Supporting Money Management among Adults with Down Syndrome: A Multi-Technology Probe Study

Paper Title

Supporting Money Management among Adults with Down Syndrome: A Multi-Technology Probe Study

Publication Info

• Topic area: Assistive technologies for financial autonomy in adults with Down syndrome (AwDS).
• Keywords: Down syndrome, budgeting, assistive technology, gamification, augmented reality, tangible interfaces, financial autonomy, error recovery, interdependent use, accessibility.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Adults with Down syndrome (AwDS) often face barriers to financial autonomy due to limited opportunities to practice budgeting and challenges with existing financial technologies, which are not tailored to their needs.
• Significance: Financial autonomy is critical for improving quality of life, fostering independence, and enabling participation in everyday activities such as work and independent living.
• Motivation and related work: Prior research highlights the potential of assistive technologies, including gamification, AR, and tangible interfaces, to scaffold daily tasks for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). However, little work has directly explored how AwDS engage with financial technologies or how different modalities can support their budgeting needs.

Solution

• Proposed approach: Development and evaluation of three cash-based budgeting technology probes: a gamified tablet application, an augmented reality (AR) tablet application, and a custom tangible device.
• Novelty:
  1. Introduction of three distinct technology probes to explore how different modalities support budgeting tasks for AwDS.
  2. Empirical insights into how AwDS engage with budgeting tasks across modalities, highlighting modality-specific challenges and opportunities.
  3. Design implications for accessible financial technologies that balance engagement, error recovery, and interdependent use.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Participants (7 AwDS and 5 support persons) completed budgeting tasks using the three probes, each following a consistent three-step flow: counting bills, setting goals, and allocating bills to goals.
  • Data collection included qualitative content analysis, interaction analysis, and behavioral observations to assess engagement, breakdowns, and support needs.
  • Probes varied in modality:
    1. Gamified app: Animated characters representing bills, drag-and-drop gameplay, and arithmetic challenges.
    2. AR app: Camera-based bill recognition, automated calculations, and minimal arithmetic.
    3. Tangible device: Physical buttons, tactile feedback, and adjustable assistance levels.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Participants engaged with all three probes but often struggled to link on-screen feedback to physical cash, use error-checking features, or view budgeting as an interconnected task.
  • Preferences varied: the gamified app was engaging but encouraged rushing; the AR app reduced cognitive load but led to over-reliance on automation; the tangible device supported tactile engagement but posed coordination challenges.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • The probes provided tailored support for budgeting tasks, addressing gaps in mainstream financial technologies that are often inaccessible to AwDS.
  • Tangible and gamified elements enhanced engagement compared to traditional interfaces.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Seven AwDS (aged 19–39) with varying levels of budgeting and technology experience participated in a single-session study.
  • Data collection included semi-structured interviews, task observations, and interaction logs.
  • Findings were analyzed through qualitative content and interaction analysis.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Small, non-representative sample (7 participants, mostly White).
  • Controlled study setting with single-session use; long-term effects and real-world applicability remain unexplored.
  • Focused on cash-based budgeting, excluding digital payment systems.
  • Future work should explore longitudinal impacts, digital money management, and embodied or hybrid systems.

Summary

This study investigated how three distinct technology modalities—a gamified app, an AR app, and a tangible device—supported cash-based budgeting tasks for adults with Down syndrome. Findings revealed that participants engaged differently across modalities, with gamification fostering playfulness but encouraging rushing, AR reducing cognitive demands but discouraging error-checking, and tangibility enhancing tactile interaction but introducing coordination challenges. Key design implications include treating budgeting as a multi-goal puzzle, connecting screen feedback to physical money, and supporting interdependent use without undermining autonomy. These insights inform the design of accessible financial technologies that build confidence and competence for AwDS, fostering greater independence in everyday financial practices.