Professional IT solution to assess learning difficulties and develop skills
Blackbelt Technology has developed a special game-based system for assessing and developing skills for children with learning difficulties. The “Zeppie – In the Land of Sparks” system is an IT solution that complements medical treatment and has been successfully tested by neuropsychologists and neurologists involved in children’s skill development in the final phase of a two-year development process.
“Zeppie system allows children with learning disabilities to develop their skills in a playful way, following specific medical instructions”, said Róbert Sövegjártó, Managing Director of BlackBelt Technology, the developer of the Zeppie system.
By designing the system, the development team aimed to analyze partial skill disorders and create an advanced online medical diagnostic and development tool. The implemented Zeppie system is an advanced cognitive development software package that supports detailed, multi-faceted assessment of children’s current abilities and personalized development of various sub-skill disorders. Our development package is tailored to cater to each child’s unique condition and developmental level.
In the development process, the BlackBelt team first looked at sub-skills and possible therapeutic games. Taking into account the experience gained from medical research, they decided to develop a solution for tablets that included three diagnostic and four developmental games. To develop the seven games, an app was used that not only made sure doctors’ and parents’/users’ interfaces were distinctly segmented but also allowed for extra game integration.
The logic and design of the app was developed based on requirements established in collaboration with the well-coordinated medical team, and development of the web and tablet applications began. As we developed the tablet and diagnostic games, we created prototypes using provided game rules and graphic designs. Business analysts, solution design colleagues, as well as medical team members reviewed these prototypes before they were tested and approved with additional modifications being made based on feedback from the medical team.
One of the most interesting challenges for the developers was that two of the games used daily by doctors for diagnostic purposes were based on software designed in the 1990s. They needed to use this to develop an application with a design and interface that would match today’s trends and user needs, and that would engage children and make the game attractive. For this, BlackBelt engaged external user experience specialists.
There was also a major challenge in communicating with the medical team, because it was not clear how developers and analysts could code the language of medicine. Both teams did a lot of research to figure out how to implement the diagnostic and developer requirements in the games in a way that could be used on tablets, while also providing the right data for physicians.
After the development was completed, clinical trials confirmed that the app helped children’s development. We look forward to continuing to develop and widely distribute the games. Speaking on behalf of the whole team, it is a great feeling to create something that helps children’s skills develop.
The development was implemented with the support of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFI), in the framework of the project KFI_16-1-2017-0507.