Design revolutions: IASDR 2019 Conference Proceedings. Volume 4: Learning, Technology, Thinking

In September 2019 Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University was honoured to host the bi-annual conference of the International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) under the unifying theme of DESIGN REVOLUTIONS. This was the first time the conference had been held in the UK. Through key research themes across nine conference tracks – Change, Learning, Living, Making, People, Technology, Thinking, Value and Voices – the conference opened up compelling, meaningful and radical dialogue of the role of design in addressing societal and organisational challenges. This Volume 4 includes papers from Learning, Technology and Thinking tracks of the conference

MRnews: Design Explorations into Accessibility and News

Creating accessible technology and content is generally seen as beneficial for all users. This is particularly important when the content has a significant societal impact, such as news stories. To find new and innovative ways to engage users, digital news outlets are faced with challenges related to accessibility. In the case of Mixed Reality (MR) technology, the increasing interest emphasizes the need for the technology to be inclusive and accessible. The embodied nature and affordances of MR technology enable users to manipulate virtual objects using real-world knowledge and in real-time and enable them to utilize a wide range of skills when interacting with such systems. In turn, leveraging these affordances can enhance the accessibility of the task at hand. Contributions to developing accessibility guidelines have been made, and the use of MR applications to enhance accessibility is on the rise. However, these contributions are most prominent in education and not for leisurely use. This research project investigates the affordances of MR and of the Augmented Reality (AR) Head Mounted Display (HMD), HoloLens 2 (HL2) in particular, and how these can be leveraged to enhance accessibility when reading digital news. This is a Research through Design (RtD) project carried out in participation with users by conducting design activities and user evaluations. The RtD-process is supported by prototypes developed through an iterative process. MRnews is an application built for Microsoft’s AR HMD, the HL2. The implemented design showcases how news content creators and developers can leverage the affordances of MR technology to achieve accessibility in news stories. The results point toward direct manipulation of virtual content utilizing the spatial nature of MR technology and the use of sensory cues to keep the user oriented and focused impact accessibility.Masteroppgave i medie- og interaksjonsdesignMIX350MASV-MI

Multisensory learning in adaptive interactive systems

The main purpose of my work is to investigate multisensory perceptual learning and sensory integration in the design and development of adaptive user interfaces for educational purposes. To this aim, starting from renewed understanding from neuroscience and cognitive science on multisensory perceptual learning and sensory integration, I developed a theoretical computational model for designing multimodal learning technologies that take into account these results. Main theoretical foundations of my research are multisensory perceptual learning theories and the research on sensory processing and integration, embodied cognition theories, computational models of non-verbal and emotion communication in full-body movement, and human-computer interaction models. Finally, a computational model was applied in two case studies, based on two EU ICT-H2020 Projects, "weDRAW" and "TELMI", on which I worked during the PhD

Transforming Disability To Advantage: A Phenomenological Study Of Career Success For Dyslexics

The purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study was to understand how dyslexics’ and non-dyslexics’ perceptions about dyslexia impacted the life experiences of dyslexic individuals with successful careers. Six dyslexic participants described meaningful experiences in their lives and career success in individual, semistructured, in-person interviews in the New York tri-state area. The participants shared insights that revealed four themes: (1) Challenging Academic Experiences, (2) Thinking Differently and Creating Success, (3) Championing a Growth Mindset and Positive Thinking, and (4) Leading with Strengths and Talents. This study explored the transformative shift from narrowly viewing dyslexia as a neurological disorder to a wider lens of potential advantages for adult dyslexics in successful careers. Eide & Eide (2012) suggested that the same brain differences that create challenges in reading, language, and learning may have also produced strengths in conceptual, visual, and visionary thinking. The participants shared their strengths and talents, challenges and opportunities in their unique career journeys

Perspectives in Gifted Education: Twice-Exceptional Children

This is the second in a series of monographs funded by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation through the Institute for the Development of Gifted Education at the University of Denver. The first monograph contained different perspectives on the growth and development of young gifted children. This monograph addresses the characteristics and needs of twice-exceptional students. These are students who are both gifted and have some type of disabling condition. These students constitute a major group of underserved gifted children as their gifts often mask their disabilities, or their disabilities mask their gifts.https://digitalcommons.du.edu/perspectivesingifteded/1001/thumbnail.jp