"It made me feel listened to": Co-designing virtual reality sensory experiences with autistic adults

Autistic adults often experience sensory processing differences that can affect their daily lives. Physical sensory rooms exist to provide respite but have limitations, such as cost, space requirements, and limited customisability - VR has the potential to overcome these limitations. This study co-designed a VR sensory application with autistic adults using an iterative participatory approach. Eight autistic co-designers attended three sessions over nine weeks, with each session allowing participants to test and provide feedback on the application. Usability and simulator sickness scores were also measured. Content analysis revealed that participants prioritised natural environments, customisation, and varied sources of interactive entertainment when co-designing the application. Feedback evolved across the sessions from predominantly feature requests to eventual validation, culminating in a vertical slice. Despite the large amount of content and features added throughout, usability scores trended upwards, crossing the threshold for "good" usability. Results also indicate the co-design process was a successful and enjoyable experience for the participants, which allowed them to feel listened to. In conclusion, iterative co-design is effective for developing VR sensory applications.