Smart buckets: an interactive interface enabling sensory integration

In literature a lot has been done to investigate the possible advantages of integrating the virtual and physical world, combining the benefits of both and improving the overall user experience. Plenty of tangible user interfaces were designed, to facilitate the development of cognitive skills, motor skills, social skills, or more concrete notions such as STEM concepts for children. Also, thanks to the flexibility provided by digital systems, it is recently growing a sub-research field that specifically addressed people with a cognitive disability. In this scenario, immersive multi-sensory environments are gaining more and more interest as a support tool for learning and therapeutic methods. In this paper, we present Smart Buckets, an interactive interface integrated into "Magika", a multi-sensory system; the result of co-design with therapists specialized in the treatment and education of children with a cognitive disability. The paper illustrates the multi-step co-design process used to produce this idea as a tailored support for their therapeutic activities. Finally, it highlights the importance of adding a new customizable tangible interaction combined within the multi-sensory experience of Magika system.