Pinch it!

Research preceded and defined every product decision, on two tracks. Secondary research into the scientific literature, to frame dysgraphia, its motor, cognitive and emotional components, and the difference from related disorders. And primary research in the field, with interviews of five professionals: psychologist G. Speciale, trainee psychologist M. Florio, neuropsychomotor therapist A. Di Pascale, speech therapist V. De Simone, and graphologist A. Zaccaria, specialised in graphic gesture re-education, alongside gathering accounts from dysgraphic individuals.

The goal was twofold: to understand how dysgraphia is actually treated and by whom, and to verify with the professionals whether an app could fit usefully into that process.

Research findings. The conversations with experts produced four guidelines that shaped development:

- Positioning. Diagnosis remains the professional's domain. The space for a digital product is to support the intervention, never to replace it. - Centrality of the physical act. Unlike other learning disorders, dysgraphia involves the body: coordination, posture, movement of hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder. An app only makes sense if it doesn't cut out the gesture. - An exercise to digitalise. Among the techniques described by therapists, finger selectivity training proved effective but unmotivating on paper: an ideal candidate for an interactive transposition. - Emotional component and motivation. The frustration children experience and the repetitiveness of the exercises confirm the need to make therapy more engaging.

The professionals evaluated the idea positively, recognising its feasibility on condition that physical and sensory engagement be preserved. This green light bridged into the development phase.

Among the available clinical exercises, pinch grip training with finger alternation was selected as suited to a digital transposition.

Pinch It! is both a tool for therapists and a game for children. The child positions their hands in front of the device, without touching the screen. A finger lights up to indicate which one to use. When a button falls, it must be caught with a pinch between the thumb and the indicated finger; the correct combination scores a point.

It trains two areas:

- Fine motor skills: the pinch movement strengthens the fingers used to grip a pen, do up a button, hold cutlery. - Cognitive functions: changing finger with each repetition demands attention and control.