How can participatory design inform the design and development of innovative technologies for autistic communities?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon on the opportunities and challenges of engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders during the design, development and evaluation of innovative technologies for people with autism. Autism is defined in part by difficulties in social communicatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of assistive technologies Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 115 - 120
Main Authors: Brosnan, Mark, Parsons, Sarah, Good, Judith, Yuill, Nicola
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Hove Emerald Group Publishing Limited 20.06.2016
Subjects:
Adaptive technology
Assistive technology
Autism
Autistic children
Challenges
Children & youth
Co-design
Collaboration
Communication
Community
Empowerment
Health & social care
Innovations
Interdisciplinary aspects
Interpersonal communication
Parsons, Sarah
Psychologists
Researchers
Seminars
Stakeholders
Vulnerable groups
United Kingdom > UK
Autism
Co-production
Participatory design
Technology
Methods
Evidence base
ISSN:1754-9450, 2398-6263, 2042-8723, 2398-6271
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon on the opportunities and challenges of engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders during the design, development and evaluation of innovative technologies for people with autism. Autism is defined in part by difficulties in social communication and interaction, and is therefore particularly pertinent when considering the opportunities and challenges of participatory design (PD). Design/methodology/approach – A series of presentations from key researchers and practitioners are reviewed, highlighting contemporary issues about how technologies have been designed to improve educational support using a range of methods and processes for stakeholder involvement. Findings – Involvement per se does not constitute engagement as a design partner. The interdisciplinary nature of PD, combined with the viewpoints of communities beyond academia, need to be integrated in a manner that allows for different perspectives and voices, and for the “trace” of the contribution to be evidenced. The level of evidence required for demonstrating effective support needs to be considered in terms of both the outcomes of projects and the processes for involving stakeholders in PD. Originality/value – This paper offers an up-to-date insight from lead researchers into key debates about the benefits and challenges of PD with autistic people and the broader autism community. Its value lies in raising questions about, and discussing evidence that challenges, some of the assumptions that underpin both PD processes and the needs of the autistic community.
Bibliography:SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ObjectType-Editorial-2
ObjectType-Commentary-1
ISSN:1754-9450
2398-6263
2042-8723
2398-6271
DOI:10.1108/JAT-12-2015-0033