A new multi-criteria decision-making approach for the design and selection of materials and manufacturing processes of toys for children with autism

Abstract

The efficiency and comfort of daily tasks are intricately shaped by the dynamic interaction between users and technology. User perceptions wield significant influence over initial judgments, impacting user behavior, attitudes, and the overall connection with the product. In the context of childhood development, the influence of toys on accurate sensory integration within the environment is particularly important, especially for children with autism spectrum disorder, whose sensory responses differ from typically developing children. During the design phase, the correct selection of materials and manufacturing processes ensure a seamless and comfortable interaction between children and products. This includes safety, lightweight construction, enhanced sensory engagement, durability against environmental conditions, environmental sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. There is very limited scientific literature dedicated to the analysis of essential material properties for toys, particularly none were found for children with autism. This work studies the main material properties (both technical and design-related) that need to be considered when designing products for children with autism. A multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) was performed using the Ansys Granta Edupack software to establish an optimized selection of materials and manufacturing processes. To prioritize the essential material properties, the multi-criteria analysis considered three variable groups: (1) technical and design properties based on two sensory profiles (hypersensitive and hyposensitive user), (2) social properties, and (3) economic, quality, and environmental properties. The proposal is applied in a case study of the design of a smart toy.