PartiPlay: A Participatory Game Design Kit for Neurodiverse Classrooms
Patricia Piedade, Isabel Neto, Ana Pires, Rui Prada, Hugo Nicolau
TL;DR
This work tackles the challenge of making play experiences inclusive for neurodiverse children in classrooms by introducing PartiPlay, a participatory game design kit designed to accommodate diverse communication styles and interests. The kit guides a five-session co-design process around an off-the-shelf Ozobot, augmented with project portfolios, pictogram-supported worksheets, and Expanded Proxy Design to center neurodivergent preferences. An in-the-wild evaluation with 81 children across four classrooms demonstrates that craft-based activities, low-fidelity prototyping, and multimodal expression support ownership, reduce conflict, and enable inclusive collaboration. The authors provide actionable design methodologies and implications for future participatory design research with neurodiverse populations, promoting inclusive play and social learning in classroom contexts.
Abstract
Play is a central aspect of childhood development, with games as a vital tool to promote it. However, neurodivergent children, especially those in neurodiverse environments, are underserved by HCI games research. Most existing work takes on a top-down approach, disregarding neurodivergent interest for the majority of the design process. Co-design is often proposed as a tool to create truly accessible and inclusive gaming experiences. Nevertheless, co-designing with neurodivergent children within neurodiverse groups brings about unique challenges, such as different communication styles, sensory needs and preferences. Building upon recommendations from prior work in neurodivergent, mixed-ability, and child-led co-design, we propose a concrete participatory game design kit for neurodiverse classrooms: PartiPlay. Moreover, we present preliminary findings from an in-the-wild experiment with the said kit, showcasing its ability to create an inclusive co-design process for neurodiverse groups of children. We aim to provide actionable steps for future participatory design research with neurodiverse children.