Tic\Talk

A small playful, attrative and interactive device that responds to the needs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Human-Center Design Methods

User Research

Conceptual Design

Rapid Prototyping

AUSENS Design Method

Storyboarding

Tools and Software

Arduino Programming

Autodesk Fusion 3D Modeling

3D Printer

Duration

4 weeks: February 2024

My Role and Responsibilities

As the Interaction Designer for this individual project, my responsibilities included conducting user research, generating ideas, creating prototypes, programming interactions, developing 3D models, completing 3D printing, and assembling the final product using various human-centered design methods.

Overview

This project was completed as part of Cornell University’s DEA 5210 Interaction Design Studio. Tic\Talk is designed for children with autism and auditory hyposensitivity, which can lead to difficulty in focusing attention on auditory stimuli and, thus, surrounding conversation. The device consists of complex and tactile patterns that draw the interest of the child, with a geometrically “camouflaged” disk along the perimeter, which rotates and creates new geometries upon the capture of an auditory stimulus above a threshold. Thus, it utilizes elements of surprise, which allows the child to discover and observe sound inputs from around her/him, finding excitement in discovering, focusing on, and learning new auditory sources and associated volume outputs.

Highlights & Innovations

Interactive Auditory Engagement:

Tic\Talk features a rotating disk that responds to auditory stimuli, utilizing elements of surprise to engage children. This design encourages exploration and interaction with sounds in their environment to foster a sense of discovery.

Multisensory Feedback:

The device incorporates visual (LED lights) and tactile feedback (moving parts) to appeal to and engage children. This multimodal approach enhances sensory integration and helps children better process auditory cues.

AUSENS Design Method:

With the conceptual design complete, I used AUSENS method and tools to further refine the prototype. This method allows for the refinement of haptic elements, ensuring they are suitable for children with varying motor skills and sensory thresholds.

Haptic Design Principles:

By integrating haptic design, Tic\Talk provides robust and adaptable tactile feedback. This includes optimizing the shape and texture for easy handling and ensuring that interactive elements are accessible from all angles.

Rapid Prototyping and Iteration:

This project uses rapid prototyping techniques, such as 3D modeling and Arduino programming, to facilitate quick iterations and refinements for more responsive design adjustments upon user feedback.

Comprehensive Evaluation:

The project emphasizes detailed evaluation through storyboarding and interactive modules to ensure that all design elements align with the intended user experience and effectiveness.

User-Centered Design:

The project employs a thorough user-centered design approach, focusing specifically on the needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who experience auditory hyposensitivity. This ensures that the device effectively addresses their unique challenges.

Design Challenge

To develop an interactive, physical device at a small physical scale that responds to the needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), taking into account their sensorial characteristics. Pick one ASD profile: Hyposensitive or Hypersensitive.

User Research

Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is a neurological and developmental condition that begins in childhood and lasts a lifetime. It affects the way people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave.

Source: https://cornell.box.com/s/813m860uyy99hvntf71q0a44gzy8m2gy

Background

Amy is a kindergartener who loves drawing and playing with puzzels.
She has been diagnosed with autism and experiences auditory hyposensitivity, making it difficult for her to pick up verbal cues and focus on social interactions.
Amy attends a mainstream kindergarten where she is supported by a special education teacher.

Challenges

Difficulty hearing verbal instructions from her teacher.
Struggles to follow conversations with classmates during group activities.
Finds it challenging to stay engaged in social interactions and often misses out on important cues.

Goals

Improve her ability to discover and engage with auditory stimuli, such as teacher instructions and classmates' conversations.
Enhance her interaction with her surroundings in an enjoyable, educational, and self-driven way.

Desires

Tools and technologies that can help amplify or clarify verbal instructions and social interactions.
Activities and applications that integrate auditory and visual cues to keep her engaged.

Obstacles

A supportive and inclusive learning environment that accommodates her auditory hyposensitivity.

Persona

Arnold

Age

45 Occupation

Astronaut

Location

Los Angeles

Persona

Amy

Age

6 Grade

Kindergarten

Persona: Amy

Age: 6

Grade: Kindergarten

Conceptual Design

The Audio Engagement Box helps Amy engage with auditory stimuli through visual and tactile feedback, aiding her focus on sounds like her teacher's instructions or classmates' conversations.

Components:

Rectangle Box: Features a hole for the sound sensor and an LED light.
LED Light:
- Listening Mode: Blue light simulates soothing breathing.
- Recording Mode: Changes to green when recording sound.
Sound Sensor: Detects audio signals from the environment.
Recording Mechanism: Records detected sound for 5 seconds.
Motor and Disk:
- Motor Activation: Moves in response to the sound signal's strength.
- Blue Disk: Moves in and out to simulate talking.
Grove Box:
- Integration: Houses the audio sensor and electronic components.

Functionality:

Idle State: LED light breathes blue, indicating readiness to detect sounds.
Sound Detection: LED turns green and records sound for 5 seconds.
Motor Activation: The motor moves the disk according to sound rhythm, providing visual and tactile feedback.

Sensory Hyposensitivity

Very intense stimuli are needed to be perceived.

Sensory Hypersensitivity

Intense stimuli are difficult to process and can become uncomfortable.

My Design Focus

HYPOSENSITIVITY

They like lights, they admire toys with moving parts, objects that shine or are very flashy (such as car wheels).

They like toys that emit sounds; they
generate very loud noises (they hit objects, close doors, clap their hands...).

Examples of :

HAPTIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Principles	Heuristic	Recommendation	Design Refinement
Biomechanical adaptation	The tactile elements of the product must be adapted to motor difficulties.	Haptic elements should allow fine motor skills (pressing, pinching, sliding, holding down, etc.) and thick (holding, crawling, etc.); and should be adjusted to different body areas (fingers, hand, and arm) to adapt to the biomechanical (pressure) capacity of the user.	Product shape and texture are redesigned to be more stable to hold, press and pinch.
	Tactile actionreaction mapping	Action/reaction sensors should be distributed equally to create sensitivity on the entire surface of the product interface.	Lights opening are changed to be distributed across all 360 degrees, not just one side of the box.
Multimodality (visual-tactile)	Tactile and visual information must be compatible with respect to time and type of information.	Time lags between visual and haptic information loops should be avoided. The change from a visual stimulus to a tactile stimulus implies a greater cognitive load than the change from a tactile stimulus to a visual one.	Optimized Arduino code.
Usability	Sensitivity	Interface components must be robust and capable of withstanding a wide pressure range (N or Nm) to accommodate the hyposensitive (impact resistant) or hypersensitive (caress detection capability) threshold.	Redesigned the shape of the product to be easy for grab and accessible from 360 angles.
Temporality	Tactile stimulus processing time is longer in users with autism	Adequate feedback on the interface (type, amount of information, and sufficiency in action-reaction time) minimizes human error and its impacts (frustration and stress). To ensure that individual skin signals are perceived by receptors, stimuli must be separated by at least 5.5 ms	Adjusted motor movement and added design and texture to the blue disc.