Co-designing serious games with teenagers with ASD enhances engagement and learning outcomes.
Involving teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) directly in the design process of educational games leads to increased enjoyment, motivation, social engagement, and improved learning of curriculum content.
Journal of Computer Assisted Learning · 2018
Key Findings
- 01Participants reported positive experiences regarding enjoyment, motivation, and social engagement.
- 02The level of competitiveness influenced both in-game experience and peer team interaction.
- 03The game mechanisms effectively helped participants with ASD increase their knowledge in Geography content.
Application
Design takeaway
Actively involve target users, especially those with specific needs like ASD, throughout the design process to ensure products are not only functional but also engaging and effective for their intended audience.
How to apply
When designing educational tools or games, consider establishing co-design workshops or feedback loops with individuals representing the target user group, particularly those with neurodevelopmental differences.
Project actions
- 01When designing for a specific user group, consider how their unique characteristics might influence their interaction with the product.
- 02Explore methods for user involvement early in the design process, such as co-design workshops or user interviews.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Directly addresses the underrepresentation of user perspectives in educational game research.
- +Employs a co-design approach, which is a strong user-centered methodology.
Limitations
The findings are based on a small number of participants, so they may not be generalizable to all teenagers with ASD or all types of educational games.
Reliability & validity
The study's pilot nature and small sample size may limit its generalizability and statistical power. However, the qualitative data on user experience and the quantitative measure of knowledge gain provide some evidence for the effectiveness of the co-design approach.
Think critically
How might the specific features of the game, beyond just the co-design aspect, have contributed to the observed learning gains? Were there any potential drawbacks to the competitive elements for some participants?
Design Principles
"Inclusive design: Design processes should actively seek and incorporate the perspectives of all potential users to create more equitable and effective solutions."
This research highlights the critical importance of user involvement, particularly from underrepresented groups, in the development of educational technologies. By incorporating the perspectives of individuals with ASD, designers can create more effective and inclusive learning tools that cater to specific needs and enhance the overall user experience.
What This Means for Your Design
When you let teenagers with autism help design a learning game, they have more fun, feel more motivated, get along better with others, and learn the subject matter more effectively.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this study when justifying the importance of user research and user involvement in your design process, particularly if your design targets a specific user group with unique needs.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
(2018). Outcomes for design and learning when teenagers with autism codesign a serious game: A pilot study. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12242 Retrieved from https://designdex.org/study/37ef1346-2b99-4f6c-bb01-b195503017ac/co-designing-serious-games-with-teenagers-with-asd-enhances-engagement-and-learning-outcomes
Paragraph starter
This research underscores the value of user-centered design, particularly through co-design methodologies. By involving target users, such as teenagers with ASD, in the iterative design process, it was found that engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes were significantly enhanced, demonstrating the power of inclusive design practices in creating effective educational tools.
Source
Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
Outcomes for design and learning when teenagers with autism codesign a serious game: A pilot study
journal · 2018
View sourceQuestions about this research
- What does the research say about co-designing serious games with teenagers with asd enhances engagement and learning outcomes?
- Actively involve target users, especially those with specific needs like ASD, throughout the design process to ensure products are not only functional but also engaging and effective for their intended audience. Evidence: Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2018).
- Why does "Co-designing serious games with teenagers with ASD enhances engagement and learning outcomes." matter for design?
- This research highlights the critical importance of user involvement, particularly from underrepresented groups, in the development of educational technologies. By incorporating the perspectives of individuals with ASD, designers can create more effective and inclusive learning tools that cater to specific needs and enhance the overall user experience.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Actively involve target users, especially those with specific needs like ASD, throughout the design process to ensure products are not only functional but also engaging and effective for their intended audience.
- What were the main findings?
- Participants reported positive experiences regarding enjoyment, motivation, and social engagement.. The level of competitiveness influenced both in-game experience and peer team interaction.. The game mechanisms effectively helped participants with ASD increase their knowledge in Geography content.
- What research method was used?
- Pilot study involving co-design and evaluation. with 6 participants.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2018 journal from Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing educational tools or games, consider establishing co-design workshops or feedback loops with individuals representing the target user group, particularly those with neurodevelopmental differences.
- What are the limitations?
- Small sample size, pilot study nature, specific focus on geography and ASD.
- Is there evidence that teenagers asd affects design outcomes?
- Teenagers with ASD who codesigned an educational game found it enjoyable, motivating, and socially engaging. Their competitiveness affected their interactions, but the game successfully improved their geography knowledge. This research highlights the critical importance of user involvement, particularly from underrepre Source: Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2018).
- Where does this specific needs research apply?
- Educational game design for teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It sits within user-centred design research on designdex.org.
Related research topics
teenagers asd design research · evidence on teenagers asd · does teenagers asd improve design outcomes · specific needs studies for designers · teenagers asd and specific needs findings · user-centred design research evidence