CO-DESIGN

T

To get a better insight into the life and situation of the user and to better tailor the product to the needs of the user, co-design sessions were executed in order to design together with the user.

Two different types of sessions were used. The first one is the weekly athletics that Tim goes to and the second one is visiting Tim at his house. Besides, the whole project group attended a workshop about improving athletic participation for children.

Co-design methods

Workshop from experts
Weekly training observations
Interviews and chats with trainer Aiko
Interviews with Tim's parents
Two co-design sessions at Tim's home

Workshop

Main insights

The exercise(s) should maintain the core of athletics.
Having fun is the top priority.
Winning is not important, having the feeling of success is.
Children with less talent should also have fun and not be left out.
The less the kids have to wait, the better.
Adding some kind of competition (in teams) motivates the children.
Exercises should be short and easy to understand.

We got a workshop from two men about a system they introduced into athletics for kids. They explained some of the core problems with athletics and some solutions they introduced to make it more engaging. Aside from the presentation, we experienced this new system in a fun way by doing some of the exercises that were prepared for us.

Training observations

Training 1

The evening after the workshop, we joined a weekly training session for children with special conditions. On the advice of Aiko, the main trainer, we actually participated in the exercises, instead of only observing. We held an interview with Aiko about some questions we prepared. After the training, we asked one of the kids some basic questions about the training.

Main insights

Attention is a big issue during the training.
The age range is very wide.
Disabilities range from barely noticeable to very obvious.
The children’s skill levels vary widely.
The children have a good relationship with each other and with the trainers.
It can be difficult to include real athletics exercises in an engaging manner.
It is nice when children are motivated to do an activity without the trainer having to explain or motivate them.
The main trainer Aiko has a lot of knowledge about the children.
Asking direct questions to the children is quite ineffective.

Training 2

After we had made the choice for a specific kid, Tim, two group members attended another training session. This observation session was mainly meant to observe Tim's behaviour and relationships with Aiko and the other kids. The group was a lot smaller than the first training, counting in at six children in total.

Main insights

Tim really enjoys jumping.
Tim’s relationship with the other kids is quite good.
Tim is always busy and never takes a rest.
For Tim, the feeling of having control is very important.
Waiting in line for periods of time often makes the children disruptive.
It is impossible to completely solve Tim’s “problems”, every improvement should be seen as a success.
Tim likes to do new things, but does not have the concentration to listen to the explanation.
Tim is not involved in any match events like the Special Olympics. However, one of the kids in the group will compete at the Special Olympics

Training 3

In this training, we mainly wanted to observe how long Tim can stay focused and what attracts and distract his attention. However, at the beginning of the warm-up, Tim hurt his finger because of playing with some weights. After he got hurt, he left the court. Hence, the observation was not able to be continued.

Main insights

Tim really enjoyed the exercise with weights
Tim was calm after he got hurt
Tim got distracted very easily. He could not even stay focused for more than one minute

Training 4

This observation session was mainly meant to get a more elaborate picture of Tim's behaviour and what causes him to behave in a certain way. Besides, we talked with his mother to get a different perspective.

Main insights

Rewarding Tim (Pokémon cards) gets him to do something
A "pajama day" on sunday helps Tim to de-stress and get him through the next week.
It is really important for Tim to finish a task before starting a new one

Design sessions

During the project, we visited Tim at his house two times. The first time, the purpose was mainly to get to know Tim and to insights into his behaviour. The second visit was used to test out different co-design methods and try to figure out his preferences and aversions.

Life and behaviour

Methods

Interview with Tim and his mother
Draw-and-talk method
Having Tim prepare a collage
Reverse brainstorming: asking opposite questions
Sensorimotor tests: hiding toys in a closed cardboard box and monitoring his responses

Tim goes to a school for special education.
Tim has a strong desire to be in control.
Tim's behavour towards others is okay in general.
The feeling of being misunderstood can cause misbehaviour
Sensorimotor feel can help Tim to learn and understand things better.
Structure is very important to Tim, which can cause problems in his daily life.
Rewarding Tim can help him achieve things, although he has a fear of failure.
Tim is aware of his impairments

Attention

Tim is extremely easily distracted.
Tim wants to finish a game (or any task) it is almost impossible to get him off it.
Miscommunication can trigger Tim to act like a much younger kid, combined with anger and agression.
Gaming has a calming effect on Tim
Having Tim fidget with toys or slime improves his attention.
Fidgeting toys are only effective when they are challenging.

Preferences and style

Sports: jumping, judo and sports involving weights
Gaming
Social media
Favourite colour: red
Round and organic shapes

Drawings of the training Tim made:

Note that for high jumping, there is motion in the drawing, whereas for javelin throwing, the figure is completely static.