Usability Study of a Tangible Solution in the Literacy Process of Children with Down Syndrome
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5753/rbie.2025.6000Keywords:
Usability, Tangible Interaction, Literacy, Inclusion, Down Syndrome, Neuroplasticity, Educational TechnologiesAbstract
This paper presents a usability evaluation of Alfaba, a tangible and multisensory educational device originally designed to support literacy development in general contexts. The study investigates its specific applicability to children and adolescents with Down Syndrome. Seven participants aged 7 to 17 took part in individual sessions conducted in a therapeutic setting. Interactions were recorded through direct annotations, audiovisual recordings, and spontaneous verbal reports, and analyzed using a structured observation protocol. Coding was performed independently by two evaluators, with inter-rater agreement assessed via Cohen’s Kappa coefficient. Results suggest that the integration of tactile, visual, and auditory stimuli may support letter recognition, autonomous error correction, and initial engagement, although attention declined over time and environmental distractions were noted. Based on these findings, design improvements were proposed and implemented, resulting in a new version of Alfaba, whose effectiveness will be investigated in future studies. The study contributes to the field of Educational Computing by documenting how usability and accessibility principles can inform the iterative refinement of inclusive educational technologies.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Laura Quevedo Jurgina, Eduarda Pereira Medeiros, Tiago Duarte Mackedanz, Lui Gill Aquini, Leomar Soares da Rosa Júnior, Fernando Moreira, Tiago Thompsen Primo
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