RoutineAid: Externalizing Key Design Elements to Support Daily Routines of Individuals with Autism

Implementing structure into our daily lives is critical for maintaining health, productivity, and social and emotional well-being. New norms for routine management have emerged during the current pandemic, and in particular, individuals with autism find it difficult to adapt to those norms. While much research has focused on the use of computer technology to support individuals with autism, little is known about ways of helping them establish and maintain “self-directed” routine structures. In this paper, we identify design requirements for an app that support four key routine components (i.e., physical activity, diet, mindfulness, and sleep) through a formative study and develop RoutineAid, a gamified smartphone app that reflects the design requirements. The results of a two-month field study on design feasibility highlight two affordances of RoutineAid—the establishment of daily routines by facilitating micro-planning and the maintenance of daily routines through celebratory interactions. We discuss salient design considerations for the future development of daily routine management tools for individuals with autism.