Autism Spectrum Experience Cards (ASEC): A co-design tool to represent a neurodiverse user segment

Ravn, Jacob Hjulskov

4. Term

Interaction Design, Master of Science (MSc)

2022

2022-06-08

25

Diagnoser af autisme-spektrumforstyrrelse (ASD) er stigende, hvilket har øget interessen i Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) – feltet, der undersøger, hvordan mennesker bruger digitale systemer. Mange HCI-projekter arbejder for at udvikle inkluderende løsninger og øge bevidstheden om ASD. Alligevel har forskere og praktikere ofte svært ved at gennemføre samarbejdende designaktiviteter med autistiske deltagere, hvilket kan føre til løsninger, de ikke kan spejle sig i. For at imødegå dette præsenterer studiet et co-design-værktøj kaldet Autism Spectrum Experience Cards (ASEC): et sæt designmetodekort, der kan bruges sammen med autistiske deltagere i de tidlige faser af design. Værktøjet blev formet gennem et interview og en række evalueringssessioner med relevante interessenter for at sikre, at kortene er forståelige og repræsenterer autistiske brugeres erfaringer. Resultaterne viser, at autistiske repræsentanter kunne relatere til indholdet, og at kortene fremmede selvrefleksion i forbindelse med deres svar. Studiet konkluderer, at lignende designmetodekort kan udvikles til andre brugergrupper.

Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are increasing, which has intensified interest in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the field that studies how people use digital systems. Many HCI projects aim to design inclusive solutions and raise awareness about ASD. However, researchers and practitioners often struggle to run collaborative design activities with autistic participants, which can lead to solutions that do not feel relevant to them. To address this, this study presents a co-design tool called Autism Spectrum Experience Cards (ASEC): a set of design method cards intended for use with autistic participants in the early stages of design. The tool was shaped through one interview and a series of evaluation sessions with relevant stakeholders to ensure the cards are understandable and representative of autistic users’ experiences. Findings indicate that autistic representatives related to the card content and that the cards encouraged self-reflection when answering. The study concludes there may be an opportunity to develop similar design method cards for other user groups.

[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]

autism spectrum disorder ; ASD ; co-design ; user collaboration ; design method cards ; inclusive design ; neurodiversity

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