LinguaBytes

The LinguaBytes-project is a three-year research project aimed at developing an adaptive, interactive, tangible play and learning system to stimulate the early language competencies of toddlers at a developmental age between 1 and 4 years - with severe motor and/or multiple disabilities. It serves as the main case study for the first author’s PhD research on designing adaptive products. We believe that children from the abovementioned, highly heterogeneous user group could benefit greatly from products or interfaces that could either be adjusted (adaptability) or adjust themselves (adaptivity) to their individual needs. Advances in technology are gradually enabling designers to create such products, but guidelines that help designers do this are scarce. Designers need more insight in the implications of adaptivity and adaptability on the form and content of their design in order to make good design decisions. Using a researchthrough-design method, we try to generate some of the knowledge that can help designers, not only when designing products or interfaces for this specific user group, but also for heterogeneous user groups in general