When the designer becomes the user: designing a system for therapists by becoming a therapist

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we present the design process for developing a technology to support therapists for children with autism. To learn about the domain for which we were designing, one researcher became trained as a therapist and worked as one part time for over 10 months. This case study outlines the process by which the researcher was trained, the ways in which it was helpful in the design and evaluation of a technology system, and the aspects of the experience that we feel led to a better and more successful design.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.m Miscellaneous

General Terms:
Human Factors

Keywords:
autism, design, health, participant observation