My Morning Routine: An Interactive UDL Compliant E-Book on Health and Hygiene for Learners with Visual Difficulties

ABSTRACT

Health instruction assembles students’ information, abilities, and positive perspectives about wellbeing. However, 40% of the children in Pakistan are visually impaired and 38% have some cognitive disability due to malnutrition and poor hygiene practices. Despite COVID-19 putting the focus on the significance of hand cleanliness to forestall the spread of illness, reports from different countries have shown that the hand hygiene compliance rate has been estimated at only 40%. Using a Universal Design of Learning (UDL) approach, this research developed and produced a UDL compliant interactive android e-book that teaches young minds about the importance of staying clean and sanitization, especially to those learners who respond better when materials are paired with lights, sounds and/or movement. The scripting, story layout, design, and development were implemented using the seven stages of action and Nielson’s design heuristics. Drawing upon the cyclic process of developing prototypes and then learners providing feedback upon each version, this e-book was designed to optimize learning by minimizing the cognitive load on the learners, providing ease for learners with visual or cognitive learning disabilities. Results showed that the visually challenged learners responded well to the minimal design interface and graphics. Major impact of the research was students developing the habits of handwashing and following healthy morning routines, as indicated in the interviews and surveys conducted from the learners. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.