Content area
Full Text
Abstract
Young students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often find it difficult to communicate with others face-to-face. Virtual reality offers a platform in which students can communicate in a safe and predictable environment where face-to-face communication is not necessary. Participatory design with end-users is an important part of developing successful, usable and enjoyable technology. As designers of technology for young students with ASD, we seek to involve these end-users in the design of software. Therefore, we have developed the Island of Ideas: a collaborative virtual environment (CVE) designed to facilitate participatory design activities with students with ASD. In this paper we report an experimental trial of the Island of Ideas CVE as a meeting space in which a researcher talks with students to find out their views on computer game design and their ideas for new game levels.
Keywords: Autistic spectrum disorder, virtual environments, user centred design
Introduction
Involving users in the design of technology through participatory and user-centred design (UCD) methodologies is widely acknowledged as an important step in developing appropriate and usable programs (1). Traditionally, the involvement of users in the design and development process of technology intended for use in an educational context has focused on adult users (2). However, over the past 20 years, this process has gradually moved away from seeking this information from proxies such as parents or teachers only, towards obtaining additional information directly from the children themselves (3-5). There has been a marked increase in research that has involved child end-users in design (e.g. 6-10). Most researchers now acknowledge the importance of consulting children on technology design as they often have different capabilities and experiences with technology and therefore different requirements (10). Children have been involved in the design process through many different types of UCD activities (e.g. prototype testing activities, workshops, evaluation questionnaires) and through various roles such as user, tester, informant, and design partner (11).
The use of technology for supporting and engaging children with autism spectrum conditions has been shown to be effective (12-16) and software that has been developed specifically for this user group is on the increase (17). However, despite the increasing involvement of children in technology design, the number of cases where children with special needs, and in particular, autism,...