools and templates informed by Wingspan and Sanibel’s best practices that you can apply to your next project.

Design with empathy, test with community, ship with options. That’s the lesson from Hargrave’s cozy designs—and it’s a playbook the entire games industry can use in 2026.

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