University of Twente Student Theses
Accessible, User-friendly Transmission of Information Supporting Minorities : Effective document design guidelines for autists based on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Probst, A.K. (2020) Accessible, User-friendly Transmission of Information Supporting Minorities : Effective document design guidelines for autists based on the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| Abstract: | Purpose. In today's society, effective instructional documents are needed to convey crucial information. This research determines the needs and preferences of autists regarding such documents and provides practical recommendations for future instructional design. The instructions in this study focus on the coronavirus pandemic as an example of especially relevant information which needs to be available to every citizen. Therefore, the research establishes the extent to which the COVID-19 instructions are already autism-friendly and how instructions can be improved. Method. In this research two studies were conducted to first establish the status quo in instructions design and then verify the findings with people with autism. The corpus for Study I, the content analysis, consists of 20 instructions on how to behave during the COVID-19 outbreak. Study II consists of user testing and interviews to determine the perceptions of autistic and neurotypical people. 19 people participated in this research, 14 of them autistic and 5 neurotypical. Results. In Study I, the instructions were assessed according to content, design and language and their general functionality as well as the implications for people with autism. Some of the instructions had autism suitable features but were not consistent in the application and improvement is needed, especially in the areas of user guidance and clarity of design. Study II found that instructions for autists should be attentive to visual aspects such as structure and design, and linguistic and content related features. An example of autistic needs is that instructions should most importantly be short and avoid unnecessary information that is not directly relevant for the material. Conclusion. Both studies show that autistic people most importantly require that instructions are purposeful, clearly structured, and not overly complicated. The research provides guidelines on how to implement this in future document design to meet the needs of autists as well as improve the clarity for people without autism. Keywords: Behavioural Instruction Design, Document Design, Accessibility, Inclusion, Usability Evaluation, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 05 communication studies |
| Programme: | Communication Studies BSc (56615) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/81687 |
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