You’re thinking about how much longer you have to wait before you start to see Olly Speaks 1.0 being used, aren’t you? If the heading did not provide enough of a clue, continue reading.
In less then two years, Olly Speaks has changed from being just a conceptual idea to a working prototype, ready to undergo the first usability tests. During the last year, we listened to what end-users think about the first non-functional prototype and what kind of features must be refined in order to meet the needs during speech and language intervention. It is satisfying to see how a user-centered design approach allowed us to implement new features and overcome challenges that were holding progress back.
The new prototype is also 3D printed but its design was improved to be more robust. At first glance, one can notice that Olly Speaks 1.0 got a new haircut and a new pair of shoes. However, internally, the hardware is now upgraded to be functional and cater for sessions when users are off the grid.
The last phase will start this month where Olly Speaks 1.0 will be introduced in schools and clinics to measure its effectiveness. With a new series of games that were introduced early this year along with updates to the previous games, the level of interactivity was increased. This has been complemented with new sounds and phrases that will be uttered by Olly to stimulate language practice. Games now refer to the various movements that Olly can do so that children can easily comprehend certain words. Additionally, children will now be keen to complete an activity to find out what Olly has got to hide in his backpack.
Results obtained from these studies will be shared during a dissemination event that will take place in the second week of July. Further details will be provided soon. So stay tuned, we are almost there!
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