The development of the Virtual City: A user centred approach (original) (raw)
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Development and evaluation of the virtual city
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This paper describes the initial development of the Virtual Life Skills project. A user-centred design approach was developed to build virtual environments (VEs) intended to provide a practice arena for skill learning in children and adults with learning disabilities. The context for learning these skills is a computer generated model of a city in which users have freedom to explore different buildings and practice a variety of everyday living skills.
Virtual Environments for Learners with Special Needs
WSCG'2006, 2006
This paper proposes methods to create educational Virtual Environments for users with no computer and readingskills. The objective is to outline issues that are critical for the success of an educational Virtual Environment:user interface, navigation, interaction and environment design. We propose solutions to improve the usabilityand visual quality of environments. Two example environments are presented in detail to illustrate our ideas: The education of battered women and a city guide of a historical boulevard in Istanbul.
Design of a Virtual Learning Environment for Students with Special Needs
Human Technology: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Humans in ICT Environments, 2006
The European Social Fund-supported Portland Partnership project developed a computer-based virtual learning environment (VLE) to benefit students with cognitive and physical disabilities. This system provided students with access to a suite of software programs to teach them basic/essential skills needed for everyday life and to use information and communications technology (ICT). The VLE can be customized to meet individual students' needs by selecting an input device, adjusting its setting, or choosing a symbol set to ...
Virtual environments special needs and evaluative methods
Studies in health technology and informatics, 1998
This paper presents an overview of the development of the Learning in Virtual Environments programme (LIVE), carried out in special education over the last four years. It is more precisely a project chronology, so that the reader can sense the historical development of the programme rather than giving emphasis to any one particular feature or breakthrough, which are covered in other papers and available through the authors. The project conception in a special school in Nottingham is followed by a description of the development of experiential and communicational virtual learning environments. These are followed, in turn, by the results of our testing programmes which show that experience gained in a virtual environment can transfer to the real world and that their use can encourage self-directed activity in students with severe learning difficulties. Also included is a discussion of the role of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in special education and of its attributes in the co...
Virtual environments supporting learning and communication in special needs education
2007
Virtual reality (VR) describes a set of technologies that allow users to explore and experience 3-dimensional computer-generated "worlds" or "environments." These virtual environments can contain representations of real or imaginary objects on a small or large scale (from modeling of molecular structures to buildings, streets, and scenery of a virtual city). Potential use in education was first considered in the early 1990s, when it was suggested that VR technology could provide powerful learning environments not available through other means . A growing VR research community has since sought to examine the benefits of using this technology in mainstream and special needs education, as well as other learning environments. This article first presents a brief description of VR technology and its use in teaching and learning. VR can be used as a tool for communication, as a medium through which individuals express ideas, and for learning about communication, through guided training and rehearsal in simulated social scenarios. This article concentrates on the latter application and presents 4 research projects conducted by the Virtual Reality Applications Research Team and associated colleagues in special needs education since 1991. These projects involved the development and evaluation of virtual environment applications intended to support training for individuals with learning needs and communication difficulties in preparation for more independence in their everyday activities and communications in the community.
Games and virtual worlds have many potential benefits for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in terms of training, education, and rehabilitation. However, because this population presents a wide range of specific needs and abilities, it can be difficult to design games which are engaging and present optimum levels of challenge to players. By including individuals with ID and ASD in the design phase we can help meet their specific needs and preferences by personalizing an intervention through the exploration of experimental techniques, methods and assistive technologies. By embracing the Responsible Research and Innovation approach, we bring science and society closer together to shape the world for future generations. A number of approaches for achieving such inclusion have been described, such as User Sensitive Inclusive Design, Universal Design, and Design for All. Here we discuss three specific examples of the design of games and virtual worlds for people with ID/ASD and illustrate how they attempt to meet their needs. Namely 1) a blended approach of computerised program and applied behaviour analysis for reading skills 2) immersive gameplay for employment and transferable skills training and 3) virtual reality training to enhance communication skills.
A Virtual World for Learning Skills of Independent Living: a Formative Evaluation
Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 2018
A web-based virtual world was developed to address negative symptoms in people being assisted by community mental health services. The formative evaluation of this virtual world describes the rationale, stakeholder consultation, behavioral objectives, and design principles. Results are presented for a two-phase evaluation of the acceptability and usability of the prototype with mental health support workers and their adult clients. Phase 1 was the development of an initial prototype virtual world and conduct of a survey of 46 support workers’ responses to a questionnaire on their views about that world. Results indicated moderate levels of acceptability and credibility of the concept and identified several perceived barriers to usability by potential clients. Phase 2 was the development of a second prototype and its evaluation by 20 support workers and 10 clients from a mental health support service following an instruction session using the second prototype. Results showed that mos...