The Thoughtful DWARFS

Existing education policy in Hong Kong puts most of the ASD (autism spectrum disorder) children in Hong Kong attend ordinary schools. However, the emotional expressions and verbal exposition of ASD children sometimes impose communication and learning barriers to them at school.

In this social-innovation design project, Mr. Jack Man Wai WONG produced a thoughtful educational kit, DWARFS, which combines Emoboard with Emobjects. Each color in DWARFS represents one emotion, such as anger, fear, sorrow, disgust, love, peace, and joy. By combining tactile and auditory treatment, ASD children could learn how to manage their feelings by experiencing how positive emotions overcome the negative ones.

Because product design, as Jack firmly believes, has the power to connect people.

Mr. Jack Man Wai WONG
BA (Hons) in Product Design
School of Design

Domain Expertise:

User-Centered Design and Empathy

Jack Wong Man Wai's experience as a part-time teacher working with students with special learning needs, particularly those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), demonstrates his understanding of user-centered design and empathy. He recognized the difficulties these students faced in expressing themselves and aimed to develop a product, Dwarfs, that could help them communicate their emotions effectively. This knowledge highlights the importance of empathizing with users to create designs that cater to their specific needs.

Product Development Process

Jack's journey from the research stage to the design stage and the development of Dwarfs illustrates his knowledge of the product development process. He mentions conducting research, generating ideas, drafting product details, and building prototypes. This domain knowledge emphasizes the structured approach required to take a design from concept to reality.

Digital Programming

Jack acknowledges the importance of technical skills, particularly digital programming, in the design process. He mentions that his project required digital programming for functionality, even though he had limited experience in this area. This knowledge underscores the significance of acquiring technical skills relevant to the specific requirements of a design project.

Lifelong Learning Excellence:

Research and Information Literacy

Jack conducted research to develop an understanding of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and collect user and product data. He used this research to enhance the quality of his product.

Critical Thinking and Problem-solving

Jack appreciated the support and advice he received from his instructors, tutors, and technicians throughout the design and production process. He valued their input and acknowledged their contributions to enhancing his design.

Communication and Presentation Skills

Jack appreciated the support and advice he received from his instructors, tutors, and technicians throughout the design and production process. He valued their input and acknowledged their contributions to enhancing his design.

Adaptability and Flexibility

Jack mentioned that he learned new techniques during the design process, particularly in digital programming. He recognized the importance of programming skills for a future career in product design.

Reflection and Self-awareness

Jack reflected on his experience with the DWARFS project, acknowledging his strengths and weaknesses as a designer. He gained a deeper understanding of his design abilities and learned valuable lessons for future projects.

Creativity & Innovation

Jack emphasized the importance of generating multiple ideas and exploring different design directions. He advised others to keep trying and believe in themselves, as it can lead to better solutions and success.

Inspiring Quotes:

Global Outlook
" Digital programming was a new technique that I have mastered during the whole design process. I think programming is one of the essential knowledge and skills to product designer in the future."

Innovative Problem-solver
"The dwarfs were in different colors and represented different emotions, such as anger, fear, sorrow, disgust, love, peace and joy. The autistic students experienced the process of positive emotions overcoming negative emotions and they can learn how to manage their emotions."

Ethical Leader
"I hope DWARFS is a starting point to raise public awareness of SEN students, people can understand them and treat them equally, without any labeling."

Professional Competence
"From the very beginning, we together conduct the research to develop an understanding of the children with ASD (autism spectrum disorder), combine all the scholarly information and my observation to the children, then generate a wide variety of ideas and design the product drafting. List out the design details and then build a real prototype of DWARFS."

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