Design by, with, and for Neurodivergent Learners: Part 5 — Brightness Controls
By Teon Edwards
When we’re given the opportunity to make something more comfortable or easier for ourselves, do we (usually) take it? Surprisingly, not necessarily… at least within the virtual reality (VR) game Europa Prime.
Europa Prime was co-designed by, with, and for neurodivergent players, including players who experience sensory differences. And as part of this, the game tried to incorporate customization controls—means by which players can easily change settings to make the experience as comfortable as possible.
One of these controls was embedded within the game. As players explore a (fictional) space station on Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter, they are offered and can access brightness controls, presented just like dimmer switches next to doors, in most rooms.
Interestingly, however, few players actually use them. In our user testing and evaluation study (Barchas-Lichtenstein et al., 2024), some players voice appreciation for these controls, especially after the evaluators called attention to them, but that mostly doesn’t translate into using them.
Why don’t players use these controls? Maybe this says something about the game’s default brightness settings, which were carefully selected. Maybe it says something about the purpose of the controls not being as clear as intended. Or maybe it says something about us, as players… and as people.
If using the brightness controls can make a space more comfortable, I say use them. If wearing sound damping headphones makes a classroom more bearable, I say encourage the use of them. If using a planning scaffold will help a student with executive function (EF) challenges do better with an assignment (and the related learning!), I say offer them… and help the student recognize that such a scaffold helps and they’re free to make use of them.
Next time you are in a room that’s too bright, look for a dimmer switch.
Coming soon in the Designing by, with, and for Neurodivergent Learners series:
Part 6 — Red Alert
Part 7 — Word Cards
Part 8 — Anatomy of Activities
When we’re given the opportunity to make something more comfortable or easier for ourselves, do we (usually) take it? Surprisingly, not necessarily… at least within the virtual reality (VR) game Europa Prime.
Europa Prime was co-designed by, with, and for neurodivergent players, including players who experience sensory differences. And as part of this, the game tried to incorporate customization controls—means by which players can easily change settings to make the experience as comfortable as possible.
One of these controls was embedded within the game. As players explore a (fictional) space station on Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter, they are offered and can access brightness controls, presented just like dimmer switches next to doors, in most rooms.
Interestingly, however, few players actually use them. In our user testing and evaluation study (Barchas-Lichtenstein et al., 2024), some players voice appreciation for these controls, especially after the evaluators called attention to them, but that mostly doesn’t translate into using them.
Why don’t players use these controls? Maybe this says something about the game’s default brightness settings, which were carefully selected. Maybe it says something about the purpose of the controls not being as clear as intended. Or maybe it says something about us, as players… and as people.
If using the brightness controls can make a space more comfortable, I say use them. If wearing sound damping headphones makes a classroom more bearable, I say encourage the use of them. If using a planning scaffold will help a student with executive function (EF) challenges do better with an assignment (and the related learning!), I say offer them… and help the student recognize that such a scaffold helps and they’re free to make use of them.
Next time you are in a room that’s too bright, look for a dimmer switch.
Coming soon in the Designing by, with, and for Neurodivergent Learners series:
Part 6 — Red Alert
Part 7 — Word Cards
Part 8 — Anatomy of Activities
9/21/2025
AuthorTeon Edwards is the director and a co-founder of EdGE at TERC. Her current work focuses on the use of virtual reality and other technologies to design and develop inclusive STEM learning experiences, with a particular focus on neurodiversity and sensory, attention, and social differences.
SummaryTeon Edwards, PI of Broadening Participation in Informal STEM Learning for Autistic Learners and Others through Virtual Reality, considers controlling VR game features to make the experience more comfortable.
More Posts from this Series- Part 1 — Introduction
- Part 2 — Computational Thinking Posters
- Part 3 — Zoombinis Allergic Cliffs Flashlight Scaffold
- Part 4 — Zoombinis Allergic Cliffs Expression Scaffold