Greg McCarthy's Portfolio

Navigating Spaces

Navigating Spaces

Navigating Spaces

Proposal • Design Thinking • Inclusive Design

How can human-centered design be used to help persons with ASD?

Proposal • Design Thinking • Inclusive Design

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Experience

Introduction

Context & Problem Statement

The Ability Respite Centre in Toronto provides relief and support for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their caregivers. As part of a strategic expansion across Canada, the centre sought to redesign its reception area and create a research-driven blueprint adaptable to varied environments—including homes—so that more families could benefit.

Imagine you’re a cyclist, runner, or walker trying to navigate the Lower Don Valley Trail—only to be met with a barricade and no clear detour signs. Do you turn around? Guess where to go? For many trail users, this experience led to frustration, confusion, and even abandonment of the trail altogether.

My Role

Primary Researcher & UX Designer: Conducted needs-finding, stakeholder interviews, and user research.
Service Blueprinting & Recommendations: Mapped out user journeys and identified design opportunities for the center’s reception area and beyond.

The trail is a massive area of green space in Toronto’s core. Containing conservation areas, landmarks and vast expanses where you can be relatively removed from the built environment, all less than a 20 minute walk from Toronto highest population density area.

The Respite Centre's Mission

The centre’s primary mission is to offer relief and support to caregivers and those requiring care. It also aims to explore scalable design solutions that can be replicated in future facilities or community spaces.

Research

The Research Process

To craft an effective solution, I began with thorough research on the challenges faced by individuals with ASD, their caregivers, and respite centre staff. This included user interviews, ethnographic studies, and a review of existing solutions.

Ethnographic Report

A deep dive into first-hand accounts, transcripts, and literature revealed critical insights into daily challenges and sensory sensitivities for children with ASD. Three key takeaways were:

Isolation Tendencies: Many children preferred smaller, enclosed areas or felt stressed in large, open-plan spaces.
Noise & Acoustics: Reducing or managing ambient sound was crucial.
Dynamic vs. Static Spaces: Flexible or “work in progress” areas were more comfortable than rigid, unchanging environments.

Stakeholder Analysis

Children with ASD (Primary Users)
- Require consistent routines, clear wayfinding, and accessible communication aids.
Caregivers
- Manage complex scheduling, commuting, and daily routines; need simpler tools and resources.
Staff & Workers
- Balance shifting funding, space constraints, and varied ASD diagnoses. Clear guidelines help reduce overwhelm.

Location & Accessibility Insights

Toronto Coverage: Many families in outlying areas found it challenging to commute.

Home Context: Solutions that also work beyond the centre (e.g., at home) increase overall impact.

Finding the User’s Voice

By reviewing existing literature and transcripts of individuals with ASD, we discovered common pain points such as sensory overload and unclear signage.

Understanding the Location of Users

Spatial analysis showed that many Toronto neighborhoods lack easy access to a respite centre. Hence, design solutions had to be transferable to home environments.

Identifying Areas of Impact

Studies indicated that acoustics, wayfinding, and sensory zoning provide the highest impact for individuals with ASD.

Reviewing Existing Solutions

Academic research showcased several provisional methods (like the ASPECTSS framework) validated in controlled environments. Adapting these for the centre ensured factual grounding over personal opinion.

Mapping Connections

By aligning firsthand user accounts with accessibility frameworks, we pinpointed the most critical design interventions and resource allocations.

Findings

Findings & Proposed Innovation

Based on our research, we proposed a printable and online resource to help the Ability Respite Centre—and potentially caregivers at home—implement straightforward, “off-the-shelf” solutions like:

Acoustic Management (e.g., sound-dampening materials, soft partitions)
Visual Wayfinding (e.g., color-coded zones, consistent signage)
Sensory Zoning (e.g., quiet rooms, low-sensory waiting areas)

This approach leverages budget-friendly components, so funds can instead be focused on user support and caregiver training.

Personas

We developed a primary persona, “Jane,” a child with ASD, to guide empathy-driven design. Understanding her daily struggles informed wayfinding and acoustic considerations

Ethnographic Report

The core insights from real families emphasized that before, during, and after experiences must be considered, leading us to design solutions that also work in the home.

Identifying Key Barriers

Repeatedly, caregivers reported frustration with sensory overload, insufficient quiet spaces, and lack of consistent signage. Our design specifically addresses these pain points.

Evaluation Frameworks

While ADA guidelines are standard, we discovered potential blind spots. We opted to incorporate the ASPECTSS framework, which is more inclusive of sensory and spatial considerations.

Off the Shelf

Standard, easily sourced materials keep implementation costs low and enable consistent replication across multiple locations or even private homes.

The Document

Our final resource guide is designed to be easily shared and printed on a standard office printer. This ensures it can quickly circulate among staff, caregivers, and the broader community.

How it Works

Before Arrival: Caregivers and users can access a PDF or webpage that outlines seating areas, quiet zones, and staff contacts.
During the Visit: Physical signage and color-coded maps align with online resources for a consistent experience.
After the Visit: Take-home materials reiterate coping strategies and layout guidance for applying similar designs at home.

Why “Off-the-Shelf”?

Scalability: Simple, modular components can be easily replicated across multiple locations or homes.
Budget-Friendly: Minimizes custom fabrication, allowing more funds for direct user support.
User Adoption: Standardized, easy-to-understand elements encourage consistent usage.

Outcomes

Results

If fully implemented, this resource could significantly simplify the process of adapting spaces for individuals with ASD. Even small guidelines—like using doors on storage areas to reduce visual stimuli—can be high-impact yet cost-effective.

Learning

This project highlighted the value of human-centered design in addressing complex accessibility needs and underscored the importance of cross-functional teamwork among stakeholders.

Hypothetical Success Metrics (If Implemented)

50% Reduction in time spent researching how to adapt a space for ASD considerations.

Increased Adoption of designated sensory-friendly layouts in both respite centres and home environments.

Next Steps

Finalize Documentation
- Compile all research and recommendations into a polished, publication-ready format.
Develop the Online Resource
- Extend the PDF guide into a user-friendly website or app with interactive features.
Pilot & Evaluate
- Launch a small pilot at the Ability Respite Centre to gather user feedback and measure effectiveness.
Broader Rollout
- Refine based on pilot feedback, then implement across additional Canadian respite centres and make available to any interested caregivers.

info@gregmccarthystudios.com