This co-creation report was done in collaboration with Claudia Adiwijaya for Hoda Hamouda's Design Research Methods class at ECUAD.

1. CO-CREATION REPORT
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Claudia Adiwijaya & Joey Cheung

2. DESIGN CONTEXT
For this third project, we have chosen to improve on a
previous co-creation toolkit that was used in a design
core class. The project was developed under the title
“The Kinetic Classroom” and involved working with a
team of children in grade 6-7 with learning differences
from Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School in North
Vancouver.
The project goal was to create an interactive textile
based system that would enable and empower children
with learning differences while at school. Individuals
with learning differences make use of a variety of
auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic cues to aid them in
processing information. The co-creator toolkit used
included a variety of tools that gathered qualitative
information was gathered that guided the direction of
the project.
We also aware of the lacking ability from this children
with their communication skill. We want to focus with
their verbal skill to express them self to their class mate.
QUESTION:
How can the co-creative toolkit facilitate better verbal
communication skills for children with learning differences
(ADHD) to help them improve relationships with classmates?

3. background info
For this project, we want to know more about
children with learning differences and facilitate them
to develop better verbal communication skills that
can improve their relationships with their classmates.
Children with ADHD often have trouble expressing
themselves and make use of medication to help with
their condition. But medication has many side effects,
and affect every child differently. Other options
which have been helpful for children with ADHD are
psychotherapy, and proper education and training.
Intervention strategies were proven to be helpful in
encouraging children with ADHD. They responded
well to immediate feedback and rewards. Exercise and
sleep has also been proven to help regulate energy
levels of children with ADHD.
“The focus of this project is to move towards empowering children by giving
them the opportunity to be involved in the development of solutions for their
conditions and let them know that they are more than their conditions.”
Cognitive rehabilitation exercises have also been proven
to help improve working memory of children with ADHD.
Exercises come in the form of games and with practice can
strengthen neural connections in the brain.
Though support from parents and teachers are vital in
supporting children with ADHD, the focus of this project is
to move towards empowering children by giving them the
opportunity to be involved in the development of solutions
for their conditions and let them know that they are capable
of helping themselves. While there will be adults assisting
and guiding them through the process, we would like the
children to take a more active role in building the foundation
for their future independence through awareness and action.

4. 1. Generative Toolkits and Occupational Therapy
analysis of
precedent toolkits
2. Generative Design Research with Children in
Cambodia
- How do children want a play space for the therapy
department at Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children to look
like? *Phase 1 (Exploration Phase)
- Cognitive + emotional toolkit: (collage) photos, words,
symbolic shapes, cartoon like expressions, systematic sets,
raw collections of scrap material
- The toolkit responds by giving the children a range of
visual materials to choose from. The foam blocks and scrap
materials have different aspects that represent textures,
colors, patterns, and shapes that would determine the criteria
for the final design.
- How do prosthetic legs affect the children who use them?
*Phase 1 (Exploration Phase)
- Cognitive + emotional toolkit: (diary study, timeline, paper
dolls) photos, symbolic shapes, cartoon like expressions and
systematic sets
- The toolkit responds by giving the children a chance to talk
about their experiences without distressing them. The activities
are meant to be fun while still collecting valuable data about
their attitudes and behaviors.

5. co-creation
toolkit
The co-creation toolkit is designed to gather
qualitative information from participants with the use
of cultural probes. Each cultural probe was chosen
with a specific purpose in mind. The participants in
this case were two boys who had difficulty focusing
and communicating, so the toolkit was created to
gather information on how their learning difference
might affect them and to know more about their
behaviours and attitudes.
In order to gain a level of empathic understanding
for the project, the co-creation tool kits are needed
at the early stage of research and thev design
process. The toolkit used for this project includes:
1. Object guessing game
2. Interview Q&A cards (with voice/video recording
component)
3. Instant film camera
4. Activity journal
The outcome of the toolkits will produce direct
qualitative data based on the most responsive
object that the participants engage with. Previous
participants had issues with both written and verbal
communication because they both had their own
way of dealing with their conditions. One boy was
more comfortable writing and drawing, while the
other boy was more comfortable talking. For our
improved toolkit, we hope to be able to gather
more precise information on the problem areas in
communication by having the participants commu-
nicate to us their problems (either through written
or verbal means) so that we can get to know their
level of comfort and which problem areas to target.
The toolkit is meant to get to know the participants
better in a more emphatic and personal way.

6. This project initially sampled students in grade
6-7 at Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School in
North Vancouver. Each team who worked on
this project were assigned two children with a
specific learning difference. The two children
who took part in this project had difficulties
with focus. The revised project however will
focus on children with ADHD in the same age
range.
Sampling Participants

7. Session Activity
Researchers and teachers will first introduce
the project to the children at their school. The
children will then be given their toolkits and will
have one hour to complete them.
Teachers will be present to assist them with any
questions but will minimize interaction with the
children while they are completing the toolkits.
Researchers are on site but will not be accessible
to the children. This is done in order to minimize
bias and influence on the responses from the
children.
Researchers will make use of ethnographic field
research techniques to document behaviors of
children without their knowledge.
Consent will be taken from parents prior to the
session. After the time is over, teachers and
researchers collect the toolkits and thank the
children for their participation and end with
more incentives.

8. session script
5 min
5 min
15 min
5 min
15 min
15 min
10 min
5 min
DURATION ACTIVITY
Introduction
Questionnaire
Object Guessing Game
ACTIVITY JOURNAL
Draw Yourself
EXERCISE BREAK
Q&A Cards and Camera
Smartphone Voice Recorder
5 min
Feedback Page
Collection and Closing Statement

9. QUESTIONNAIRE
1. How comfortable are you with talking to your classmates?
2. How many times do you talk to your classmates on a typical day?
3. How confident are you in expressing thoughts or feelings to your classmates?
4. Do you have difficulty expressing your thoughts or feelings to your classmates?

10. 5. If you have difficulty expressing yourself, how many times out of 10 does it happen out of all the
conversations you have in a day?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
6. How do you feel about having group activities during the class?
7. How do you feel about talking to other children without learning differences?
8. What are some of the challenges you have when talking to other children without learning differences?
9. What would help you express yourself to other children without learning differences?

11. toolkit instruction
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8

12. Path of
Expression
Participants will be given their toolkits to interact
with in their classrooms. There will be teachers
and researchers present for assistance and
guidance if needed and provide immediate
feedback.
Sensitizing Materials
Sensitizing materials include a questionnaire that
includes questions where participants will be asked
to talk about themselves and their current condition
(experiences, feelings and challenges). The draw
yourself activity in the activity journal is more visual
and engaging in order to help ease participants
into showing their level of self-confidence through
drawing. The object guessing game sensitizes
participants and makes them more aware of their
verbal communication skills.
Activate Participants Memory
The instant film camera adds a more visual element
by allow the participants to capture photos of those
they interview so that they can refer back to it when
going over what each person has said. The response
recording session allows participants to go over
notes they have written in the previous activity and
summarize them in their own words verbally. The
object guessing game also activates the participant’s
memory by getting them to think about words they’ve
learned in the past.
Facilitate the Co-Creation of a
Better Future Experience
The feedback page helps facilitate a better future
experience because the participants are able to talk
about their thoughts on the activities and allow them
to redesign the activities according to their current
communication skill level. The information gathered
from this will initially allow designers to understand
what the needs of the participants are better with their
involvement.
1
2
3

13. PROCESS pictures

14. - Really pretty, fun colourful and personalized
- Camera is cool
- Ask more specific questions in the
questionnaire
(close-ended may be easier for kids to answer)
- Change order of emoji scale on questionnaire
to match Likert scale
- Only have one set of cards
- Distinguish activities done by participants from
activities done by others
- Prefered classic notebook style over notebook
with flap
FEEDBACK

15. Activity journal
- Handstitched journal
- Made with scrap materials
- Includes pages for: name, draw yourself,
interview response, describe me in a few words
Markers
- Colorful permanent markers
- Taken from previous kit
Object guessing game cards
- Hand-drawn watercolor images
- Hand-written with simple icons
Other
- Small box
- Purchased from Urban Source
Initial prototype:
Activity journal
-Better quality paper (pages, Q&A cards + envelope)
-Designated photo and response pages
-Rounded corners
Markers
- Addition of water based markers
Object guessing game cards
-Better illustrations and cleaner format
Instruction booklet
-from sentences to point form
-clearer and more concise wording
Other
-bigger box
-more present-like look
-incentives (candy)
Changes in prototype: