ORCID

Abstract

Interpersonal Synchrony (IPS), the temporal coordination of actions between individuals, plays a crucial role in fostering social interactions, emotion regulation, and communication. While previous research has explored IPS in dyadic settings, little is known about how it can be supported in multi-user full-body interactive environments, especially for neurodivergent populations. This study presents an iterative design investigation of DragonIce, a full-body interactive experience aimed at promoting IPS among children on the Autism Spectrum (AS). Building on findings from a prior study involving 12 male students with autism, we implemented and tested two targeted interaction design modifications: (1) enhanced visual feedback and (2) the introduction of a hand-held object. The results revealed a significant improvement in behavioral synchrony following refinements and a positive trend in perceived synchrony and user experience, highlighting how specific interaction design elements shape user experience and perceived synchrony in group-based settings. This work contributes to creating knowledge on how interaction design can be strategically employed to foster IPS, offering new directions for inclusive and socially supportive full-body experiences for neurodivergent children.

Publication Date

2025-06-23

Publication Title

IDC '25: Proceedings of the 24th Interaction Design and Children

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

ISBN

9798400714733

Deposit Date

2026-04-28

Funding

We are grateful to the school and all participants who contributed to the study. This work is supported by the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Programme CEX2021-001195-M, funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.

First Page

779

Last Page

783

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