Joan Mora-Guiard

This article addresses the design and study of novel interaction settings and systems supporting collocated interaction. More specifically, we aim to analyze the implications of two different interaction approaches, namely first-person and third-person interaction paradigms, and the corresponding theoretical approaches when designing and developing collocated experiences for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). This analysis is supported by the outcomes of several examples of full-body interaction collocated experiences aimed at promoting social initiation and collaboration. Moreover, we present a series of goal-driven guidelines to consider when designing with various interaction paradigms. Finally, we discuss future work to better understand the implications of constructing paradigms for the intuitive use of these full-body interaction systems.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterized by impaired social communication capacities which can prevent the formation of social relationships with peers. In recent years, potential programs for people with ASD have increasingly used Information and Communication Technologies mainly motivated by the affinity that people with ASD show towards technology-supported tasks. We present the design of a full-body interaction experience called Lands of Fog, in which a child with ASD plays together with a typically developed child. The system is aimed towards fostering social interaction behaviors and collaboration. We have undertaken user trials with 34 ASD children through which Lands of Fog has proven to be a useful tool to foster social interaction. In this paper, we focus on the description of the interaction design process, methods and criteria that support the final experience. We then provide preliminary results from the user trials which provide a first hint of the efficacy of the system in fostering user's engagement and making socialization attitudes emerge.