The current systems for reducing pain and anxiety does work for adults, but not for kids. The goal of the project is to develop a system for children 3-12 years. The researchers were trying to promote physical interaction.
The team were exploring multi modal interaction, intuitive use and form promoting interaction. They were evaluating prototypes, content, software, hardware and the clinical results.
The product is a figure where the child can explore a world through a narrative. The child picks up a figure and places it into a form. A 3D movie then shows up on a screen.
The study was conducted on 44 children, age range 3-14 old. The results showed huge improvement from the current products, the pain was in average only 33% compared the current products.
The next steps are to address usability issues, further clinical trials, new prototype iterations, and content enhancements.
The lesson learnt is that through tangible interactions and related content, pain and anxiety can be reduced in children during burns dressing changes. Also, they learned that a multidisciplinary team was required, and that is was important to have a clear design intent.