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HIDDEN SENSES
Creating Opportunities for Everyone
In a 5.5- week period, I led a team of six (three graphic designers and three UX designers) our goal was to create a functional prototype demonstrating that would lay the foundation for future development of a product that would seek to address social inclusivity by improving the social and emotional well-being of children with disabilities through games.
HIDDEN SENSES
Creating Opportunities for Everyone
In a 5.5- week period, I led a team of six (three graphic designers and three UX designers) our goal was to create a functional prototype demonstrating that would lay the foundation for future development of a product that would seek to address social inclusivity by improving
the social and emotional well-being of children with disabilities through games.
MY ROLE
Project Manager
PROJECT TYPE
Product Design | Game Box
TIMELINE
5.5 Weeks, 2024
Isolation Vs. Inclusion
The Problem
Despite inclusive policies and programs like IDEA and lEPs, research revealed that a significant percentage of children with disabilities still experience social isolation.
36%
Children spoke to feeling isolated during recess
25%
Children spoke to feeling isolated during recess
Research
Interviews, Qualitative, & Quantitative Research
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Kids with Disabilities Feel Most Left Out at Recess: Teachers told us that children with disabilities often experience the most social isolation during recess because there aren't enough activities that include everyone.
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IEPs Doesn't Always Mean Full Inclusion: Our research suggests that just having an Individualized Education Program (IEP) doesn't guarantee that students with disabilities are truly included in all parts of the school day even in a general classroom. Simply being in the same space isn't the same as being included.
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Ages 7-11 are Key for Confidence:
Child development research shows that the years between 7 and 11 are really important for building a child's self-confidence.
Insights
Based on our findings, we concentrated our design efforts on the recess environment rather than formal academic settings. We recognized recess as a significant space where children naturally form social connections and build relationships, crucial elements in developing self-confidence. Therefore, we focused our design on children aged 7 and above, a developmental stage where these social interactions become increasingly important for fostering a strong sense of self. Due to project timelines, our initial design specifically addressed physical disabilities, with the intention of incorporating solutions for a broader range of disabilities in future iterations.
Insights
Based on our findings, we concentrated our design efforts on the recess environment rather than formal academic settings. We recognized recess as a significant space where children naturally form social connections and build relationships, crucial elements in developing self-confidence.
Therefore, we focused our design on children aged 7 and above, a developmental stage where these social interactions become increasingly important for fostering a strong sense of self. Due to project timelines, our initial design specifically addressed physical disabilities, with the intention of incorporating solutions for a broader range of disabilities in future iterations.
Ideation & Process
Building on our research insights, I set up a collaborative board on FigJam where team members could share brainstormed ideas for new activities or games We carefully considered accessibility throughout this process. We then refined our initial concepts using a priority matrix, which led us to finalize our chosen idea through iterative sketches.
Individual brainstorming sessions | 2 concepts per individual.
Priority matrix to simplify Brainstorming information even further.
Sketches for finalized ideations of product
Product Solution
Our design solution, a "Sensory Matching Game" offered an inclusive activity where children exchange hidden items and use smell and sound to find matches. Although only a starting point, ideally the finalized product would be coupled with clear auditory cues and personalization options, allowing children with and without disabilities to play together equally.
Die-cut and overview for final product
Low-fidelity Prototype Items | Physical prototype to represent what game items would realistically be inside the box
Challenges
The tight project deadline presented a significant challenge. To mitigate this, we prioritized key tasks in the UX design process, enabling us to develop a user-centered solution within the timeframe. This constraint influenced our decision to focus on delivering a functional prototype as a foundation for future development and user testing.
Reflection
As the project manager of a large team, I was able to effectively utilize my leadership skills to guide us towards a finalized idea and prototype. However, we did miss some opportunities, such as incorporating user testing and conducting deeper research into additional accessible aspects that could have been implemented. Moving forward, I plan to explore strategies for dedicating specific team members to research, ensuring all potential avenues are thoroughly explored.
