Visualization as a Tool to Understand the Experience of College Students with Autism

College students with autism have an estimated retention rate of 38.8% in the USA, which is attributed to challenges resulting from mental and behavioral problems, lack of adequate support from colleges, and a lack of awareness of their unique needs. We propose visualizations guided by the self-determination theory to help understand the experiences and needs of college students with autism and to empower them to manage their behavior. The visualizations are created based on physiological and contextual data collected from 20 college students (10 with autism, 10 neurotypical) using Fitbit and smartphone, and are incorporated in a dashboard to offer seamless access. We evaluated the effectiveness of these visualizations by conducting a lab study (N=18) and learned that such visualizations can highlight experiences of students with autism, can enhance awareness about individuals’ behaviors and habits, and can help to identify areas that can potentially improve the college experience.