Evaluation of an Interactive Computer-Enabled Tabletop Learning Tool for Children with Special Needs

Abstract

The research on computer mediated interventions and technologies (e.g., digital tabletop tool) that have seminal relevance to the intervention strategies designed for the children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) mostly remain confined within the developed nation. The objective of this study is threefold: firstly, to reveal the design principles to be followed in developing an interactive and affordable computer-enabled table-top tool for the children with special needs; secondly, to develop a physical prototype following the revealed principles; and finally, to evaluate the usability performance of this tool. This study presents a mixed method research while the data collection process includes both ethnographic study and semi-structured interviews of both the teachers and students of a special school dedicated for teaching the children with ASD. As outcomes, along with a list of design principles, and a prototype of a computer-enabled, single touch, single user, and affordable educational intervention tool targeting the children diagnosed with ASD, the results of the empirical evaluation of the prototype demonstrated high effectiveness (72% average success rate for the students vs. 92% for the teachers), efficiency (1.20 minutes average task completion time for the students vs. 0.48 minutes for the teachers) and satisfaction rate (4.46 for the students vs. 4.66 for the teachers out of 5) for the developed tool. Both types of the participants were found satisfied with the usability of the tabletop prototype and positively endorsed its effectiveness in improving the learning environment of the children with special needs.