Switcharoo - A Switch Accessible Tablet Application
Experimental Education Unit
2024 - 2025
Project Timeline
Tools
Process
My role
October 2024 - June 2025
User Researcher
UX Designer
Figjam
Figma
Switch Kit
Identifying Research Methods
Gathering Data
Ideation and Prototyping
Feedback + Development
Presenting Findings
The Experimental Education Unit (EEU) provides inclusive education to children with and without disabilities. Play is an incredibly important aspect of classroom learning at the EEU. Yet, students with disabilities are often left behind when it comes to engaging play opportunities. We collaborated with educators and occupational therapists to address the need for accessible and engaging play opportunities for children with disabilities.
Currently, switch accessible tools and applications are extremely expensive. They focus on a few age groups and do not have multi-player functionalities. Our goal was to design play tools address this need for engaging, accessible, and collaborative play tools.
Overview + Problem Space
Research Methods
First, we started with building a needs-profile to understand the pain points, goals, and needs of this target user group. We were then able to identify what research methods would help us fill any gaps we had in our knowledge.
User interviews with educators at the EEU to learn about their classroom goals, and learning objectives. We learned that educators utilize play time to supplement classroom learning goals. Educators highlighted that children in the classroom had diverse needs and had limited opportunities for collaboration during play time.
Ethnographic Observations at the EEU classrooms to understand how students currently engage in the classroom setting. We learned about how teachers used technology in the classroom, noting the existing use of iPads in the classroom.
Secondary Research to identify what solutions currently existed in the market. We analyzed One Switch Websites and Papunet games and identified that existing solutions had several gaps in how affordable and functional they were.
Research Insights
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Technology Interactions: Children have a difficult time clicking small buttons on the screen.
Learning Preferences: Children have diverse learning goals and needs. Some children might prefer loud sounds and haptic feedback, while others may prefer more visual cues and interactions.
Ease of Use: Educators emphasize wanting solutions that are easy to integrate into the classroom and have an easy learning curve.
Collaborative Play is Important: Educators highlight the importance of team work, and collaboration in the classroom. There are limited technological resources in the classroom so there is a greater emphasis on sharing tools.
We designed a switch-accessible tablet application featuring a library of multiple educational games for individual and collaborative play.
Design Solution — Switcharoo
Key Features
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Large game tiles and icons in the library highlighting different games. Educators can favorite any games from the library. Educators can also toggle between individual and group play.
Customization in the settings tab where educators can modify sounds, haptics, contrast, and switch access.
Clicking on a game will lead to a pop up that highlights the game's key themes or learning objectives. This allows educators to quickly get an idea of what the game will be like, including what switches can be accessed for the game.
Each of the games have key accessibility features such as visual and haptic feedback to provide cues and guide the playing experience.
Watch a quick demo of our prototype!
Switcharoo is a free and accessible tool that empowers children with disabilities to experience joyful play while simultaneously supporting their learning goals.
Project Outcomes Impact —
Low Cost Barrier for Educators + Families
Aligns with Classroom Learning Goals
Works with Different Switch Types
Makes Play Fun and Engaging
Cultivates Collaboration
Reflections
Throughout the research and design phase, we worked closely with educators at the EEU to ensure that our designs reflected topics and themes that the children would be interested in. This element of gathering feedback throughout the project helped us iterate constantly and produce a prototype that we were proud of.