I wanted Grounded to feel friendly in an airport where much of the information can feel formal. I drew the character as a loop with a small face and a wink. On the gate-change screen, I placed it below the information someone needs to act on. I liked what it added to the identity, but I wanted to question my own reaction. Would another adult read it as a friendly detail, find it distracting, or feel that the app was speaking to them as if they were younger?
Sarah, my tutor, told me that Beacon, my ILP support service, had trialled a little duck character. As she described it, the response was roughly 50–50 between people who wanted the duck and people who did not. I only have Sarah’s account of the trial, so I don’t know the sample size, how the question was asked or why people chose either option. I took the split as a useful example of people responding differently to the same detail. I would need to ask Grounded users about this character in the context of their own journey.
Nittono and Ihara (2017) asked 20 female university students to look at images rated as kawaii. Some showed babies or young animals, while others showed objects such as desserts and accessories. Participants rated both groups of kawaii images as more pleasant than neutral images. That gave me a reason to explore playfulness through an abstract shape and a small expression. The study measured responses to pictures in a lab. I still need to find out how adults interpret the Grounded character on a screen they are using to make a decision. Nittono and Ihara’s study
MacLennan, O’Brien and Tavassoli (2022) studied autistic adults’ accounts of sensory experiences. Participants described both enjoyable and difficult experiences, and the researchers identified control over sensory input as one factor that could shape those experiences. I applied that more cautiously to the screen. A feature someone enjoys while waiting might have a different effect when they are trying to find a gate quickly. In my home review, H1 found the small mascot and colour friendly. That gives me one person’s reaction at home. To see whether it competes with directions, I would need to observe someone using the screen for that task. In Our Own Words
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I want the character to feel welcoming to someone who enjoys it. The gate, directions and support choices need to make sense on their own.
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I would show autistic adults the same gate-change screen with and without the character, keeping the words, colours and buttons in the same places. I would vary which version people see first. I would ask them to find the gate and say what they would do next before asking how the screen feels. That would give me two things to compare: what someone wants to look at and how easily they can find the instruction. I would also ask what makes the tone feel right or wrong for them. I want people to be able to describe that in their own words, including if they would make a different choice when they are in a hurry.