Mentori
Date / Time
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Fall 2022
14 weeks
Location
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ArtCenter College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Project Description
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The Mentori book helps children with autism get familiar with new places.
By touching, hearing, and seeing the environment, the users can have a deeper understanding of the environment.
Target User
My target user is children from the ages of 5 ~ 12 with high functioning autism. 5 ~ 12 is the age where you experience the most changes in life. Sudden changes can be stressful for children with autism
Interview with expert
I had an interview with Katie from Momentum Pediatric Therapy Network. Katie also has a son with autism and I got to ask her about her personal experience raising a child with autism.
What I learned from expert
One of the main things that stood out to me from the interview was that children with autism can get stressed when going to new environments. I found some YouTube videos on parents filming these environments to show their child and I knew this was a problem I can solve.
Why Mentori?
At ages 5~12 children experience new environments like school, zoo, airplane, theaters, and many more. These environments are usually loud and chaotic which is stressful for children with autism.
Media type ideation
Testing it out
The very first prototype was made to fit an iPad to be used as a screen. I decided it would be better to add an actual book and textured buttons on the side that plays audio.
Making it work
Using a audio recording machine, I downloaded sounds according to the icon. If you press the popcorn button, you will not only feel the texture of the popcorn but also hear people eating it in a movie theater.
Variations
The base of the product will be a one time purchase and we will sell the book and buttons as an additional purchase according to the environment.