Team: Manali Panchal/ Svaney Shen/ Zhaolu Song
Brief: Design a friendly museum experience for children with ASD.
Time: October
Design for Pre-visiting
Based on the feedback from last week and previous research, we decided to focus on the pre-visiting stage in the limited time. There are two reasons. First, familiarity is very important when individuals with ASD face a new environment. Gabby told us they need to take the same snacks, the same bottle when she goes out with her son with ASD. Second, individuals with ASD have a certain capacity and they can't afford sudden changes, hence making a detailed plan within their capacity is crucial.
Printable Visual Cards
From our research, we found out that visual supports can benefit children with ASD a lot. Visual supports are non-verbal ways for children with ASD to communicate their needs and make sense of the world around them (Katherine, 2021). With visual aids, children with ASD can have both input and output in their activities. Hence, we designed some visual cards for each area in Science Museum. The visual card includes information about sensory stimulus and photography of that area to familiarize children with ASD with the museum environment in advance.
Visual cards. Design by Team.
Sensory Map
Eliminating potential unexpected stimuli is critical, as research showed that 42% to 88% of children feel overstimulated when facing sensory stimuli (Shrikant, 2018). I designed a pre-visiting sensory map for the families of children with ASD. Caregivers can use this map to choose the safe area for children by unselecting sensory stimulus.
Sensory map. Design by me.
Tangible Sensory Kit
Tangible objects can afford natural and intuitive social interaction and help them understand better. Hence, in addition to the digital part, we wanted to design a tangible sensory kit that they can buy on the shopping website of the Science Museum. The sensory kit will contain different objects, for example, interactive cards, ear plugs, to help those on spectrum to prepare museum visits.
Interactive Cards. Designed by team.
Feedback & Take away
Weekly presentation. Photo by Maria.
Generally, the feedback is positive, especially for the interactive cards. Greg and Wan thought it is a good idea and suggested we try different materials. John thought the sensory map can’t change the museum environment, which means there are still some potential risks for children with ASD to visit museums. I agreed with him about the potential risks. I realized that the main aim of the sensory map should be to help children familiarize themselves with the museum environment and have mental preparation, rather than guiding them to specific areas.
This week was very intense but fruitful. As the project progressed, I learned more about autism and the limitations of the real world. As a designer, I think it is essential to nudge the world and try to change what we can change as much as possible, even it is just a small step.
Next, we will iterate our prototypes based on the feedback.
References
Katherine, G. (2021) The Benefits of Visual Supports for Children with Autism. Available at: https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/benefits-of-autism-visual-supports/ (Accessed: 28th Sep. 2021).
Shrikant, A. (2018) How Museums Are Becoming More Sensory-Friendly For Those With Autism. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-museums-are-becoming-more-sensory-friendly-for-those-with-autism-180967740/. (Accessed: 5th Oct. 2021).
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