Development of tangible user interfaces design guideline: an experimental study to assist children with dyslexia in learning to read and spell

Purpose This study proposes the Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) design guideline to support learning to read and spell for children with dyslexia. Design/methodology/approach Seven experts with backgrounds in human–computer interaction, art and design verified the TUIs design guideline and provided feedback on the proposed design guideline of TUIs. It was then validated through an experimental study with 16 participants diagnosed as dyslexia from primary school between 7 and 12 years old. The participants were asked to complete the learning content (letter recognition and spelling) based on their reading level in the Malay language. Following that, the participants were assisted by the researcher to identify their system preferences through questionnaires. Findings On average, the results showed significant improvement among the children with dyslexia, particularly those who had difficulties with letter recognition and spelling when using the Tangibell prototype. The task results indicated that the design guideline was deemed suitable for children with dyslexia. Thus, the study meets its objective in validating the guideline through an experimental study with children with dyslexia. Originality/value A dyslexia-friendly prototype called Tangibell was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of TUIs design guideline during learning activities with children with dyslexia. The design features of the prototype supported with Universal Design principles and Interaction Design dimensions adapted to the TUIs design concept tailored to the needs of children with dyslexia for a good and effective design. Collectively, TUIs design guideline may assist researchers and developers in developing prototypes tailored to the needs of children with dyslexia, contributing to better learning outcomes and improved educational experiences.