Designing assistive technology for getting more independence for blind people when performing everyday tasks: an auditory-based tool as a case study

Everyday activities and tasks should in theory be easily carried by everyone, including the blind. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been widely used for supporting solutions. However, the solutions can be problematic for the visually impaired since familiarity with digital devices is often required. Or, indeed the procedure can be perceived as fiddly or impractical particularly for repetitive tasks due to the number/type of steps required to complete the task. This paper introduces a simple audio-based tool aimed at supporting visually-impaired people in the seemingly simple activity of checking whether the light in a room is on or off. It is an example of potential low tech devices that can be designed without the need for specific skills or knowledge by the user, and that functions in a practical way. In this context, we discuss the main issues and considerations for totally blind users in identifying whether a light is switched on. The proposed prototype is based on a simple circuit and a form of auditory feedback which informs the user whether they are switching on or off the light. Two prototypes have been designed and built for two different kinds of installation. For the subsequent second prototype, three different versions are proposed to provide a blind person with further support in easily identifying the light status at home. The new design includes enhanced auditory feedback and modifications to the dimensions. The evaluation conducted by involving various groups of end-users revealed the usefulness of the proposed tool. In addition, a survey conducted with 100 visually-impaired people reported the limitations and difficulties encountered by the blind in using existing devices. Moreover, the study revealed the interest from 94% of the participants for a potential (new) basic tool integrable with the existing lighting system. This study gives a contribution in the ambient intelligence field by (1) showing how an auditory-based tool can be used to support totally blind people to check the lights in an autonomous and relatively simple way; (2) proposing an idea that can be exploited in other application cases that use light feedback; and (3) proposing seven potential recommendations for designing assistive technology tools and common everyday devices, based on information gathered from the online survey

Wearable technology industry: challenges and opportunties in the European market

Wearable technology is a new industry which is develop. Smartwatches, activity trackers are done explains of these devices. In this new field, fashion and technology work together to create successful products with limitless function

Student\u27s Perceptions of Smartphone Use at Home and at a High School Regarding a New Smartphone Policy: A Case Study

The new generation raised in the digital era continues to present unresolved challenges for both parents and teachers. The purpose of this case study is to analyze students\u27 usage of their smartphones in their lives, and understand the success of a new school policy on smartphone use at an arts school in the U.S. For this qualitative research, I interviewed ten participants from the high school. The literary review informs us that smartphones are potentially addictive, with negative effects for healthy mental, emotional and social child development, as well as a source of misleading information. As a consequence, smartphones in the classrooms for instructional purposes are a distraction and present discipline and classroom management problems. The theory that guides my research is the bioecological system with its emphasis both on context (parents, school, smartphones) and on the influence of different systems on the child (proximal processes) where the context is situated. The findings of this study regarding the smartphone use corroborate some of the expectations drawn upon the literary review. The students who received their phones before high school are more attached and spend more hours on social media than students who receive their phones after high school and with boundaries. They are less addictive and more responsible smartphone users as well as appreciative of their parental values. The conclusion of the second research question indicates that a phone policy in schools that includes discipline consequences and a supportive administration is a deterrent of using the phone for non-instructional during class. The implications of this study are: high school is the most appropriate time for young people to receive a smartphone, parental guidance is crucial to develop responsible use, a strict smartphone policy with administrative support is critical to diminish students’ distraction in class, and finally, common students’ uses of social media highlight the urgent need for digital media literacy to empower new generations as media critical thinkers, especially given the current social and political atmosphere

Information Refinement Technologies for Crisis Informatics: User Expectations and Design Implications for Social Media and Mobile Apps in Crises

In the past 20 years, mobile technologies and social media have not only been established in everyday life, but also in crises, disasters, and emergencies. Especially large-scale events, such as 2012 Hurricane Sandy or the 2013 European Floods, showed that citizens are not passive victims but active participants utilizing mobile and social information and communication technologies (ICT) for crisis response (Reuter, Hughes, et al., 2018). Accordingly, the research field of crisis informatics emerged as a multidisciplinary field which combines computing and social science knowledge of disasters and is rooted in disciplines such as human-computer interaction (HCI), computer science (CS), computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), and information systems (IS). While citizens use personal ICT to respond to a disaster to cope with uncertainty, emergency services such as fire and police departments started using available online data to increase situational awareness and improve decision making for a better crisis response (Palen & Anderson, 2016). When looking at even larger crises, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it becomes apparent the challenges of crisis informatics are amplified (Xie et al., 2020). Notably, information is often not available in perfect shape to assist crisis response: the dissemination of high-volume, heterogeneous and highly semantic data by citizens, often referred to as big social data (Olshannikova et al., 2017), poses challenges for emergency services in terms of access, quality and quantity of information. In order to achieve situational awareness or even actionable information, meaning the right information for the right person at the right time (Zade et al., 2018), information must be refined according to event-based factors, organizational requirements, societal boundary conditions and technical feasibility. In order to research the topic of information refinement, this dissertation combines the methodological framework of design case studies (Wulf et al., 2011) with principles of design science research (Hevner et al., 2004). These extended design case studies consist of four phases, each contributing to research with distinct results. This thesis first reviews existing research on use, role, and perception patterns in crisis informatics, emphasizing the increasing potentials of public participation in crisis response using social media. Then, empirical studies conducted with the German population reveal positive attitudes and increasing use of mobile and social technologies during crises, but also highlight barriers of use and expectations towards emergency services to monitor and interact in media. The findings led to the design of innovative ICT artefacts, including visual guidelines for citizens’ use of social media in emergencies (SMG), an emergency service web interface for aggregating mobile and social data (ESI), an efficient algorithm for detecting relevant information in social media (SMO), and a mobile app for bidirectional communication between emergency services and citizens (112.social). The evaluation of artefacts involved the participation of end-users in the application field of crisis management, pointing out potentials for future improvements and research potentials. The thesis concludes with a framework on information refinement for crisis informatics, integrating event-based, organizational, societal, and technological perspectives

The State of Mobile Learning Implementation in Government Cabinet-Level Agencies and Departments

As mobile technologies have increasingly become a part of personal and work environments, mobile learning is emerging as a viable alternative for training and education needs. Faced with the need for innovative and cost-efficient ways for training government employees, agencies and departments are considering the use of mobile learning. The availability of a wide range of mobile technology provides many options. Other than the Department of Defense, little is known about implementing mobile learning in United States government cabinet level agencies and departments. A concurrent, mixed methods case study was used to examine how organizations decide to use, implement and evaluate mobile learning efforts. The framework and context were established through a thorough review of recent, related research literature. A purposive sampling strategy was used with the goal of targeting participants that have the greatest potential of using or considering the use of mobile learning. Three research questions guided the study and concentrated on the influences on the decision to implement mobile learning, the approaches organizations take and the methods used to evaluate implementations. A self-administered online questionnaire, using both structured and semi-structured questions and a review of publicly available documents were used to build a picture of the evidence that described the current state of mobile learning in cabinet-level agencies and departments. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected, integrated, interpreted and compared. Connections and relationships were made between mobile technology use, mobile learning environments, mobile learning content, educators and trainers, mobile learners and mobile learning evaluations. The results revealed that cabinet-level agencies and departments have begun to make use of mobile technology to support the delivery of business service. To a lesser extent, perceptions are forming, and the role of mobile learning continues being defined, as organizations are cautiously adopting its use. Policies and guidelines are in the early stages of development. The results contribute to the growing body of work on the use of mobile learning

eHealth in hypertension and cardiovascular disease:Opportunities and challenges

In this thesis we investigate different aspects of eHealth for hypertension and cardiovascular disease, with a focus on remote monitoring programs for chronic care. We use the Dutch HartWacht program for patients with hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure as an example that has been implemented in routine clinical care. We first focus on hypertension and identify areas that are attractive for future implementation of eHealth because of poor hypertension control. In the following chapters we present economical, legal and technical challenges that accompany eHealth implementation, in each chapter followed by potential solutions and opportunities. We identify success factors for cost-effective eHealth, provide a roadmap for GDPR-compliant solutions, present a novel technique for heartbeat detection through a bracelet and describe a protocol for efficient data handling in remote monitoring programs. In the second part of this thesis, we zoom in on the patients participating in eHealth programs. We evaluate the impact on quality of life of patients participating in the HartWacht program for cardiac arrhythmias and demonstrate equivalence compared to usual care. We then describe the feasibility of the HartWacht program for patients with hypertension in reducing blood pressure and present rationale, design and cohort profile of the Effectiveness of home-Monitoring of blood pressure in PAtients with difficult to Treat HYpertension (EMPATHY) trial. We conclude with an evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the uptake of eHealth in primary care in the Netherlands

Differences in Perceived Information Sensitivity During Smartphones Use Among UK University Graduates

The level of sensitivity with which smartphone users perceive information influences their privacy decisions. Information sensitivity is complex to understand due to the multiple factors influencing it. Adding to this complexity is the intimate nature of smartphone usage that produces personal information about various aspects of users’ lives. Users’ perceive information differently and this plays an important role in determining responses to privacy risk. The different levels of perceived sensitivity in turn point out how users could be uniquely supported through information cues that will enhance their privacy. However, several studies have tried to explain information sensitivity and privacy decisions by focusing on single-factor analysis. The current research adopts a different approach by exploring the influences of the disclosure context (smartphone ecosystem), three critical factors (economic status, location tracking, apps permission requests) and privacy attributes (privacy guardian, pragmatist, and privacy unconcerned) for a more encompassing understanding of how smartphone user-categories in the UK perceive information. The analysis of multiple factors unearths deep complexities and provides nuanced understanding of how information sensitivity varies across categories of smartphone users. Understanding how user-categories perceive information enables tailored privacy. Tailored privacy moves from “one-size-fits-all” to tailoring support to users and their context. The present research applied the Struassian grounded theory to analyse the qualitative interview data collected from 47 UK university graduates who are smartphone users. The empirical research findings show that smartphone users can be characterised into eight categories. However, the category a user belongs depends on the influencing factor or the information (identity or financial) involved and the privacy concern category of the user. This study proposes a middle-range theory for understanding smartphone users’ perception of information sensitivity. Middle-range theories are testable propositions resulting from in-depth focus on a specific subject matter by looking at the attributes of individuals. The propositions shows that an effective privacy support model for smartphone users should consider the varying levels of information sensitivity. Therefore, the study argues that users who perceive information as highly sensitive require privacy assurance to strengthen privacy, whereas users who perceive information as less sensitive require appropriate risk awareness to mitigate privacy risks. The proposition provides the insight that could support tailored privacy for smartphone users