Doctoral Colloquium—Involving Individuals with Autism in Design of an Immersive Learning Environment

Abstract

The aim of this research is to investigate the potential of individuals with autism to participate in the design of an immersive learning environment (ILE). It will involve enlisting highfunctioning individuals with autism to contribute to the design process of an ILE and select their preferred design elements. To gather this information, a virtual reality (VR) application will be developed in collaboration with individuals with autism in which individuals with autism can rate different design elements based on their preferences. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected, and descriptive and inferential statistical analyses will be applied to compare these design elements. The research findings are anticipated to provide statistically significant insights into the preferences and experiences of individuals with autism and offer guidelines and techniques for involving them in the design process and to guide future researchers in the development of an ILE for individuals with autism. This doctoral colloquium paper presents an overview of user-centred research design and aims to initiate further discussions in the field regarding the preferred design elements of individuals with autism.