The Brain Dance Game brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts from dance, game development, music composition, and therapeutic movement. This collaborative approach ensures that the project incorporates best practices from multiple fields while maintaining a focus on the needs of neurodivergent users.

Kenny Chen (University Online Educational Services - UOES) - Project Manager and Game Designer

• Overall project coordination and timeline management
• Game design documentation and feature prioritization
• Visual direction and aesthetic decisions
• User interface design
• Stakeholder communication and resource allocation
• Integration of therapeutic goals with game mechanics
• User experience design oversight

Contribution to User Experience:

• Alex: Ensures coordination challenges are addressed in game progression
• Jamie: Maintains focus on visual learning needs in design documentation
• Maya: Integrates flexible engagement options into project scope
• Dr. Taylor: Facilitates communication between therapeutic experts and development team

Natalie Schultz-Kahwaty (Mason Gross Dance)

• Dance components development
• Motion design and movement patterns
• Labanotation integration
• Collaboration with game developers to ensure movement accuracy
• Research design for movement outcomes

Contribution to User Experience:

• Alex: Designs movement patterns accessible for coordination challenges
• Jamie: Creates visual demonstration elements for understanding
• Maya: Develops stress-reduction movement sequences
• Dr. Taylor: Ensures therapeutic validity of movement patterns

Richard Anderson (University Online Educational Services - UOES)

• Core software development
• Camera integration and motion detection
• User interface design
• Game mechanics implementation
• Technical architecture

Michael Gradin (Assistant Director, University Online Educational Services - UOES)

• Technical consultation and oversight
• Development resource management
• Quality assurance coordination
• Platform compatibility testing
• Technical documentation

Contribution to User Experience:

• Alex: Creates customizable interface for sensory preferences
• Jamie: Designs visual feedback systems for learning reinforcement
• Maya: Implements flexible session structure for varying needs
• Dr. Taylor: Develops data collection systems for progress tracking

Aaron Vaders-Collins

• Original music composition for the game
• Integration of "the soothe" and "the groove" elements
• PhD dissertation project focused on music for therapeutic games
• Audio feedback system development
• Research on music cognition for neurodivergent users

Sample Work: His composition for Imaginary Dance Space represents the intended musical system with two distinct styles:

1. "The soothe" - Calming orchestral melodies with strings, harp, woodwinds, and light percussion (0:00-0:25)
2. "The groove" - Energetic sections with strong beats, bass grooves, and synthesizers (0:26-end)

Contribution to User Experience:

• Alex: Creates audio environments that accommodate sensory sensitivities
• Jamie: Develops musical elements that support movement learning
• Maya: Composes calming sections specifically for anxiety reduction
• Dr. Taylor: Incorporates music with proven therapeutic benefits

The current budget allocation demonstrates the project's priorities across different aspects of development:

• $1,500: Core coding and software development
• $3,000: Game design consultation and storyboard development
• $1,000: Dance components and motion design
• $500: Game testing and research participation
• Total: $6,000

This distribution ensures balanced attention to technical implementation, design quality, movement expertise, and user testing while working within funding constraints.

• Mason Gross School of the Arts
• University Online Educational Services (UOES)
• PhD program in Music at the RU School of Graduate Studies

• Occupational therapists specializing in neurodivergent movement therapy
• Specialists in Brain Dance methodology and applications
• Experts in sensory integration and motor development

• Research participants from the ASD community
• Neurodivergent consultants across age ranges
• Parents and caregivers of neurodivergent children
• Therapeutic professionals implementing movement interventions

Contribution to User Experience:

• Jamie: Age-appropriate feedback from similar users
• Alex: Insights from teens with similar coordination challenges
• Maya: College-age neurodivergent perspective
• Dr. Taylor: Professional insight from therapeutic implementation

The development follows a collaborative process that integrates expertise from all team members:

1. Cross-Disciplinary Planning

   • Regular team meetings incorporating all disciplines
   • Shared documentation and feedback channels
   • Collaborative problem-solving for technical challenges

2. User-Centered Design Reviews

   • Regular design reviews with user perspective at center
   • Consultation with representatives from target user groups
   • Accessibility evaluations throughout development

3. Iterative Testing Cycles

   • Progressive refinement based on testing feedback
   • Cross-disciplinary analysis of test results
   • Collaborative prioritization of improvements

4. Research Integration

   • Ongoing incorporation of research findings
   • Academic consultation on therapeutic elements
   • Evidence-based decision making for design choices

The project structure allows for expansion of the collaborative team in future phases:

• Educational institutions for classroom implementation
• Healthcare providers for therapeutic application
• Accessibility organizations for specialized testing
• Additional research institutions for expanded studies

• User forums for ongoing feedback and feature requests
• Practitioner networks for implementation support
• Parent communities for home usage strategies
• Educator groups for classroom application ideas

Contribution to User Experience:

• All Users: Expanded expertise enhances overall experience
• Dr. Taylor: Professional network provides implementation support

To ensure effective collaboration across disciplines, the team utilizes:

• Regular cross-functional meetings with all key contributors
• Shared project management tools for tracking progress
• Clear documentation standards across disciplines
• Designated integration points for different expertise areas
• User research sharing across all team members

This structure ensures that the dance expertise, technical implementation, music composition, and therapeutic knowledge are fully integrated rather than developing in isolation.

The Brain Dance Game recognizes the contributions of all team members and collaborators:

• Full credit for all contributors in game documentation
• Acknowledgment of research participants (with appropriate anonymity)
• Recognition of source methodologies (Brain Dance by Anne Green Gilbert)
• Clear attribution of original music composition
• Acknowledgment of funding sources and institutional support

This approach honors the collaborative nature of the project while ensuring appropriate credit for intellectual contributions.

User Impact:

• All Users: Benefit from truly integrated multidisciplinary approach
• Research Community: Clear attribution supports academic integrity