Case Study: Translating a Board Game Designer’s Accessibility Ethos into an Inclusive Exoplanet Curriculum

UUnknown

2026-02-15

10 min read

Adapt Elizabeth Hargrave’s accessibility-first design to a 5-week exoplanet curriculum and kit that centers tactile, multimodal learning.

Hook: Teachers need inclusive, science-accurate kits — fast

Finding exoplanet education materials that are both scientifically accurate and genuinely accessible is still a struggle for many teachers and homeschooling parents in 2026. District budgets are tight, classrooms are more diverse than ever, and educators want kits that respect Universal Design for Learning without sacrificing the thrill of discovery. This case study shows how board game designer Elizabeth Hargrave—best known for Wingspan and her recent Sanibel—offers a usable design ethos that translates directly into an inclusive exoplanet curriculum and classroom kit.

The essential idea: Hargrave’s design philosophy, boiled down

Elizabeth Hargrave’s work is often described as “cozy, nature-driven, and inclusive.” In interviews (including with Polygon), Hargrave emphasizes three repeatable choices that make her games both popular and approachable: player-centered empathy, low visual friction, and modular complexity. She designs with real players in mind—Hargrave has said she builds games with her dad’s needs in mind—then layers depth so new players can start small and scale up.

That combination—empathetic design, clear visuals, and scalable complexity—maps directly onto classroom design. It becomes an accessibility-first blueprint for exoplanet education where learners vary in ability, background knowledge, language, and sensory needs.

Why this matters in 2026

Recent advances through the 2020s—improved atmospheric spectroscopy from JWST, higher-cadence surveys from missions like TESS, and public data releases—have put exoplanet concepts (atmospheres, biosignature detection, habitability metrics) on the classroom map. At the same time, education policy and funding in 2024–2026 increasingly require equity and accessibility in STEM materials. Teachers want turnkey, evidence-based curricula that are inclusive, tactile, and adaptable for remote or hybrid learning.

Key 2026 trends educators should know

Multimodal learning: tactile 3D models, audio narration, and AR overlays are now common in classrooms.
Accessibility standards: districts expect UDL alignment and multilingual assets.
Data-driven citizen science: students can engage with authentic exoplanet light curves and spectra.
Budget-savvy kits: teachers want high-impact, low-prep materials they can reuse year after year.

From game table to classroom: 7 principles to adapt from Hargrave

Below are Hargrave-inspired design principles and direct classroom translations. Each principle includes practical actions you can apply this week.

1. Empathize with the player (student)

Game principle: Hargrave builds with specific players in mind (e.g., her dad). That drives empathy—choices that reduce friction and increase delight.

Classroom translation: begin with a user profile exercise. Create 3–5 student archetypes (English learner, low-vision student, neurodivergent learner, gifted learner, absent-for-medical-reasons learner). For each lesson, ask: What barriers might this student face?

Action: Draft an accessibility checklist per lesson—font sizes, contrast, audio alternatives, simplified instructions.
Action: Prototype one tactile model (a 3D-printed exoplanet) and one audio description in the first week.

2. Reduce visual noise; clarify with icons and affordances

Game principle: Wingspan and Sanibel use bold, simple iconography and friendly components that convey function at a glance.

Classroom translation: design high-contrast, colorblind-friendly cards and icons for exoplanet properties (mass, radius, temperature, atmosphere). Pair each icon with an auditory label and a tactile symbol (raised-line or embossed sticker).

Action: Use a color palette validated for colorblind accessibility (Tools: Coblis / Color Oracle).
Action: Add a 1–2 word label in at least two languages prevalent in your district.

3. Make complexity modular

Game principle: Hargrave’s designs let players opt into deeper mechanics across expansions; new players aren’t overwhelmed.

Classroom translation: create a three-tier lesson scaffold: Core (entry), Enrichment (intermediate), and Challenge (advanced). Students can move between tiers via mastery badges.

Action: Week 1 = Core: concept of exoplanets and detection methods with hands-on analogies. Week 2 = Enrichment: read real light curves and simulate a transit. Week 3 = Challenge: run a mini-research project and present findings.
Action: Use modular kit inserts (e.g., a Core card pack, an Enrichment sensor board, an advanced spectroscopy module). Consider tiered offerings for optional add-ons or district-wide kits.

4. Build tactile, collectible components

Game principle: Hargrave’s components are collectible, tactile, and visually delightful—people love holding the pieces.

Classroom translation: students collect physical exoplanet tokens in a “discovery bag” (inspired directly by Sanibel’s bag mechanic). Tokens represent classes of exoplanets (rocky, mini-Neptune, gas giant) and include tactile cues (bumpy for rocky, ridged for gas giants).

Action: Include per-kit a reusable canvas bag, six textured tokens, and a token legend in braille and large print.
Action: Encourage students to “catalog” tokens in a tactile field guide (embossed pages for low vision).

5. Prioritize play-driven learning

Game principle: Hargrave uses approachable mechanics to encourage exploration and emergent strategy.

Classroom translation: design learning through play. Create short game-like scenarios where students “compete” to discover and characterize exoplanets using limited telescope time and observation tokens.

Action: A 30–45 minute “Observation Round” asks teams to allocate telescope time to transit, radial velocity, or direct imaging—each method has different costs and returns.
Action: Debrief with evidence-based questions: What measurements reduced uncertainty? How would you prioritize follow-up observations?

6. Make rules easy but meaningful

Game principle: elegant rule sets enable deep strategy without steep learning curves.

Classroom translation: keep student-facing instructions short and use teacher-facing documents to expand. Create a one-page student rule sheet for each activity, plus a teacher scaffold with differentiation notes.

Action: Limit student instructions to 6–8 lines and support with a 90-second video walkthrough for hybrid classrooms.

7. Iterate with players (students) and caregivers

Game principle: Hargrave playtests extensively with diverse groups; feedback refines accessibility and fun.

Classroom translation: pilot small, then scale. Run a two-week pilot in one classroom, gather feedback from students, special educators, and caregivers, then iterate. See how community pop-ups and micro-events can help with local piloting and outreach.

Action: Use quick metrics—engagement (time-on-task), comprehension (pre/post quiz), and accessibility ratings (Likert survey from learners and teachers). Link your metrics into a KPI dashboard to track impact over multiple pilots.
Action: Publish a short pilot report to the school community and use it to apply for micro-grants or PTA funding. Local showcases and pop-up-style events are effective ways to drum up PTA interest.

Step-by-step: Build an inclusive exoplanet curriculum & kit (5-week model)

Below is a practical, week-by-week curriculum and a kit Bill of Materials you can source and assemble. This is a teacher-friendly, low-prep model inspired by Hargrave’s design choices.

Week 0 — Teacher prep (2–4 hours)

Print large-format student cards and tactile token legend.
Load audio descriptions to a shared classroom drive and test on common devices (see device and workstation recommendations in the compact mobile workstations review).
Pre-program a simple spreadsheet-based scoring tool for student projects.

Week 1 — What is an exoplanet? (Core)

Engage with a tactile “discovery bag” of exoplanet tokens. Students feel and sort tokens into categories.
Introduce detection methods using physical analogies (flashlight transit demo, tug-of-war rope for radial velocity).
Assessment: quick thumbs-up/neutral/down to gauge understanding; audio response option available.

Week 2 — Light curves and transits (Enrichment)

Provide accessible light-curve printouts with high-contrast and raised-line overlays. Students use a slider to simulate different transit depths.
Mini-lab: measure transit depth, estimate radius ratio, and record results in the tactile field guide.

Week 3 — Atmospheres and spectra (Challenge)

Use color-encoded spectra cards with audio descriptors. Students match atmospheric features to likely gases (H2O, CO2, Na).
Optional: connect to an online JWST dataset (curated, simplified) and let students “vote” on best candidate for follow-up.

Week 4 — Mini-research project

Teams select tokens and design an observing strategy with limited resources (telescope time tokens). They must justify the order of follow-ups.
Presentations use multimodal formats: poster, audio narration, or tactile board walk-through.

Students compile a shared “Exoplanet Field Guide” with tactile pages and multilingual captions.
Invite caregivers for a brief showcase; provide printed accessible handouts for home discussion—local micro-events and pop-up micro-hub examples can inspire outreach plans.

Classroom kit: Bill of Materials (BOM) and pricing guide

This BOM is optimized for a class of 24 students split into 6 teams. Costs are estimates—prices vary by supplier; target low-cost, durable materials.

6 canvas discovery bags — $36 total
24 textured planet tokens (3D print or molded) — ~$2 per token = $48
Embossed tactile field guide (class set, 24 copies) — $5–$10 each
High-contrast laminated cards (detection methods, spectra) — $30
Audio pack: 90-second narrated clips on an SD card or QR access — $20
Simple USB spectrometer (classroom shared) or sensor kit — $150–$300 (optional for enrichment; see hardware notes in the dev kits field review)
Teacher guide & lesson packet (print + digital) — included

Target per-class kit cost: $300–$550 depending on sensors and print quality. Many districts or PTAs will fund this as a single reusable kit.

Accessibility checklist (quick reference)

Visual: Sans-serif fonts, minimum 16pt student text, 70% contrast ratio, colorblind-safe palette.
Auditory: Short audio instructions, transcribed captions, and offline playback options.
Tactile: Raised-line graphics, textured tokens, embossing for legends.
Language: Key assets in the district’s top languages; visuals carry the meaning when possible.
Flexibility: Materials for collaborative & solo work, low-prep options for substitute teachers.

Measuring success: Teacher review metrics

A Hargrave-inspired curriculum values engagement as equal to correctness. Combine formative and summative metrics to judge success:

Engagement (qualitative): teacher observation, time-on-task, student-led questions.
Knowledge gains (quantitative): pre/post concept quiz on detection methods and exoplanet types.
Accessibility impact: percentage of learners using at least one alternative format (audio, tactile, translated materials).
Student agency: number of student-initiated follow-ups or independent mini-projects.

“Design with people first. Start small. Make components people want to touch.” — a Hargrave-inspired mantra for inclusive STEM.

Pilot case (modeled): Midtown Middle School, pilot spring 2025

To show how this plays out in practice, here’s a modeled pilot based on typical teacher feedback loops used in inclusive curriculum design.

Setting: 7th grade science, 24 students, two IEP/504 plans, three English learners.
Intervention: 5-week Hargrave-inspired exoplanet unit using the kit above.
Outcomes (modeled): 38% increase in mean concept quiz score; 85% of students used at least one alternative-format material; teachers reported higher project ownership and simpler substitute coverage.
Teacher note: students with visual impairments reported that tactile tokens and raised-line charts made abstract concepts tangible.

These modeled outcomes align with 2025–2026 classroom reports emphasizing the power of multisensory and modular resources for increasing participation.

Scaling & future-proofing: What to do next (2026 and beyond)

To keep your curriculum relevant you should:

Keep a living data module: swap in new exoplanet datasets from public archives as they’re released; consider simple telemetry and dataset integration patterns when automating updates (edge+cloud telemetry examples show integration patterns).
Maintain modular add-ons: spectroscopy module, citizen-science integration, or AR planet viewer.
Solicit annual accessibility audits: have a local accessibility specialist review materials each year.
Pursue microgrants and community partnerships: museums and universities often fund inclusive STEM outreach (see neighborhood market strategies and local micro-event ideas).

Final takeaway: Why Hargrave’s ethos works for exoplanet education

Hargrave’s approach—empathetic, visually clear, and modular—translates cleanly to classroom design because it centers people over content. In a subject like exoplanets, where data can be abstract and concepts accumulate quickly, handing students tactile, accessible hooks makes the science stick. A Hargrave-inspired kit and curriculum reduce teacher prep, honor diverse learners, and keep curiosity at the center.

Call to action

Ready to pilot a Hargrave-inspired exoplanet unit? Download our free starter pack (teacher guide, one-page student rules, and accessible icon set) or request a quote for a complete classroom kit. Join our 2026 teacher cohort to pilot the curriculum with other educators, collect impact data, and receive community-tested improvements.

Get the starter pack and schedule a demo at exoplanet.shop — make your next unit inclusive, playful, and scientifically current.

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