International partnerships
Participation in European consortia increases your impact. Discover our role as a design partner in international collaborations and European programs, where we actively expand our network and initiate new projects.
SoVaTaSS
Practice game for children with autism
How can care professionals, using digital tools, motivate children with autism to practice social skills? Within the SoVaTaSS research project, 8D developed a game prototype for children with autism to explore this question. The prototype served as a research tool to generate new insights for innovative treatment approaches.
Objectives
1
Increased insight into motivations and needs of children with ASD
2
Co-designing and testing prototypes
3
Translating research results into design principles for more effective treatments
Co-designing games for children with autism
Children with ASD often perceive social situations as complex and overwhelming. The SoVaTaSS programme focused on exploring how digital tools can support this target group in practicing social skills within a safe and comfortable environment. Specifically, the research investigated the potential of gaming as a motivating tool and how such interventions can best be integrated into existing treatment practices.
Several prototypes were co-created within the project to gain in-depth understanding of the needs, motivations, and experiences of children, parents, and practitioners. SoVaTaSS was carried out by Accare in collaboration with the Research Groups Youth Care and Care & Innovation in Psychiatry (NHL Stenden), User-Centered Design (Hanze University of Applied Sciences), and ICT Innovation in Healthcare (Windesheim). Within this consortium, 8D developed and co-designed the Island Game prototype as a research instrument.
Approach
A user-centered design approach was applied within SoVaTaSS, involving focus groups with children (n=8), parents (n=6), and interviews with stakeholders (n=7). These sessions provided valuable insights into their daily lives, social challenges, and experiences with digital tools. The findings resulted in three authentic personas that guided the design of the game prototypes. An important conclusion was that children’s goals and motivations often differ from the assumptions made by parents and professionals. Understanding these child perspectives is crucial when developing digital interventions that effectively motivate them to work on their social skills.
Based on frameworks from the research, 8D developed a prototype of a digital game in which children take on the role of a postman on a calmly designed island. During their delivery rounds, they encounter various characters with small requests, such as repairing a cart or assisting with photography. These interactions are designed to simulate social situations where recognising emotions and choosing appropriate responses are central. The game mechanics are based on a clear cause-and-effect principle, allowing children to discover how their actions affect others. Incorrect choices do not result in negative consequences but instead invite them to try alternative responses, preventing frustration and keeping the practice low-threshold and motivating.
The prototype was used by researchers as a research instrument, including through investigative rehearsal, in which practitioners tested the prototype directly in their own practice to examine its usability and impact in real treatment contexts.
“Spelen is een heel veilige en laagdrempelige manier om te oefenen met sociale vaardigheden. Maak je een ‘fout’, dan zitten daar geen gevolgen aan.”
Case: SoVaTaSS
Maarten Stevens
Eigenaar 8D Games
Results
Concrete outcome: the Island Game prototype, co-designed with children, parents, and practitioners
Concrete outcome: the Island Game prototype, co-designed with children, parents, and practitioners
Long-term value: input for future treatment methods and implementation research in youth care and education
Learn more about the functionality of a serious game as a research tool?
Research at the heart of society
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At 8D, we support researchers in integrating a design approach into their work, from project design to creative product development and process supervision. These participatory methodologies help solve complex, people-centred problems and embed research findings in society in a sustainable way.
Learn more about social design
In all our projects, we apply our own social design approach, which we have refined over the past ten years through hands-on experience. Our method combines the best elements of various design-driven methodologies, with co-creation with stakeholders at its core. What makes this approach unique is that it allows for course adjustments based on co-creation while simultaneously maintaining momentum through clear task division and concrete planning.
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