NFC Screen Typing

Co-Designer

My co-designer is Wynston, the 14 year old son of a family friend with “classic,” non-verbal autism. He has trouble communicating and has approximately 10 words of expressive language. Additionally, he has minimal sensory sensitivity (e.g., adverse reactions to loud noises or crowds).

Co-Designer Needs Statement

• My co-designer needs to be able to communicate expressively
• Product should be similar to the existing stencilboard (currently used for “spell2communicate”)
• My product should help him communicate faster and more efficiently without sacrificing accuracy
• Improved communication

Product Requirements

• The product must have letters in alphabetical order from A to Z (not qwerty)
• Large display (14'' x 11'')
• Product should preferably stand vertically, allowing my co-designer to spell autonomously

Initial Brainstorming Narrative

After conducting an interview, I came up with 2 design prototypes for my project. One involved making modifications to an existing stencil board by adding electronic components. NFC tags would be placed on each of the letters in the stencilboard. They would be read with the use of a stylus, which would type the letter corresponding to the sticker on the screen. The second prototype was a laser projection of a virtual keyboard. It would involve the use of camera, and two infared lasers to project an image of a keyboard onto any surface. This would allow my co-desginer to type on the screen by simply pointing to the keys with their finger. After consulting once more with my co-designer, I ruled out the second one due to its use of a qwerty keyboard and his preference for a similar device to one he uses.

Initial Prototype

TODO - missing