Open AccessTesting of a Drawing Toy for Children with Blindness: The Kuwu Experience
Author(s) -
JoséPablo Escobar,
Camila Ferreira Bannwart Castro,
Marion Garolera,
Angélica Sepúlveda,
Martín Santa Cruz,
Ricardo Rosas
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of early childhood special education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.144
H-Index - 9
ISSN - 1308-5581
DOI - 10.9756/int-jecse/v13i1.211009
Subject(s) - usability , pencil (optics) , blindness , heuristics , perspective (graphical) , psychology , cognition , flexibility (engineering) , component (thermodynamics) , visual impairment , human–computer interaction , computer science , cognitive psychology , artificial intelligence , engineering , optometry , mechanical engineering , medicine , statistics , mathematics , neuroscience , operating system , physics , thermodynamics , psychiatry
Play is a fundamental activity in early childhood and a source of cognitive development. One ludic activity in early childhood is drawing, a semiotic activity in which children can build and transform symbols and meanings in a way to reflect their thoughts and emotions. However, drawing has a visual component that is a challenge for some children with blindness or visual impairment. This research aims to evaluate a prototype of a haptic pencil called Kuwu. Through user’s usability tests and expert heuristic inspection, we evaluated 10 children with blindness or visual impairments between 5 and 8 years old, from 2 schools of Santiago, Chile. Heuristics evaluation shows the minimalist design, ease, and flexibility of use of the pencil that allows children to draw independently. Usability testing is a foundational phase in any technological development, especially when creating from a universal design perspective.