carari-a tool to control overconcentration in ASD-

What it does

A tool to support the control of concentration for people with autism spectrum disorders. Leverages the visual advantage characteristic of autism spectrum disorders, Supports the control of concentration and prevents overconcentration.

Your inspiration

While many people with developmental disabilities often experience more stumbling blocks in their daily lives than normal people, they often demonstrate high levels of concentration and memory in areas where they excel. Therefore, we thought that by providing support in areas where they experience difficulties in their daily lives, we could help them make the most of their individual strengths.

How it works

This work consists of six acrylic blocks, a tray, and marbles. The interior of the acrylic blocks is staircase-like, and when the blocks are stacked one on top of the other, the interior staircases are connected, allowing marbles to roll down from top to bottom like a spiral staircase. The trays are shallow and divided into three sections, which serve as receptacles for the marbles that roll out of the acrylic blocks and as roulette. At the approximate break time, stack one acrylic block, roll a marble and take a break action according to where it stops. By repeating this process, breaks are encouraged at regular intervals to prevent overconcentration. In addition, as the acrylic blocks are stacked, the accumulation of time and workload, which are difficult for people with autism spectrum disorder to realize, and progress can be visually experienced through the transition in height, leading to a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Design process

We proceeded with the production by having a design partner with mild autism spectrum disorder and hyperfocusing symptoms conduct repeated interviews and user tests. The results of the interviews indicated that the two main factors contributing to overconcentration were not knowing what to do and when to take a break, and that once they started working, they would continue until they were completely finished. Based on this, the first prototype was devised in a shape that could be played like a puzzle during breaks. In the second, we followed the form of stacking blocks, but eliminated the puzzle element and aimed to create a routine of rolling marbles at the beginning of each break. Third, the blocks are made of acrylic, and only the stairs are made of wood so that the marbles can be seen rolling and the path they take. The tray on which the marbles roll out was made into a roulette system, so that visitors could take some action depending on where the marbles finally stopped, thereby naturally introducing them to the rest area. The design partners were asked to use the system for several days,

How it is different

Similar examples of tools to control concentration include clocks with timers and applications that automatically close computer and smartphone screens after a certain amount of time. However, we found that the timer's alarm indicates that time has elapsed, but the user is unable to take a break, and applications that close the screen have the opposite effects of stress caused by having the work one has been doing terminated without consent, and of increasing one's concentration to an excessive degree because the work is half-finished. Unlike similar cases mentioned above, carari differs from this work in that, after a certain period of time, it interrupts the process of stacking blocks and rolling marbles to make the children take different actions, and by taking actions in line with the eyes where the marbles stop, it naturally brings their consciousness outside of the work.

Future plans

We believe that it is a cumbersome task for users to decide in advance what actions they will take during breaks. If the system is to be brushed up in the future, we think it would be better to present several ideas in advance and have users choose from among them in the form of cards, etc., rather than thinking about it before the work is done.

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