Analysis of interaction design and evaluation methods in full-body interaction for special needs: collaborative virtual environments for improving socialization in children with autism

• Autores: Ciera Crowell
• Directores de la Tesis: Narcís Parés i Burgués (dir. tes.)
• Lectura: En la Universitat Pompeu Fabra ( España ) en 2019
• Idioma: español
• Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Pamela Heaton (presid.), Patricia Santos Rodríguez (secret.), Tilde Bekker (voc.)
• Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones por la Universidad Pompeu Fabra
• Materias:
  • Psicología
    • Psicología del niño y del adolescente
  • Sociología
    • Cambio y desarrollo social
      • Tecnología y cambio social
• Enlaces
  • Tesis en acceso abierto en: TDX
• Resumen

  • This thesis is focused on the specific properties and evaluation of full-body interaction design of multi-user mixed reality environments to aid in intervention strategies for children with autism, to improve their understanding and adoption of social behaviors with peers and with society in general. This practice-based research is based upon human-computer interaction theory, and is aided by general theories of embodied cognition, embodiment and developmental psychology. The research consists of designing playful experiences for the target users in order to promote socialization and collaboration. The design of the experiences has been informed by codesign activities and collaboration with experts in autism, parents, psychologists, therapists, caregivers and the children themselves. Topics for analysis will include understanding the dynamics of goal-oriented and open-ended gameplay, proxemics, and encouraged versus enforced collaboration. Assessment methods take into account video recorded footage, system logs, user interviews and multimodal analysis, including physiology-based data such as electrodermal activity and heart rate of the children's behavioral and affective states throughout the experience. The main setting of the research is large scale floor-projected mixed environments, enabling the testing of interaction strategies and evaluation methods of experiences based on collocation of multiple users within a full-body interactive scenario, where they can practice interaction face-to-face in a natural and uninhibited manner.