NeuroSpectrum
User-centred design | Product design | Inclusive design
Individual Project (Mar. 2024 - Sep. 2024)
A set of activities and multisensory (visual, tactile and auditory) puzzles for students to eliminate misconceptions around neurodiversity and celebrate everyone’s unique mindsets.
Design Challenges
Problem
The exclusion, harassment and/or bullying of neurodivergent students in middle school.
Personal Experience
Growing up in New Zealand (NZ), I often saw "special" figures in my school — students who, sometimes accompanied by a support teacher, sat apart from the rest of us. They behaved differently and barely having peer relationships. I always wished for a better understanding of their world.
Although the project’s research and tests are grounded in NZ, the outcomes are potentially applicable to countries promoting inclusive education.
Desktop Research
Selection of Interviews
Persona
Both students have just started their Year 8 at Auckland Grammar School and they are all new to their classmates.
Insights
Design Aim
Instead of ‘healing’ neurodivergent individuals to fit the social norms of neurotypical individuals, could we educate all students to understand and appreciate differences by reducing social barriers caused by sensory differences and varied understandings?
Design Goals
Play by All
Encourage Uniqueness
Multi-sensory
The neurodivergent student should not be the only user or opposite user of the neurotypical students
Students’ discussion and creation should be guided but not predetermined. Free actions is encouraged.
Having more than one way to communicate, therefore, reduces language barriers. However, it is important to make sure it is not over-stimulating, which would cause sensory overload.
Experiments
Colour and Visual Experiment
I created a variety of distinctive shapes and forms to support the communication of feelings and moods.
By asking people to use the visuals to express themselves , I selected 5 basic shapes, 12 additional shapes, and 6 different materials to further explore.
Puzzle Shape Experiment
I printed and tested several shapes to ensure the safety and accessibility.
Material Experiment
Materials were tested to be able to communicate a diverse range of feelings.
Draft Workshop Process & User Testing
Based on the user tests, I decided to make the following changes:
- More Ways to Express: Adding sound puzzles as a way to help connecting each other during the collaborative stage (6).
- Flexible Combinations: Creating tactile add-ons for each basic puzzle, allowing users to build diverse multi-sensory combinations.
Refined Workshop Process
Fabrication
Schematic Diagram
PCB - 3D Print - Moulding - Spray Paint
Final Design
Colour Accessibility Test
Final Outcomes
Puzzles:
Instruction Booklet Design
Final Video
Citation
Andersen, P., 2012. Classroom Game Design: Paul Andersen at TEDxBozeman [video online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qlYGX0H6Ec [Accessed 18 November 2025].
Bourke, R., Butler, P. and O’Neill, J., 2021. Children with additional needs: Final report. Institute of Education, Massey University.
Education Review Office, 2022. Thriving at school? Education for disabled learners in schools. [online] Wellington: Education Review Office. Available at: https://evidence.ero.govt.nz/documents/thriving-at-school-education-for-disabled-learners-in-schools [Accessed 18 November 2025].
Higashida, N., 2013. The reason I jump: The inner voice of a thirteen-year-old boy with autism. Translated from Japanese by K.A. Yoshida and D. Mitchell. London: Sceptre.
Milton, D., 2018. Double empathy. [online] National Autistic Society. Available at: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/double-empathy [Accessed 18 November 2025].
Ricke, K. and Folkman, C., 2022. How—and why—to create a sensory space for neurodivergent students. [online] Edutopia. Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-and-why-create-sensory-space-neurodivergent-students/ [Accessed 18 November 2025]