Navigating Uncertainty in a Virtual Supermarket: Designing a VR Tool to Promote Autonomy in Autistic Youth

This work describes the iterative design and development of a Virtual Reality (VR) tool intended to explore how immersive technologies can support autistic adolescents when facing everyday situations characterised by uncertainty. We report the results of a co-design workshop with four psychologists specialised in neurodevelopmental intervention, which led to the creation of storyboards about uncertainty in a supermarket context. Results include sensory and social considerations in the simulation of uncertainty, as well as coping strategies and design implications for virtual environments with potential clinical relevance. These storyboards were used to develop a mid-fidelity prototype of a VR system. We then invited six autistic adolescents (aged 10-18) to interact with the prototype and act as expert advisors. Feedback data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and field observations. Our findings reveal that designing for autonomy in VR experiences is shaped by tensions related to individual, social, and interactive aspects. This work contributes to research on designing VR tools for autistic people by providing critical reflections on autonomy, competence, and relatedness.