Routine Builder: Simplifying Daily Routines for Autistic Individuals.
Our RoutineBuilder app is designed to make daily life easier for autistic individuals by providing a simple and accessible way to create and maintain routines. With a user-friendly interface and interactive features, the app ensures that users can build, store, and access their routines effortlessly, promoting independence and organization in their daily lives.
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TL;DR.
Problem.
Autistic individuals often face challenges in organizing and maintaining their daily routines due to the lack of accessible and user-friendly tools. Traditional methods and existing apps are not tailored to their unique needs, making it difficult for them to stay organized and maintain independence.
Solution.
I designed an intuitive app that helps autistic children manage daily routines with customizable visual aids. The app allows caregivers to create routine cards with images and cues, tailored to each child’s needs.
My Role.
I was responsible for:
- Conducting user research with therapists and parents of autistic children.
- Designing an accessible and engaging user interface.
- Creating wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes.
- Performing usability testing and refining the app.
“We need better tools to help autistic children manage their daily routines independently.”
-A Parent of a Autistic child
Problem Space.
But what does “better” even mean?
To design an app that effectively supports autistic children in managing their daily routines, we needed to understand and address their unique needs and challenges. My game plan included:
1. Knowing who I was designing for (their needs, pain points)
This involved conducting surveys and interviews with parents and therapists to gather insights.
2. Understanding the other stakeholders
This meant recognizing the role of caregivers and educators in the children’s daily routines.
3. Understanding best practices
Researching existing tools and methods to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
4. Evaluating the current landscape
Analyzing the limitations of existing solutions to ensure our app offered superior functionality and user experience.
The goal was to have a solid research base to make assumptions about what was working and what wasn’t working, all while keeping the needs of the users in mind.
Key Insights.
Here’s what I discovered.
1. Despite its prominence, almost no one used the in-app prompts.
Users, particularly parents, reported that they often overlooked the prompts within the app. They preferred to use their established methods of reminders and schedules. This suggests a need for more intuitive and engaging prompt mechanisms to ensure they are utilized effectively.
2. Users found the setup process overly complicated.
Many parents mentioned that setting up the app for their child’s specific needs was time-consuming and confusing. This complexity discouraged consistent use and led to frustration. Simplifying the setup process and providing clear, step-by-step guidance can improve the user experience.
3. Strengths in Operational Areas.
Despite overall usability issues, the interface was praised for its convenience, simplicity, and speed in operational areas such as property tax, parking, and payments. These areas were found to be more efficient compared to alternative solutions.
4. Lack of integration with other tools and services.
Many parents use multiple tools and services to manage their child’s routines and found it inconvenient that the app did not integrate with these. Providing seamless integration with other commonly used apps and services can enhance the app’s utility and adoption.
Competitive Analysis.
What are the current best practices in the space?
I reviewed leading apps like Goally, Proloquo2Go, and Endless Reader. These apps provide structured visual aids, customizable schedules, and interactive elements for autistic children.
Goally offers visual schedules and interactive video lessons but lacks deep customization and integration with other tools. Proloquo2Go excels in communication for non-verbal children but doesn’t focus on routine management. Endless Reader gamifies reading but doesn’t address daily routines comprehensively.
My app combines the best features from these apps while offering superior customization, seamless integration with other tools, and engaging prompt mechanisms to support autistic children and their parents effectively.
UX Phase.
Putting it all together.
In designing the RoutineBuilder app, my goal was to create an intuitive tool that helps autistic children manage their daily routines more independently. To achieve this, I conducted extensive research and applied best practices to ensure that the app meets the unique needs of its users.
Key Questions Some of the questions I asked myself during this stage:
- How can I create an interface that is easy for children to navigate?
- What visual cues can I use to make the routines engaging?
- How can I simplify the setup process for parents?
- What features are essential for maintaining consistency in daily routines?
The Solutions.
Here’s how I ended up solving core issues.
Challenge No. 1:
How might users easily create new routines?
Multiple Entry Points for Routine Creation.
Central Button: A prominent, centrally located button on the main screen that users can tap to create a new routine quickly.
Contextual Prompts: Users can also start a new routine directly from any part of the day (Morning, Noon, Afternoon, Evening, Night) section by tapping an add button within that section. This reduces navigation time and enhances user experience.
Challenge No. 2:
How might users customize their routines to fit their specific needs?
Customizable Routine Settings.
Editable Routine Cards: Enabled users to edit routine cards directly by tapping on them, allowing for easy adjustments.
Custom Notifications: Provided options to set custom notifications for each routine, including sounds and times.
Community and AI Suggestions: Added a feature to get suggestions from a community or AI for routine improvements and new ideas.
Challenge No. 3:
How might users ensure that routines are followed consistently?
Visual Progress Trackers: Implemented visual progress trackers for each routine, showing completion status.
Achievements and Rewards: Introduced a gamified system where users earn badges and rewards for completing routines consistently.
Daily Summary Reports: Added daily summary reports that show what routines were completed and provide feedback for improvement..
Lessons Learned/ Next Steps.
Being clear, keeping boundaries
As I was finalizing the visual design and showcasing the latest prototype of the RoutineBuilder app to the team, an interesting challenge arose. One of the team members suggested adding a feature for tracking daily mood alongside routines. While the idea was excellent and would add value, it was late in the development process, leading to significant rework to incorporate it effectively.
A key takeaway from this experience is the importance of setting clear boundaries and sticking to them. Although flexibility is essential, it’s crucial to document the project scope and adhere to it to avoid scope creep. This ensures that the project stays on track and within the expected timeline.
The project is still under active development, and I continue to refine and improve the app based on user feedback. Early testing shows that the app significantly helps autistic children and their parents manage daily routines more efficiently, and I’m excited to see its impact as we move forward.