Abstract:

The learning tools for students with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) are usually optimized for teaching efficiency upon teachers recommendations because children with PIMD are not able to provide feedback on pragmatic satisfaction due to their non-symbolic level of communication. Authors propose an approach of user-centered design, where such learning tools are optimized for pleasure to achieve students' better engagement with the tools. Previous similar works have found pleasure to be positively correlated with both the perceived pragmatic value of the product's use and user's engagement. Authors hypothesize the learning effect to be improved with more engaging tools. This study intends to explain the specific needs of PIMD students in order to inform the design of learning tools.

Four students with PIMD, aged between 7 and 20 years participated in the study. Two of the participants had significant, while the other two had minor disabilities in motor skills. The participants tested 13 learning tools, chosen intentionally to have a large variety of designable features. Videos of the sessions were recorded to observe participants' behaviour. Participants' satisfaction with tools was assessed on 9-p symmetrical scales using behaviour indicators. The satisfaction metrics, which characterizes participants' pleasure was considered a key value in the optimization of learning tools. 31 design attributes were deployed to inform the design. These attributes were selected upon the literature to be relevant for PIMD education and user engagement. Three experts evaluated all 13 learning tools using the attributes, producing thereby a comparable profile of each tool. Further, the design space was compiled to make sense of previously established PIMD-specific design attributes. Multidimensional scaling and principal component analysis were used to map the perceived pleasure along with design attributes. The generated design space would allow explaining pleasure-related features of learning tools on general-, group- (the two groups with more and less limited motor skills) and individual level.

The study concluded with two main outcomes. First, the list of attributes, related to pleasurable use by all participants. Most pleasurable were found the tools, which worked in the cause-effect principle and the ones, which can be used independently by students with PIMD. Authors also found the features of playfulness and the joy of discovery be relevant for pleasure. The interplay between various features was observed to evoke pleasurable use e.g. visual attractiveness and tactile versatility can not compensate for limited interactive modality. The study confirmed earlier findings that students get more easily engaged by auditive learning tools and the tools they can use independently or with minimal help. Second, the design space, created through design attributes and behaviour indicators can be used by designers to select purposefully the prototypes of learning tools for further development, as well as by pedagogues to select suitable tools according to students' needs.

Keywords:

Students with severe and profound intellectual and/or multiple disabilities (PIMD), user experience evaluation, design of learning tools.