My research
A toolbox for designers to understand the needs of children with autism
Designing for people whose lives are very different from your own is important, but difficult. For example, it is difficult to understand the experiential world of people with cognitive disabilities, because you have never been (and cannot be) in their situation. In this PhD-project I aim to develop a toolbox, which helps a designer to learn through direct contact with children with autism about the experiential world of children with autism.
In my first year, I explored in two cases how I could (as a designer) gain insight into the experiential world of (1) children with autism, and (2) people with dementia. These cases are reported on my projects page. I explored how I could involve these users, and their representatives, in the design process, what plays a role when meeting them, and why.
Based on this experience, I am exploring how tools and techniques can facilitate (other) designers in interacting and gathering information about children with autism.
In my second year, I developed the first version of a toolbox, which includes little toys that enable designers to explore the possibilities, constraints, and preferences of children with autism, together with the children. This toolbox was used in the elective RichCollections in which students gained insight into the experiential world of children with autism for their ITD design project (van Rijn et al., 2009).
Outcomes of this project serve as input for the development of a new tool, which will be explored in the RichCollections project starting December 2009. In this project I will explore how caregivers can be more actively involved in the process and the observation in particular, and also how designers can effectively keep track of the contact with the children and their insights....
Fall 2010, I aim to have my final version of the toolbox ready. This toolbox I would like to test in design practice. For this project, I am looking for a client who needs a product for children with autism, and a design agency who likes to design for this user group. If you have comments, tips, or see any opportunities for collaboration in the future, please feel free to contact me!
Period: April 2007 - October 2011
supervisors
Pieter Jan Stappers (Promotor)
Froukje Sleeswijk Visser
contact
Helma van RijnLandbergstraat 15
2628CE Delft
room: 10-2A-19
phone: 015-2783537
email: h.vanrijn@tudelft.nl
web: www.helmavanrijn.nl
Links to related projects:
ID-Studiolabcontextmapping
klessebessers
Links to related topics:
designID-Studiolab
our research