Hardware packaging accessibility
Unboxing a new gaming device after purchase is often considered a treasured experience. Product packaging is designed to protect and market the device prior to purchase. Efforts to ensure maximum device protection while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing design can result in packaging elements that are difficult or impossible to remove for some players.
In this unit, you're introduced to best practices principles for packaging design that can produce more accessible customer experiences through:
- Easy wayfinding of packaging components like adhesives and access points.
- Easy removal of device parts from the packaging.
- Product protection with minimal materials.
Provide accessible cues to inform proper unboxing orientation
Before players open a boxed device, an important first step is to determine the proper orientation of the box. Opening the box upside down can result in the device dropping to the floor and becoming damaged.
Players might look for visual cues like text or imagery on the box to inform proper orientation. The following image of the Surface Adaptive Kit packaging is an example.
The top panel of the packaging has text and an image of the Surface Adaptive Kit components. When the box is properly oriented for opening, this text and image appear right side up to the user. If the user orients the box differently, the text and image would appear upside down or sideways. This positioning would indicate to the user that they should adjust the box orientation prior to opening.
Players who can't see or use these visual cues to guide correct orientation might accidentally open packaging incorrectly, resulting in dropped or damaged new devices. To create a safer, more accessible experience, consider the following best practices:
Design packaging with accessible visual and structural cues that inform proper opening orientation:
- Visual: Provide larger text and graphics on packaging to ensure more players with low vision can see and use it to guide orientation.
- Structural: Offer discoverable tactile cues that inform proper unboxing orientation through intentional placement. For example, use break-the-seal labels, closure tabs, or seam lines.
Create packaging that allows players to open and remove devices safely, regardless of box orientation.
Support accessible removal of adhesives and fasteners
Strong adhesives that seal packaging can often pose challenges for players as they attempt to peel or remove them. Removing adhesives requires a great deal of hand and finger strength to lift and grasp the end of the adhesive and pull it away from the packaging.
Players might resort to using a sharp object to open the package, which might damage the device or result in personal injury. When you create an accessible unboxing experience, consider the following best practices for adhesives:
- Ensure adhesives are discoverable through visual and tactile means.
- Provide leverage points for adhesive removal, such as a protruding pull tab.
- Don't apply adhesives on components that don't need them.
In the following image of the Xbox Adaptive Controller packaging, a large adhesive sticker seals the box. The two circular loops serve as an access point for players as they grasp the adhesive to remove it.
Provide multiple access points to inner packaging components
After the device is revealed, players need to remove the device and its smaller components. Smaller components like chargers and instructional guides are typically packed tightly into Styrofoam, plastic bags, or other materials used to protect and secure them from moving around in the box.
Removing these types of components can pose accessibility challenges because of the strength and dexterity required to grasp these objects. You need to balance device security with accessibility. When you create accessible packaging experiences for players with disabilities, consider the following best practices for component removal:
Provide physical access points to assist players in removing devices from inner packaging. For example, a pull tab on the plastic wrap protrudes outward from the Surface tablet package.
Provide physical access points such as pull tabs or loops to assist players in removing smaller boxes or device components from inner packaging structures. The following image reveals the underlying packaging components that are visible after the Surface tablet is removed.
Although these components are embedded within the surrounding container, the following design elements support a more accessible removal experience.
The envelope that contains the device's quick-start guide and the box that contains the charging block feature an oval-shaped opening. This opening allows players to grasp and remove these components by inserting their fingers into the negative cavity space.
From here, the process of removing the charging block from its box has also been designed with accessibility in mind. The charging block is placed on a tray within the box that can be easily slid out. Sliding the tray eliminates the need to shake and lift the box or pull on the power block to remove it.
The tray has a large oval-shaped loop that protrudes from the box, even when it's closed. This loop provides players an easy access point to grasp and slide the tray, revealing the power block. The smaller box can be removed by using the loop to slide the tray out of the box.
For heavier devices or hardware components that might cause pull tabs or loops to tear, design packaging so that negative spaces, or "cavities," are present around the device. These cavities allow players to grasp the device for removal.
The following images show the packaging for the Xbox Series X. The surrounding materials keep the console from moving within the box. Large open spaces surrounding the device provide locations where players can insert their fingers or hands for removal.
Review best practices in action
The following video features many of the best practices outlined in this unit in action. It discusses the accessible packaging components designed and implemented for the Xbox Adaptive Controller. This product and its packaging exemplify a "gold standard" of accessible design. The intent of this video is to reinforce best practices information presented in this unit and to provide inspiration for future packaging design efforts.
Devices differ in terms of size, weight, fragility, and cost. These variables might introduce challenges when you design and create accessible packaging. When you identify and implement solutions for these challenges, you can help improve customer satisfaction. You can also help to provide more customers a truly delightful experience from the moment they have their device at home.