Qiti Zhang

Thesis

Thesis

My research proposal is about Interactive Multi-Sensory Environments design towards the development of Social Skills for children with visual impairment. It describes a Multi-Sensory Environment (MSE) design for children with visual impairment, modeling a complex smart space to encourage communication and develop social skills.

Although Multi-Sensory Environment has been studied extensively, most of these researches are focused on autistic children and more rely on visual representation and interactions, which creates a barrier for children with visual impairments. In this context, this paper explores the potential of audio, tactile, and motion sensors in providing children with an interesting and rich social experience. Participatory design and ethnography design are carried out to guide this study.

During the research, children with visual impairments will be invited to different types of workshops for co-designing the tools. Based on the ideation and feedback from the participants, the iterative revision will be conducted and the availability of this technology in the area of social interaction among visually impaired children will be discussed.

Biography

Biography

My obsession with interactive design and new media art prompts me to explore deeper into design and pursue postgraduate studies at the Glasgow School of Art with a scholarship last year. With guidance in theory and exposure to multi-cultures, my vision has been broadened. Over the past years, my main research area is human-computer interaction devices and interactive art installations, and I have rich project experience in ethnographic research and participatory design.

One of my major projects was VI-D, an interactive navigation equipment project for people with visual impairments and that is when I start to feel a sense of responsibility to pay attention to the ‚invisible‘ groups in society. Inspired by this project, I am determined to devote myself to academic research in this area.