Software design for users with autism using human-centered design and design thinking techniques

Abstract

This paper details a method, which has been called FRIDA, applied by the authors within this study based on the collaborative and interdisciplinary development of accessible software that is usable by people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To this end, the context of this study is based on the adaptation of the Design Thinking model as a strategy for interdisciplinary collaborative work between clinical therapists and software developers. This is complemented by a human-centered design (DCH) approach to obtain accessible software aimed at people with ASD level 1. Each of the stages of Design Thinking is detailed in order to obtain the personalized design of accessible software, as well as the activities carried out in case studies in Colombia, Spain, and Portugal with eight children diagnosed with ASD. As a result, we present the design of FRIDA’s components for interdisciplinary collaborative work and the design of personalized software that was developed for some children with ASD who participated in this study. For these children, it is demonstrated that the use of personalized and collaboratively designed software facilitates the development of specific social skills more quickly than with conventional clinical therapies.