Olly
Olly is a mobile app designed to alleviate various challenges associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Its primary goal is to enhance communication among ASD users, their parents, peers, and caregivers. The challenge lies in ensuring sufficient flexibility within the app to cater to the diverse needs of children with ASD, each facing unique obstacles.
Olly caters to two distinct user categories: caregivers (CG) and children with ASD. Each user group experiences the app differently, with the aim of providing tailored experiences to meet their specific needs and challenges. The app facilitates parental controls and customization options within the ASD user's interface, allowing caregivers to fine-tune the app to better suit the individual needs and pain points of the child. Additionally, seamless communication is established between the parent/caregiver app and the ASD user's app, enabling reciprocal interaction and support.
Primary research was conducted using a combination of interviews and surveys. Professionals in the fields of special education and psychiatry were interviewed to gain insights, while surveys were distributed to parents and caregivers.
After completing the research phase, the design process commences. I typically begin by sketching frames manually, then proceed to wireframe these sketches before advancing to mid or high-fidelity frames. For this app, numerous iterations were undertaken during the mid/high-fidelity stage.
The progress in UX development encompasses several essential steps: constructing a business case, crafting research-based personas, creating a site map, and delineating a feature set. Throughout this process, two distinct user categories emerged: individuals with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and caregivers.
The ASD app is tailored to tackle the specific challenges encountered by children with ASD, with the objective of mitigating some of their pain points. Conversely, the caregiver app is centered around monitoring the child's mood and activity, aiding in addressing ASD-related difficulties, and furnishing caregiving tools and resources.
The progression in UX development entails several key steps: constructing a business case, crafting research-based personas, developing a site map, and defining a feature set. As this process unfolds, two distinct user categories emerge: individuals with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and caregivers.
I aimed for the visual design to be playful and dynamic. For the ASD app, my goal was to appeal to seven-year-olds while still being suitable for seventeen-year-olds, avoiding an overly childish aesthetic. Conversely, the CG app's visual design was intended to be clean and straightforward, offering actionable insights on the child's activities.
To maintain consistency across both apps and streamline project management, I limited the use of different colors, heavily relying on the primary purple color and its variants. This approach ensured a unified app experience for both ASD and CG users while reducing design time.
I aimed for the icons in the child's app to be exceptionally distinctive and enjoyable, practically jumping off the screen with excitement for children. However, initial iterations of the icons, while effective individually, clashed when displayed together on a mobile screen, resulting in a cartoonish effect inconsistent with other app elements. Subsequent iterations successfully addressed this issue, ensuring greater cohesion with the overall app design.
V1: I wanted to go for a 2.5D (not quite 3D) look with lots of color.This version was fun, but ascetically it clashed.
V2: I flattened the design, but still kept the prominent drop shadow, hoping to still retain some of the whimsical aspects of V1.
V3: I reduced the prominent drop shadow. I kept the use of fun colors, but created icons that worked well together and were consistent with the rest of the app.
As mentioned previously, the ASD app and the CG app will have different user experiences. For the ASD app, my goal was to appeal to seven-year-olds while still being suitable for seventeen-year-olds, avoiding an overly childish aesthetic. Conversely, the CG app's visual design was intended to be clean and straightforward, offering actionable insights on the child's activities.
ASD (child) home screen
CG home screen
An essential feature was designed to aid children with ASD in coping with overwhelming environments. Through this feature, children can access soothing sounds or music to help calm themselves down. Simultaneously, caregivers are notified when the child engages in self-soothing activities. Moreover, caregivers can send voice memos that override the music, providing instructions or words of encouragement to support the child in managing their emotions.
Here are some features designed to equip caregivers with better tools for raising and caring for their child:
Medications & Allergies: This feature offers a centralized platform for caregivers to track and synchronize medication and allergy information for their child. It allows caregivers to maintain up-to-date records and share this vital information with relevant contacts in their network.
Calendar and Routine: This feature empowers caregivers to manage their child's daily schedule and routines effectively. They can use it to plan and organize their child's activities, ensuring they are prepared for any events that may disrupt their routine.
This project presented numerous challenges, primarily in addressing the multifaceted pain points associated with ASD, which can seem like an overwhelming task. The wide spectrum of child and teen development, coupled with the inherent variability of ASD, made designing this application akin to aiming at a moving target.
Due to time constraints, conducting user tests was regrettably not feasible, despite my belief in their significance. However, upon handing off the project, I emphasized to stakeholders the crucial need for ongoing testing to refine and improve the user experience.
Nevertheless, working on this project was an incredibly rewarding experience that provided invaluable lessons and insights.