FlexiKit - An Interactive Game Toolkit

FlexiKit is an interactive game toolkit for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder for better museum visits. The aim is to provide information and guidance about the Museum's settings to individuals who are on Autism Spectrum and their families to plan their visits according to their comfort level.

This research-focused project was my final major project for my Master's degree at UAL. I worked in an academic environment in an agile way, implementing and iterating quickly to create an inclusive museum visitor experience.

See Full Process in my Blog.

Colloborator

University of the Arts London

Science Museum London

Team

Manali

Svaney

Time

Jun.2021 - Dec.2021

My Role

Researcher

Designer

Physical Prototype

Introduction

Challenge

Museum-based learning is becoming increasingly important for children. However, museums sometimes are sites of spectacle with strong lights and loud noise, which can be too overwhelming and intimidating to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). (Gaines et al., 2016).

Brief

Goal

Video Clip - Testing at Science Museum London

Final design

Final Design

Final output:

• An Interactive Sensory Map
• Visual Cue cards
• A VR Experience of the Exhibits.

Research

Approach:

• Desk research

• On-site visiting

• Shadowing in a special education classroom

• Quantitative research (Surveys)

• In-depth semi-structured interview

Key Findings:

• Known or predictable situations are crucial for individuals with ASD so pre-visiting design is very important.

• Sensory overload may result if many stimuli occur simultaneously or if rapid transitions occur.

• Individuals with ASD have difficulty understanding intangible messages, like emotion, and body language, but tangible social cues can be helpful.

Ideation

User Journey Map

Before starting the design, I mapped out the entire museum experience and divided it into three phases: PRE-VISIT, ON-SITE, and POST-VISIT experiences.

Tangible User Interfaces &

Digital User Experience

Tangible social cues could be the bridge for people with ASD to communicate with others since individuals with ASD have difficulty understanding intangible messages, such as emotion, and body language.

I had the idea to design a toolkit that combines tangible user interfaces and digital user experience design to support children with ASD and their families.

Based on the research findings and journey map, we focused on the idea of a pre-visit toolkit to support children and their families in making museum visit plans.