Using design thinking to engage autistic students in participatory design of an online toolkit to help with transition into higher education

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Fabri, M., Andrews, P. C., & Pukki, H. (2016). Using design thinking to engage autistic students in participatory design of an online toolkit to help with transition into higher education. Journal of Assistive Technologies, 10(2), 102-114. https://doi.org/10.1108/jat-02-2016-0008

Publication date: 27 May 2016 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Marc Fabri
  2. Phoenix C.S. Andrews
  3. Heta Pukki *

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on engaging young autistic people in the participatory design of the Autism&Uni online toolkit. The purpose of the toolkit is to provide autistic students with information and strategies for dealing with the challenges they may encounter when entering higher education. The study adds to existing research on participatory design by considering the specific needs and contributions of autistic people who are of average or higher intelligence, academically competent and generally articulate, a group that has received limited attention hitherto. Design/methodology/approach – The research used a five-step design thinking approach and engaged multiple stakeholders at different points. The paper covers the whole process, paying particular attention to the final two steps of prototyping and testing. During three participatory design workshops, autistic people acted as co-designers and co-creators. Findings – The workshops were effective in engaging participants in various design activities and rich discussions. Several assumptions about capabilities and preferences of autistic people were challenged. Design thinking proved a suitable framework for involving this group in the creation of solutions that serve their needs. Research limitations/implications – Because of the low number of workshop participants (11), research results may lack generalisability. Also, the workshop format with its focus on group activities may discourage some autistic people to take part. Further work is needed to explore this and to confirm the reported findings. Practical implications – The paper offers practical advice regarding how to involve autistic people in co-design activities. Social implications – The research contributes to a strength-based view of autism, rather than one that focuses on deficits. Originality/value – The paper provides new perspectives on the strengths of autistic people in participatory design settings, with a focus on those autistic people who are of average or higher intelligence and able to communicate effectively.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 08:04.

Cited references
51
With a DOI
34
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
17
0 / 51 (0.0%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
16 / 51 (31.4%)
References with detected author names
35 / 51 (68.6%)
Without detected author names
16
Without a structured title
11
Without a stable identifier
15
References with raw author names still to review
11
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
80
From DOI or external metadata
80
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
20
20 / 80 (25.0%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 60 / 80 (75.0%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
0 / 80 (0.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 0 / 20 (0.0%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 0 / 75 (0.0%).
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