Perception Maze
Team:
Akshita Jain Rowynn Dumont
My Role:
I made the game/ experience on Unity
Duration:
2 weeks
Extended reality (XR) technologies have the potential to revolutionize therapeutic practices by providing immersive and interactive environments tailored to individual needs. Imagine a world where the teachers can customize the learning environments to a student’s requirements to enhance the learning process.
This can be beneficial especially for Neurodivergent Individuals. Bortone et al. (2020) evaluate the efficacy of immersive virtual environments (VEs) combined with wearable haptic devices for rehabilitating children with neuromotor impairments. Their study demonstrates: 1. Engagement Benefits: The interactive, game-like nature of VR enhances motivation and participation. 2. Motor Function Improvements: VR-assisted therapy significantly improves motor control and movement smoothness.
As someone passionate about bridging storytelling with emerging technology, I wanted this experiment to not only collect data but also uncover stories hidden within user interactions.
Background
Rowynn, my partner on this project worked closely with Neurodivergent Individuals while teaching at HeartShare. From our conversations we realized that we were both interested in making XR educational, accessible and interactive. This an ongoing project and we are still figuring out the final form as we go but right now it is a Block building game. Accessible and intuitive task for participants of varying skill levels. Allows measurement of motor control, focus, and task adherence
Problem
Lukava et al. (2022) explore the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in using extended reality (XR) technologies and the lack of accessibility considerations among developers. Their findings include:
1. Sensory Overload: Users often experience motion sickness, auditory overwhelm, and cognitive fatigue due to excessive multisensory stimulation.
2. Customization Needs: Customizable sensory settings are critical for mitigating negative experiences and enhancing usability.
3. Developer Awareness Gaps: XR developers often lack the awareness or resources to incorporate neurodivergent accessibility requirements into their designs.
Research Question
Does a multi-sensory XR therapy, enhanced with continuous haptic vibrational feedback, improve focus and sensory integration in ADHD participants compared to neurotypical participants?
Experimental Design
The study utilized a within-subjects design to examine the effect of haptic feedback (vibrations) on task performance and user engagement in a VR environment. Each participant completed two conditions in randomized order:
1. Vibrations On: Haptic feedback enabled, simulating tactile sensations during gameplay.
2. Vibrations Off: No haptic feedback was provided.
The independent variable was the presence or absence of haptic feedback. Dependent variables included measures of task performance, focus, emotional calmness, engagement, and sensory sensitivity as recorded through pre-and post-surveys and participant feedback on their experience
User Testing
Twenty participants were recruited to take part in the study. Testing was conducted at SOLAS Art Studios and The New School. Participants ranged in age from 11 to 55 years, with a mean age of 30.35 years. Of the participants, 11 self-identified as neurotypical, six reported a diagnosis of ADHD, three identified with other neurodivergent conditions, and two preferred not to disclose their neurotype.
Data Collection
Condition without Vibrations: Average Time for the Vibrations Condition is 137s Average for participants with ADHD 148s Average for Neurotypical participants 141s 6 people timed out; 3 were participants with ADHD Condition with Vibrations: Average Time for the Vibrations Condition is 163s Average for participants with ADHD 178s Average for Neurotypical participants 153s 7 people timed out; 3 were participants with ADHD
What did you like the most about the VR tasks?
“When I was able to build the blocks, it was really fun -- an exciting task to mimic the tower in front of me. I was motivated to angle the blocks similarly. I liked the different colors as well. Moreover, the two levels - vibrations and no vibrations - was a surprising change.”
“They were pretty engaging. However, since I am mildly colourblind, I kept getting confused between green and blue“.
“Realtime physics like gravity and collision.“
What did challenges did you experience during the VR tasks?
“My collider keeps bumping onto the table, and it makes my location move when I don’t want to; the second layer from the bottom is hard because the two cubes on the sides tend to fall“
“Moving around made me nauseous. As I'm short, I found it difficult to pick up some blocks and kept bumping into real life barricades. The building sickness along with frustration was undesirable. Furthermore, it was my first experience with VR (ever) and I was not well trained with using joysticks which made my experience harder.“
“Impulsivity, I would pick up the wrong block before looking to see which one came next“
“The table kept moving away“
Takeaways
1. Performance Trends: Participants with ADHD performed better in the no-vibrations condition, but even in this condition, they often did not complete the task. They also required more time on average to complete both conditions compared to neurotypical participants. This suggests that haptic feedback, rather than helpful sensory cues, may contribute to sensory overload in this population.
2. Challenges and Feedback: The user feedback revealed both technical and experiential challenges, such as issues with controller functionality, movement dynamics, and the VR table interface. Participants provided valuable suggestions, including incorporating calming environments, improved sensory customization, and audio-tactile integration, which will guide future iterations of the program.
3. Engagement and Usability: Despite the challenges, participants rated the VR tasks as engaging and immersive, emphasizing the potential of XR for creating practical therapeutic tools. The study achieved its goal of gathering foundational data, which will inform improvements to the program. Specifically, we plan to address the feedback provided by participants to correct glitches, refine task mechanics, and enhance sensory customization options. This feedback-loop approach ensures that future versions of the program will better cater to the needs of neurodivergent users.
Next Steps
Additional research and development will focus on implementing these changes. Subsequent phases of the project will expand to include a broader range of neurodivergent conditions, more complex environments, and real-world implementations. The ultimate objective remains to design an XR program capable of delivering measurable improvements in focus, motor control, and sensory integration across diverse populations.
While the data did not support the hypothesis, the groundwork has been successfully laid for future advancements, underscoring this research's iterative and exploratory nature. This study adds to the expanding research on XR in therapeutic settings, emphasizing the significance of adaptive, user-focused design in developing accessible and effective solutions for neurodivergent individuals.