HCI Project: Bol
Bol is an AAC app, which allows communication for nonverbal autistic children. It is the first of its kind in that it has been developed keeping the local (Pakistani) context in mind, as well as having a tangible object feature, where children can scan the QR code on physical cards in order to play a sentence and communicate.
Working on this application was a valuable learning experience and taught me a great deal about the methods used in human-centric design.
For the main application, I was in charge of redesigning the interface. This included the deliberate use of neutral colors keeping in mind that our users are children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), as well as large buttons and text.
Social stories feature
I came up with the idea of puzzle-like social stories cards keeping in mind children's fascination with puzzles and making shapes fit together. This was then applied to the concept of social stories, which are used to teach autistic children how to behave in different situations. Here, children first fit these cards together, then flip them over to scan a QR code which causes an animated version of the scenario and a voice-over to play.