Demystifying the Interface for Young Learners with Autism

This study illustrates a design framework for a social routine instructional prototype for young learners with autism. Requirements and user profile data were previously gathered from an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) school. Software currently available for young learners with cognitive impairments and web accessibility guidelines have been reviewed. The early design phases of the usability engineering lifecycle are documented, to construct initial design sketches of the software and social routine lesson interface. Image editing software is used to create a graphical representation of the design sketches. The paper prototypes are evaluated by tutors in the ABA school. Comparisons are made between different prototypes, and recommendations for further design and development are established. We conclude that colour and animation should be minimized, and an individual windowed interface should represent the main navigational display of the prototype. A customizable option for colour, font type and font size should be integrated to accommodate for the specific needs of individual learners with cognitive impairments. Multi-modal input such as a touchscreen, switch and mouse should be incorporated into the design. A further computer-based implementation is recommended to provide for an additional investigation into the needs of the learner