"Monday Feels Like Friday!" - Towards Overcoming Anxiety and Stress of Autistic Young Adults During Times of Isolation.

Autistic young adults are at a higher risk of experiencing elevated mental and psychological distress during times of isolation, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the challenges related to uncertainty and abrupt changes in every aspect of daily life. In this research, we aim to develop participant-centric interventions for assisting autistic young adults in addressing their anxiety and stress during times of isolation. We first conducted an exploratory literature review to gather the design requirements for an effective stress management technology. Based on our findings, we designed our initial high-fidelity prototype, MindBot, a mindfulness and AI-based chatbot application. We conducted an in-depth qualitative study (semi-structured interviews with 15 autistic young adults and a cognitive walkthrough with 20 participants who have training in HCI and usability evaluation techniques) to identify the design and usability issues to improve the effectiveness of MindBot.