Autism Spectrum Disorder is a disorder present in 1% of the population nowadays according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Autism spectrum disorder. Nature reviews Disease primers). There are many different traits or habits that people with autism can have. A common need is the need to create organized systems and routines for a better understanding of things and higher functionality. Therefore, we aimed to make a product not only designed specifically for our co-designer but also for other people who could benefit from it. 

Our user asked us personally to focus on a problem he had with written notes. Throughout the day he writes a lot of notes, with the goal of not forgetting and organizing his thoughts. Unfortunately, this resulted in even more chaos: having the notes laying all through the house and not understanding his own notes.  

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Co-design methods 

In the beginning, we were not sure what to expect in the co-design sessions or what method would be the most efficient. Luckily, we quickly realized that our user seemed flexible and was able to go straight to the point when he needed or wanted something specific. Consequently, the user kept focusing on a specific idea our user proposed. At some points, it was challenging to keep an open mind to other ideas and options. Along with the different co-design sessions, we found a strategy to achieve this: 

It is important to always keep in mind what the goal is for each co-design session and start with the questions that might have occurred during the week. Once that first step is done, we can continue with the second part of the session which shows and discusses our progress throughout that week. 

In this way, we could keep an open discussion and generate ideas before focusing on the actual concept we are developing.

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Process

For a better understanding of the notes problem, we did further research to already existing note-organizers. Why do some of the aspects of these already existing products work and why do some not? The co-designer already suggested some products and ideas he already had in mind. Once we had a clearer direction toward the concept, we defined a design challenge: to create a system for organizing and prioritizing written notes for a better and clearer understanding and helping the user feel calmer and more organized.  

Have we achieved our goal? 

Looking back at our requirement list, it can be said that the product fulfils the needs of our user. The most important aspects we wanted to focus on were: 

 

      - To create a personalized system that can be changed if the user requires it. 

      - The design must show a clear overview of all the different categories he uses daily. 

      - The design can be closed and put away when not used.  

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Recommendations 

The prototype that is created can be fully tested with the participant. It functions practically like what the final product should look like. Based on this feedback, a fully functioning product can be made.  

Something that should be reconsidered is the inclusion of an additional product. Our co-designer told us about his struggle with understanding his notes once he has written them down and is looking at them a while after. He does not remember what certain words mean or why he has written down those parts. Therefore, a concept idea was created. The additional product would be a template that could be used on the sticky notes. The template would suggest category, date, title and comment. This would enhance the created organization and structure of The Note Hub® system. This could be realized by making a stencil that could be traced quickly. An even more quick option could be a stamp. Different versions could be made for different categories.

 

Since the final product has only been tested for a short-term period, there are elements that might need further improvement such as the material. The sheet metal is quite heavy and therefore not user-friendly. Although the sharp edges are eliminated, they cannot be prevented completely. PET is still considered a more suitable material, but some changes should be made. The hinges that are used right now are not suitable for PET. A solution can be to make integrated hinges in the PET plates and put them together by pins. The ease of use on a longer period (longer than a month of use) makes durability come into play. The ability to include all the user’s categories in an efficient order. For now, the categories are evenly dynamic or static. When further developed, the product could make certain categories more dynamic or static then others. Another addition that can be added are handles on the side. This would make it easier to pick up the thin plates and fold them easily.  

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