Multisensory Quest

This project followed a rigorous, professional iterative design process to make complex immunology concepts accessible to blind, low vision, and diverse-needs learners. Grounded in human-centred and inclusive design, the process followed a year-long investigation including comprehensive research phase followed by iterative design cycles, evaluations and play-testing.

The process leveraged the lived experience of legally blind artist and science communicator Dr Erica Tandori (Monash Sensory Science & Swinburne), whose insights profoundly shaped the tactile image and braille elements. Under the supervision of inclusive design and science communication specialist Dr Stu Favilla (Swinburne) design research integrity and professional design standards were maintained. Highly detailed comparative case studies of boardgames were also undertaken.

Drawing inspiration from social board games like The Settlers of Catan, the project explored how strategic, tactile gameplay could be reimagined for blind, low vision and general audiences. Early low-fidelity prototypes tested tactile symbols, Braille integration, and sound cues. Iterative cycles of sketching, tactile form exploration, laser cutting, and hundreds of hours of 3D printing then refined the design. The process was then guided by participatory feedback sessions with proxy users wearing blindness and low vision simulation together with the expert consultation of Dr Tandori at Monash Sensory Science Project.

The design process explored the creation of bespoke tactile tiles, 3D printed Braille, spatial mechanics, and lithophane image-making that welcome both sighted and non-sighted players. It was then professionally executed using durable, sustainable materials and accompanied by clear multisensory instructions.

This project exceeded its original brief creating an entirely new communication experience that both redefines inclusive STEM learning and contemporary boardgame design. Implemented through a completed prototype and presented in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for 2025 National Science Week, it stands ready to inform future practice—setting a new benchmark for professional, inclusive design excellence in Victoria and beyond.

Inspired by the hugely popular and enduring “Settlers of Catan”, “Immunology Quest” is neither a redux, remake or direct adaption, but rather an original new game design that redefines the possibilities for inclusive boardgame design. The  game was carefully designed to communicate immunology processes through touch, spatial strategy, and lithophane tiles that present a detailed photo-negative image when illuminated from behind. It employs clear tactile hierarchies, robust Braille labelling, and intuitive gameplay mechanics, ensuring each element can be independently explored and understood. Accessibility is central: from high-contrast, tactile-friendly materials to carefully calibrated tile layouts that guide blind and low vision players seamlessly through the game.

Quality shines through in the professional execution of prototypes, crafted via hand, modelled in CAD and carefully reproduced via 3D. Enriched by the lived experience of Dr Erica Tandori and extensively play-tested, the design process ensures durability, clarity, and long-term reusability, supporting principles of sustainable knowledge design.

Critically, the user experience was holistically designed: gameplay encourages social collaboration, mutual discovery, and emotional connection, transforming complex science into an accessible, shared adventure. User testing confirmed participants not only grasped immunology concepts but were deeply engaged and empowered.  By directly challenging ableist norms in both board gaming and science education, this project sets a new benchmark for design excellence—not just for Victoria, but globally. It powerfully demonstrates how investing in professional, research-led design can dismantle barriers, advance inclusive education, and showcase Victoria’s leadership in innovative, human-centred design that resonates worldwide.

“Thoughts without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind.”
— Immanuel Kant,

Critique of Pure Reason (1781). Kant emphasized that sensory experience/intuitions and conceptual-understanding/thoughts are both essential for knowledge. Therefore, without sensory data, our thoughts lack substance; without concepts, our sensory experiences are unintelligible.

This insight captures the very challenge Multisensory Quest set out to solve: How can an inclusive boardgame design communicate STEM and promote inclusion? In response, this design merged sensory engagement (intuitions) with scientific-understanding (concepts), proposing new design transforming abstract immunology into inclusive multisensory, playful-experiences.

The design makes a pioneering contribution to both STEM communication and contemporary boardgame design, both fields lacking in genuine inclusivity. The BoardGameGeek database, with over 140,000 catalogued commercial games, reveals only around 300 titles tagged as playable by blind or low-vision players. Amongst these, only a handful are explicitly designed for blind and low vision players and even less to promote inclusion.

Multisensory Quest stands apart; a purpose-built system that leverages tactile tiles, 3D printed Braille, spatial mechanics, and collaborative rules to ensure blind and low vision players not only participate but lead, explore, and learn on equal footing. Its design can therefore be adapted and scalable to potentially every boardgame. Additionally, it reshapes how immunology can be communicated: through a rich, multisensory experience grounded in user testing, leveraging lived experience of a legally blind artist-science communicator Dr Erica Tandori and under the supervision of Dr Stu Favilla, the game evolved through iterative prototyping, laser cutting, and 3D tactile experimentation to achieve high sensory clarity and cognitive depth.

Finally, this project creates new opportunities for diverse learners, challenges ableist conventions in both science education and leisure, and sets a groundbreaking precedent for how professional design can fuse ethics, epistemology, and playful engagement—advancing design innovation in Victoria, Australia, and worldwide.

This project delivers a powerful impact across social, educational, and industry domains by directly addressing a profound gap in science communication: accessible tools for blind, low vision, and diverse needs (BLVDN) learners. By creating Multisensory Quest, an interactive, tactile board game that teaches immunology through touch, sound, and multisensory engagement, the project transforms how complex STEM concepts are communicated—opening entirely new pathways for inclusive learning.

Socially, it dismantles barriers faced by BLVDN learners who are too often excluded from visual-centric science education. The game invites these learners into collaborative, playful exploration, fostering equity, participation, and a sense of belonging in learning environments typically out of reach. User testing demonstrated heightened engagement, retention, and joy, proving that thoughtful, human-centred design can turn exclusion into empowerment.

Environmentally and conceptually, the project advances circular principles by rethinking “resource design” not in material waste but in cognitive inclusion—extending the reach and life of educational knowledge itself. By embedding tactile markers, Braille, 3D-printed forms, and multisensory mechanics, the game can be adapted and reproduced sustainably, offering a template for future educational tools that prioritise reuse, adaptability, and diverse sensory access.

Economically and professionally, Multisensory Quest illustrates why investing in rigorous, research-led design processes delivers far-reaching value. It positions Victoria and Australia as leaders in socially responsive, inclusive design—showcasing how design can simultaneously elevate educational standards, enrich the creative industries, and set new global benchmarks for accessibility in science communication.

Ultimately, this project demonstrates that truly impactful design is measured not only by aesthetic or commercial success, but by how deeply it transforms lives, dismantles barriers, and redefines who gets to participate in knowledge. It establishes a new paradigm where inclusive, multisensory, and user-centred approaches are essential hallmarks of design excellence—locally and internationally.