Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm new to this forum so Hello! I'm Katie and I'm a MSc Product Design student based in Dundee, Scotland.
I'm currently working on a project researching autism, the area I'm looking at specifically is "processing time."
This is based on research that people with autism often need longer to process information, especially in demanding social situations.
I've designed a prototype "buffering badge."
The idea behind this is to make this process visible, therefore making 'processing time' something that can be tangible to an audience.
At the moment this is only a prototype, ideally I would love to make this smaller and more wearer friendly.
This version requires the user to press it, and the buffering displays for 10-12 seconds.
I would love for some feedback on this idea, would this be something that you could see being useful in social situations?
If even just to start a conversation around processing time and breaking the ice.
I realise this is not something that would work the same way for everyone, especially children who may want to use it more like a toy.
But any feedback would be appreciated. For example would a noise sensor be a better trigger, removing the user from pressing a button and making the badge work on its own in busy crowds/multiple voices in a conversation? Or would something more subtle like a badge that has the logo but doesn't have lights/electronics be something that might be more likely to be worn? In which case, how would users feel about using the buffering logo as a symbol that's linked to autism awareness?
Please let me know!
I should also mention, this is not research work! Nothing commented here is for anything other than an open discussion. I have a volunteer group to trial these once they are refined, I'm not looking for "data," and the stage that I am at comes from my research thus far. I just don't want this to exist only in an academic bubble. I think this is worthwhile sharing and having a conversation about.
All best wishes,
Katie.
There is already an autism logo - the coloured jigsaw pieces that are used in a lot of places such the autism awareness ribbon.
One issue might be that it draws attention to people who don't handle attention well. It is likely to generate questions that a person with autism may not like, or be able, to answer comfortably.
Hello recombinantsocks! Just incase there was any miscommunications, I wasn't implying that this or any other logo should replace existing autism awareness ribbons/symbols. But rather act in addition to these. And thank you for your feedback! I agree the lights/flashing may draw unwanted attention and cause distress. What do you think about the logo just as a static pin badge? That would draw less attention than lights perhaps. Or do you dislike the buffering metaphor itself?
I feel a bit as though I will just be raining on your parade with my comments. As an inventor you will have to get used to having lots of ideas from which only a very few will turn into something useful. I like the idea of the animated badge but I suspect that it might work in some circumstances - for example it might help in autism awareness classes - I attended one of these after diagnosis and experienced how chaotic it was because some us were particularly hopeless at taking turns and noticing what other people were thinking. Have you heard of the "talking spoon"? such devices can help bring structure to the chaos and I think that your device might work in that environment.
The buffering idea is fine but the people one meets have zero idea about what autism is or what problems one has. By zero I mean that almost nobody that I have talked to outside of this forum and the nhs services I have used has any clue about autism. You won't get your button concept recognised where it needs to work - on the bus, in the street, in a workplace. There was a badge scheme to encourage people on the london underground to talk to each other. It was a nice idea but it comprehensively failed to grasp how ordinary people think and behave.
Keep inventing though, inventing is good :-)
Thank you again! I had not heard of the talking spoon tool specifically, but my young cousin has been to several similar organised meetings for children with autism, helping them to listen and interact socially. I think It's a similar environment you're possibly discussing, that's a fantastic suggestion. It could be used more as an educational/conversation tool to encourage listening/taking turns. I think that only after testing will I be able to understand the "joe public's" response to this. This might give a better sense of whether the buffering logo works as a visual metaphor. Unfortunately I agree, there is a real lack of understanding when it comes to autism. That's really been the driving force behind this project, trying to find some way to make this visual, how can you make someone who doesn't understand autism and someone who has autism, have a positive social experience? It's a wicked problem, and awareness needs to be raised. I'm not suggesting this is the solution, but at least it's beginning to explore the issue. I will definitely keep designing!