Presentation
Battle Royale or Barrier Royale? Usability and Accessibility in Fortnite
SessionWednesday Poster Session
DescriptionFortnite is one of the most widely played games in the world, yet players on PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch often experience the game in very different ways. This presentation examines how Fortnite’s design supports/challenges players across platforms, with a focus on usability, accessibility, and cross platform consistency.
Using established evaluation frameworks, including Deque’s Accessibility Heuristics and the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines, expert reviews were conducted of Fortnite’s menus, controls, feedback systems, and in game interactions. We assessed how interface design, hardware constraints, and input methods shape the player experience.
Our findings reveal that players across platforms encounter a range of interconnected usability and accessibility challenges. Dense menu layouts, unclear iconography, and shifting terminology make navigation cognitively demanding, and these issues are amplified on consoles where PlayStation and Switch offer fewer settings and customization options. Navigation often feels unpredictable: some interface elements respond to controller inputs while others require cursor style movement, and the Switch version introduces additional friction by relying on non standard inputs for moving between top level menus. Without tutorials or in game explanations to guide them, players must piece together how systems work through prior experience or external resources, creating barriers for newcomers and returning players alike.
Using established evaluation frameworks, including Deque’s Accessibility Heuristics and the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines, expert reviews were conducted of Fortnite’s menus, controls, feedback systems, and in game interactions. We assessed how interface design, hardware constraints, and input methods shape the player experience.
Our findings reveal that players across platforms encounter a range of interconnected usability and accessibility challenges. Dense menu layouts, unclear iconography, and shifting terminology make navigation cognitively demanding, and these issues are amplified on consoles where PlayStation and Switch offer fewer settings and customization options. Navigation often feels unpredictable: some interface elements respond to controller inputs while others require cursor style movement, and the Switch version introduces additional friction by relying on non standard inputs for moving between top level menus. Without tutorials or in game explanations to guide them, players must piece together how systems work through prior experience or external resources, creating barriers for newcomers and returning players alike.
Contributors
Event Type
Poster
TimeWednesday, October 21st5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
Location