Future directions for ICT in aphasia therapy for older adults: enhancing current practices through interdisciplinary perspectives

Growing numbers of older adults requiring aphasia therapy create challenges for the health care system. Information and communication technology (ICT) has the potential to provide computer-mediated, self-administered aphasia therapy that complements conventional therapy. We explore overlaps in ICT for older adults and aphasia therapy applications with the goal of integrating innovative ICT in aphasia therapy. Based on a case study, we explain how results of different disciplines developing ICT for older adults can be transferred in order to better support older adults with aphasia. We conclude with future directions for ICT in aphasia therapy by surveying interdisciplinary approaches that integrate best practices from conventional therapy, interface design, tracking technologies, user modelling, adaptation algorithms, playful design, user empowerment, and community interaction

A reflective characterisation of occasional user

This work revisits established user classifications and aims to characterise a historically unspecified user category, the Occasional User (OU). Three user categories, novice, intermediate and expert, have dominated the work of user interface (UI) designers, researchers and educators for decades. These categories were created to conceptualise user's needs, strategies and goals around the 80s. Since then, UI paradigm shifts, such as direct manipulation and touch, along with other advances in technology, gave new access to people with little computer knowledge. This fact produced a diversification of the existing user categories not observed in the literature review of traditional classification of users. The findings of this work include a new characterisation of the occasional user, distinguished by user's uncertainty of repetitive use of an interface and little knowledge about its functioning. In addition, the specification of the OU, together with principles and recommendations will help UI community to informatively design for users without requiring a prospective use and previous knowledge of the UI. The OU is an essential type of user to apply user-centred design approach to understand the interaction with technology as universal, accessible and transparent for the user, independently of accumulated experience and technological era that users live in

Fostering energy awareness in residential homes using mobile devices

There is considerable global effort being made towards identifying ways of reducing energy consumption to cope with growing demands. Although there is potential for energy saving in many sectors, our focus is on reducing energy consumption in residential homes. We have developed a system which combines home automation and energy usage monitoring technologies. The system offers a range of tools designed for mobile devices to assist users with monitoring their energy usage and provides mechanisms for setting up and controlling home appliances to conserve energy. In this paper we describe our system and a user study we have conducted to evaluate its effectiveness. The findings of the study show the potential benefits of this type of mobile technology

Can User Experience affect buying intention? A case study on the evaluation of exercise equipment.

Treadmills are increasingly loaded with digital technology for assisting the individual during the workout sessions by providing information for tracking relevant training parameters. Also, this technology makes exercise more pleasurable by keeping the user connected to her/his digital ecosystem (e.g. social networking, access to multimedia content). Although there is an increasing interest in digital technologies to be used in fitness, a cursory literature search shows that the interest towards gym equipment is currently limited to the hardware component, thus making biomechanics the focus of the investigation. Other types of contributions are very rare and mostly focused on the design of tools for special populations (e.g. elderly, disabilities) as well as for promoting physical activity monitoring (eHealth). In the present study information on the perceived usability of the interface was collected and analysed along with opinions about buying intention and estimated pricing. Twenty-three individuals were tested after using a treadmill (Technogym S.p.A.) equipped with an interface allowing equipment and training management, activity monitoring and user entertainment. Results indicated a significant influence of perceived usability of the interface on the intention of buying the whole system, thus suggesting the existence of a ROI of Human-Centred Design strategies

Using the Android Tablet to develop a game platform for older adults

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 201

Challenges in Developing Applications for Aging Populations

Elderly individuals can greatly benefit from the use of computer applications, which can assist in monitoring health conditions, staying in contact with friends and family, and even learning new things. However, developing accessible applications for an elderly user can be a daunting task for developers. Since the advent of the personal computer, the benefits and challenges of developing applications for older adults have been a hot topic of discussion. In this chapter, the authors discuss the various challenges developers who wish to create applications for the elderly computer user face, including age-related impairments, generational differences in computer use, and the hardware constraints mobile devices pose for application developers. Although these challenges are concerning, each can be overcome after being properly identified

Delivering elder-care environments utilizing TV-channel based mechanisms

In this paper, we present a smart environment for elderly. What makes the development of such system challenging is that the concept of smartness for elderly brings to the extreme the idea of invisibility of the technology. In our experience, elders are well-disposed to new technologies, provided that those will not require significant changes - namely, they are invisible - to their habits. Starting from this consideration, 200 caregivers responses were collected by questionnaire, so as to better understand elders' needs and habits. A system was subsequently developed allowing elders to access a number of "modern web services" as standard TV channels: at channel 43 there is the health status, at channel 45 the photos of the family, at 46 the agenda of the week, just to mention few of the available services. The content of such services is automatically generated by the smart devices in the environment and is managed by the caregivers (e.g., family members) by simple web apps. Fourteen families were asked to install the system in their house. The results of these experiments confirm that the proposed system is considered effective and user-friendly by elders