Competing Concerns in Welfare Technology Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review

Welfare technologies (WT) such as telecare and service robots are expected to improve and even radically transform service delivery in health- and eldercare. Yet despite political awareness and financial investments, many studies report promising inventions that fail to become implemented on a larger scale. Current research draws a fragmented and heterogeneous picture of this problem, with divergent implications for practice. In this article, I review and discuss the extant literature and identify eight competing concerns that are central to how WT can become implemented on a large scale. By highlighting and contrasting practical and theoretical positions in this emerging and interdisciplinary research topic, I contribute conceptually to the understanding of the competing concerns in WT innovation that managers and policy-makers must balance in order to support the critical transition from small-scale invention to large-scale implementation

Seeking information about assistive technology: Exploring current practices, challenges, and the need for smarter systems

Ninety percent of the 1.2 billion people who need assistive technology (AT) do not have access. Information seeking practices directly impact the ability of AT producers, procurers, and providers (AT professionals) to match a user's needs with appropriate AT, yet the AT marketplace is interdisciplinary and fragmented, complicating information seeking. We explored common limitations experienced by AT professionals when searching information to develop solutions for a diversity of users with multi-faceted needs. Through Template Analysis of 22 expert interviews, we find current search engines do not yield the necessary information, or appropriately tailor search results, impacting individuals’ awareness of products and subsequently their availability and the overall effectiveness of AT provision. We present value-based design implications to improve functionality of future AT-information seeking platforms, through incorporating smarter systems to support decision-making and need-matching whilst ensuring ethical standards for disability fairness remain

Competing Concerns on Emerging Welfare Technologies. A review of eight prevailing debates in current literature

Welfare technologies (WT) such as telecare, service robots, and other digital innovations for public sector service delivery are expected to improve and even radically transform health- and eldercare. However, despite political awareness and financial investments, many studies report promising inventions that fail to become implemented on a larger scale. Current research draws a fragmented and heterogeneous picture of this problem, with divergent implications for practice. This article reviews and discusses the extant literature to identify eight competing concerns central to how WT can become implemented on a large scale. By highlighting and contrasting practical and theoretical positions in this emerging and interdisciplinary research topic, the review contributes to understanding the complexities that managers and policy-makers must address to diffuse and sustain WT innovations from small to large scale

Designing augmentative and alternative communication systems that focus on real-world contexts as well as the motor, cognitive and linguistic processing of autistic children

Undergraduate thesis submitted to the Department of Computer Science, Ashesi University, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems, April 2019Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Systems to be able to communicate their feelings, thoughts, and expressions. However, AAC systems are not being developed to focus on the complex communication needs of individuals such as the motor, cognitive , sensory needs of the users of the system. Without a focus on the complex and varying competencies of the users of the system, the technology does not perform its intended role of enhancing communication but rather places a cognitive load on the users. In this project, guidelines, and recommendations for developing a tablet-based AAC application that satisfies the complex needs of autistic children with a different ASD diagnosis would be provided. The study analyzed the user interface of Eline Speaks, a tablet based AAC system and identified the limitations, accessibility and usability issues of the system. Recommendations on developing an accessible AAC system was derived from testing a high fidelity prototype in comparison to that of Eline Speaks, an already existing system.Ashesi Universit

YouTransfer, YouDesign: A participatory approach to design assistive technology for wheelchair transfers

Transferring independently to and from their wheelchair is an essential routine task for many wheelchair users but it can be physically demanding and can lead to falls and upper limb injuries that reduce the person’s independence. New assistive technologies (ATs) that facilitate the performance of wheelchair transfers have the potential to allow wheelchair users to gain further independence. To ensure that users’ needs are addressed by ATs, the active involvement of wheelchair users in the process of design and development is critical. However, participation can be burdensome for many wheelchair users as design processes where users are directly involved often require prolonged engagement. This thesis makes two contributions to facilitate wheelchair users’ engagement in the participatory design process for ATs, while being mindful of the burden of participation. The first contribution is a framework that provides a modular structure guiding the participatory design process from initial problem identification and analysis to facilitating collaborations between wheelchair users and designers. The framework identifies four factors determining the need and adoption process for ATs: (i) People focuses on the target population, (ii) Person includes personal characteristics, (iii) Activity refers to the challenges associated with the task, and (iv) Context encompasses the effect of the environment in which the activity takes place. The second contribution constitutes a rich picture of personal and external elements influencing real world wheelchair transfers that emerged from four studies carried out to investigate the effect of the framework factors on the design process for ATs. A related outcome based on these contributions is a framing document to share knowledge between wheelchair users and designers to provide focus and promote an equal collaboration among participants