A User-Centred Methodology for the Development of Computer-Based Assistive Technologies for Individuals with Autism

Abstract

The design and development of computer assistive technologies must be tied to the needs and goals of end users and must take into account their capabilities and preferences. In this paper, we present MeDeC@, a Methodology for the Development of Computer Assistive Technologies for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), which relies heavily in our experience working with end users with ASD. The aim of this methodology is not to design for a broad group of users, but to design highly customizable tools so that they can be easily adapted to specific situations and small user groups. We also present two applications developed using MeDeC@ in order to test its suitability: Emo-Traductor, a web application for emotion recognition for people with Asperger Syndrome, and ReadIt, a web browser plug-in to help people with ASD with written language understanding difficulties to navigate the Internet. The results of our evaluation with end users show that the use of MeDeC@ helps developers to successfully design computer assistive technologies taking into account the special requirements and scenarios that arise when developing this kind of assistive applications.

Diseño y fabricación de una órtesis activa para descarga de peso

“…Para poder analalizar de un forma más completa la funcionalidad de la órtesis, dicho mecanismo se ha desarrollado siguiendo la metodología DCU (Diseño Centrado en el Usuario), consistente en tres etapas iterativas de análisis, diseño y validación [5].…”

Design and evaluation of ECO: an augmentative and alternative communication tool

“…This questionnaire should be answered by users with disabilities who participated in the study, though children and young adults who interacted with the tool during the evaluation did not have the ability to respond directly to the questionnaires, so we needed the help of therapists to do it. This is an extended recommendation in studies involving users with disabilities [1][10] [13]. Then, a second questionnaire about the therapists' perception of the utility and usage of the tool during the sessions was performed.…”

Predictive composition of pictogram messages for users with autism

“…Our objective was for the editor to be used to improve the communication between children with autism and their family and teachers. As stated by Hervás et al (2019), it is usually difficult to work with users with cognitive disabilities. The problem is not only that these users may face extra difficulties to express their needs or desires, but also that they may not be available to be involved during such complex and usually long processes.…”