Project Overview

On the ORBIT (Opportunities for Robotics, Building, and Inclusive Technology) project, I, along with my team, creating accessible coding experiences for autistic middle school students. We are working directly with special education teachers to co-design technology that supports both executive functioning and computational thinking skills simultaneously.

Along with my team, I am building coding tools specifically for autistic learners from the beginning, instead of just adding accessibility features to existing platforms. Through our co-design approach, we’re developing software and learning activities that help students meet their individual education plan goals while exploring robotics and coding - opening doors to computing interest and confidence that might otherwise remain closed.

My Contribution

As PI and lead developer, I’m driving both the research and design aspects of this project, including:

Participatory Design – designed and facilitated workshops with special education teachers using paper prototyping and iterative design methods. I developed the co-design methodology that bridges the gap between special education expertise and computational thinking, creating an effective collaboration framework for this interdisciplinary work.

Custom Software Design & Development – designed and developed the ORBIT App, a programming interface built using ReactJS for autistic students working with LEGO® SPIKE™ Prime robots. This custom software includes:

• A step-based programming interface with customizations options for scaffolding executive functioning skills
• Five-level reading support system that adapts from symbolic representations to complex text based on student needs
• Audio support with text-to-speech capabilities and customizable robot voices to increase customizability and engagement
• Adaptive UI with color theme options, dyslexia-friendly fonts, and high contrast modes
• Mission-based learning system with guided activities and validation
• Visual dashboards with representations and controls for motors, sensors, and timers
• Bluetooth connectivity for real-time communication with physical robots

Research-Based Design Framework: Through our co-design process, we identified design considerations that inform the education and technology environment:

• Supporting teacher-mediated trajectories for individualized computing and technology skill development
• Incorporating feedback mechanisms that support engagement and independence
• Designing consistent representations across physical and digital environments

Design Process & Methodology

Our process exemplifies my approach to human-centered design for educational technology. I led a series of structured co-design workshops with special education teachers that progressed through three key phases:

1. Storytelling & Needs Assessment: Through guided activities, we elicited teachers’ experiences, values, and barriers faced with educational technologies in autism-focused classrooms.

2. Paper Prototyping: We created low-fidelity paper prototypes of both physical tools and digital interfaces to quickly iterate on design concepts before committing to development.

3. Digital Prototyping: We translated paper designs into digital mockups, then functional software prototypes for testing and refinement with teacher input.

This iterative, participatory approach ensures that the final technology ecosystem will be genuinely useful in special education contexts where standard computational thinking tools often fail.

Design Embodiments

The ORBIT project has produced several integrated tools, with the custom software serving as the centerpiece of the technology ecosystem:

ORBIT App

We designed and developed this programming environment featuring:

• Autism-Specific Interface Design: The app uses a unique one-step-at-a-time approach, with clear visual separation of programming elements to reduce cognitive load and support executive functioning.

• Multi-modal Learning Support: Multiple representation methods including visual icons, text that adapts to five different reading levels, and audio feedback with customizable text-to-speech.

• Interactive Visual Dashboards: A visualization systems for robotics control concepts, including a math manipulative inspired visualization for timers.

Physical Learning Supports

Through our collaborative design sessions, complementary physical tools emerged:

• Planning Board: A tangible tool for sequencing and decomposing programming tasks before using the digital interface, supporting working memory and task switching.

• Visual Glossary: A reference system that maintains consistent representation of programming concepts across physical and digital environments.

Current Status & Next Steps

The project is currently in active development, with initial prototypes being refined for classroom pilot testing. The next phases include:

• Classroom implementation with autistic middle school students
• Iterative refinement based on student and teacher experiences