Calm ICT design in hotels: A critical review of applications and implications

There has recently been a call for revisiting the effect of ICT on guest experience in hotels. This is because ICT solutions can act not only as enhancers of hotel guest experience, but also as its inhibitors. In response to this call, the notion of calm ICT design has recently been introduced. Calm ICT design describes the ICT solutions that are used only when and if required, thus not calling user’s attention at all times. Although this concept is highly relevant to the hospitality industry, it has never been systematically considered within. This paper conceptualizes calm ICT design for application in the hospitality context. To this end, it analyzes the ICT solutions that are currently employed by hospitality businesses from the calm ICT design perspective; discusses how the opportunities offered by calm ICT design can be better capitalized upon by hospitality managers; and outlines directions for future research

Mobile phone interaction techniques for rural economy development - a review

Rural communities, especially in developing countries, are often neglected in terms of facilities and services that aid their social and economic development. This is evident even in software development processes, in that these groups of users or potential users’ are often not taken into consideration. The resultant effect is that they may not use it or use it sparingly. The objective of this study is to identify the various researches on interaction techniques and user interface design as a first step to the design of suitable mobile interactions and user interfaces for rural users. This research project is also aimed at socio-economic development and adding value to mobile phone users in Dwesa, a rural community in South Africa. This paper presents a literature survey of interaction techniques and user-interfaces. An analysis of the interaction techniques with respect to their suitability, availability of technologies, user capabilities for implementation in a rural context is discussed. Descriptive statistics of users’ current phones interaction facilities in the rural community which briefly illustrates users’ experiences and capabilities in different interaction modes is also presented.KEY WORDS: Interaction Techniques, Mobile phone, User Interface, ICT, Rural Development

Designing experiences with wearables: A case study exploring the blurring boundaries of art, design, technology, culture and distance

This paper details a workshop aimed at exploring opportunities for experience design through wearable art and design concepts. Specifically it explores the structure of the workshop with respect to facilitating learning through technology in the development of experiential wearable art and design. A case study titled Cloud Workshop: Wearables and Wellbeing; Enriching connections between citizens in the Asia-Pacific region was initiated through a cooperative partnership between Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Griffith University (GU). Digital technologies facilitated collaboration through an inter-disciplinary, inter-national and inter- cultural approach (Facer & Sandford, 2010) between Australia and Hong Kong. Students cooperated throughout a two-week period to develop innovative wearable concepts blending art, design and technology. An unpacking of the approach, pedagogical underpinning and final outcomes revealed distinct educational benefits as well as certain learning and technological challenges of the program. Qualitative feedback uncovered additional successes with respect to student engagement and enthusiasm, while uncovering shortcomings in the delivery and management of information and difficulties with cultural interactions. Potential future versions of the program aim to take advantage of the positives and overcome the limitations of the current pedagogical approach. It is hoped the case study will become a catalyst for future workshops that blur the boundaries of art, design and technology to uncover further benefits and potentials for new outcomes in experience design

Digital commensality: Eating and drinking in the company of technology

Commensality is a key aspect of social dining. However, previous research has identified a number of pros and cons associated with the incorporation of digital technology into eating and drinking episodes. For instance, those who are distracted by digital technology may eat/drink more (that is, they may overconsume) as a result of their failure to attend to the food-related sensations that are thought to cue the termination of eating. Similarly, it has often been suggested that the use of mobile devices at mealtimes can disrupt the more commensal aspects of dining/drinking (at least among those who are physically present together). At the same time, however, looking to the future, it seems clear that digital technologies also hold the promise of delivering opportunities for enhanced multisensory experiential dining. For instance, they might be used to match the auditory, visual, or audiovisual entertainment to the eating/drinking episode (e.g., think only about watching a Bollywood movie while eating a home-delivery Indian meal, say). Indeed, given the growing societal problems associated with people dining by themselves, there are a number of routes by which digital technologies may increasingly help to connect the solo diner with physically co-located, remote, or even virtual dining partners. In this review of the literature, our focus is specifically on the role of technology in inhibiting/facilitating the more pleasurable social aspects of dining, what one might call “digital commensality.” The focus is primarily on Westernized adults with reasonable access to, and familiarity with, digital technologies

고령인의 키오스크 접근성 향상을 위한 인간공학 연구

학위논문(석사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 공과대학 산업공학과, 2022.2. 박우진.In this thesis, two independent experimental studies were conducted to improve self-service kiosk (SSK) accessibility for older adults. First, in an attempt to propose an optimal on-site training tutorial design, four training methods, which were the combinations of two medium types (paper, digital) and two instruction types (goals only, goals and actions), were compared. A between-subjects experimental study that comparatively evaluated the training effects of the four methods was conducted. In the second experimental study, the impacts of potential SSK design features, that is, side partitions, a back partition, and a chair, on perceived workloads and task performance of SSK users of different age groups were evaluated. As a result of the two studies, the dissertation research proposes design implications on training materials and public SSK design. The results from the two research studies would contribute to improving accessibility for older adults as well as enhancing the user experience (UX) of public SSK.본 논문에서는 고령인의 키오스크 접근성 향상을 위한 두 가지 방안을 고려한다. 첫째, 고령인의 키오스크 사용 방법 학습 효과를 극대화하는 방안을 모색하고자 각 두 종류의 정보 전달 매체와 설명 방식의 조합인 4개의 서로 다른 트레이닝 설계의 학습 효과를 비교한다. 피험자 간 설계 실험으로 4개의 트레이닝 설계의 효과를 비교 분석한다. 둘째, 키오스크에 설치 가능한 설계 특성 (좌우 칸막이, 뒤 칸막이, 의자)이 키오스크 사용자의 작업 수행도와 작업부하에 미치는 영향을 평가한다. 그 결과 본 논문에서는 고령인의 키오스크 접근성 향상을 위한 효과적인 트레이닝을 설계하기 위해서는 어떤 정보 전달 매체와 설명 방식을 선택해야 하는지, 공공 키오스크의 전반적인 사용자 경험을 개선하기 위해서는 어떤 설계 특성을 설치해야 하는지에 대한 가이드라인을 제공한다.Abstract ii Contents iv List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Research Background 1 1.2 Research Objective and Questions 3 1.3 Structure of the Thesis 4 Chapter 2 Training Design for Helping Older Adults Use Public SSK 5 2.1 Introduction 5 2.2 Method 9 2.2.1 Participants 9 2.2.2 Experimental Procedure 9 2.2.3 Training Methods Design 11 2.2.4 Independent and Dependent Variables 14 2.2.5 Data Analyses 16 2.3 Results 17 2.3.1 General Training Effects 17 2.3.2 Training Method Effects 10 2.3.3 Training Time 21 2.4 Discussion 21 2.4.1 General Training Effects 22 2.4.2 Training Method Effects 23 2.4.3 Implications 26 Chapter 3 An Investigation of SSK Design: A Partition and Chair Effects on Perceived Workloads and Task Performance 29 3.1 Introduction 29 3.2 Method 35 3.2.1 Participants 35 3.2.2 Experimental Setup 36 3.2.3 Design Alternatives 36 3.2.4 Experimental Task 37 3.2.5 Experimental Procedure 38 3.2.6 Independent and Dependent Variables 40 3.2.7 Data Analyses 42 3.3 Results 43 3.3.1 General and Generalized Linear Model Analyses 43 3.3.1.1 Design Effects: Main and Interaction Effects on Design Variables 46 3.3.1.2 Age Group Differences in Design Effects 48 3.3.2 Comparison of Design Alternatives 50 3.3.3 Correlation Analyses 51 3.4 Discussion 53 3.4.1 Design Effects: Main and Interaction Effects of Design Variables 54 3.4.2 Age Group Differences in Design Effects 60 3.4.3 Correlation Analyses 63 3.4.4 Implications 64 Chapter 4 Conclusion 66 4.1 Summary and Implications 66 4.2 Future Research Directions 67 Bibliography 69 국문초록 82석

Developing a new understanding of enabling health and wellbeing in Europe: harmonising health and social care delivery and informatics support to ensure holistic care

Europe faces significant challenges to its health and care services due to demographic change, being at the beginning of a large and continuing rise in the number and proportion of older citizens, while advances in healthcare mean that an increasing number of these and other adults will have enduring chronic health conditions. But for all citizens with actual or potential health problems, the maintenance of optimal health depends not just on healthcare services, but on support for nutrition, hygiene, mobility and shopping, socialisation, warm dry housing and other aspects of daily living, as without these health will be compromised and deteriorate. This demand surge is happening at a time when Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are increasingly being used in other service sectors to enable consumer customisation and better resource management. An objective for all health systems, and for patients, is to minimise hospital stays and maximise care at home, but hitherto the practical need to observe the patient's state of health has extended hospital stays. Similarly there is a drive to minimise for quality of life and economic reasons admission to long-term institutional care and instead extend support to enable living at home. Traditionally any support needed by an individual has normally been provided by family members, often assisted by the local community, while social services have been the fall back provider when the family cannot support, either by direct provision or by mobilising specific services such as delivered hot meals. Housing agencies and other bodies have also had an important role. However, other demographic changes are significantly reducing the capacity of families to provide daily ongoing support. This means that health services are increasingly providing long-term monitoring and support to those living with chronic disease and frailty, while social services are increasingly needed to provide ongoing support. Many individual citizens are necessarily in receipt of both health and social care support, yet in all but a very few European countries these services are provided quite independently one from another, with minimal day to day liaison. A number of drivers for change are now necessitating significant change, and the social sciences have a key role to play in enabling successful progress. At a macro level, across Europe the combination of the economic downturn and the demographic-led increase in demand means that health and social care services are under ever increasing pressures, while constant growth of services is not affordable nor will the labour market support ever continuing expansion. This paper presents the case for systematic research activity in the social sciences, at European and national levels, to further the interlinked citizen- focused objectives of:close integration at delivery level of health care and social care support of individual's health, personalisation of care delivery including reasonable accommodation of individual choice, ensuring effective use of ICT applications based on user acceptability, bringing processes of consent, delegation, representation, coordination and privacy into the electronic era, ensuring respect for and teamwork with formal carers and the informal care team, ensuring equity in an electronic era regardless of digital literacy, assets and connectivity, examining stable and sustainable models of trusted infrastructure provision, establishing governance, authentication, management, and sustainability principles

Role of prosumer driven 3D food printing in innovating food value chains

Digital platforms have created an impact in almost all facets of our life in a short period. Today, they are an integral and critical part of consumer experience. When combined with revolutionary 3d printing technology, these platforms are great enablers of prosumption, i.e., production undertaken by consumers. The associated paradigm change is already visible in the specialized goods sector. With the emergence of 3d food printing technology, similar changes are very much anticipated in the food sector. The purpose of this master’s thesis is to create an understanding on how digitally-driven 3d food printing could be best utilized for food prosumption. Three research questions were raised with an aim of identifying key challenges, and uncertainties in prosumer driven 3d food printing; defining the characteristics and customization parameters of a prosumer platform for 3d food printing; and identifying most potential archetypes and use cases for prosumer-driven 3d food printing. To answer the research questions, 3 research themes were identified, namely food value chain, prosumption, and 3d food printing. After an extensive literature review process based upon the research themes, relevant data were gathered using Mixed Methods Research (MMR) approach. 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from industry and academia. This was followed by a quantitative survey with a pool of respondents from within the identified research themes. Finally, a stakeholder workshop was carried out to finalize and further refine the concepts generated through MMR. Personalized nutrition is found to be an area where 3d food printing has a lot of scope, especially for applications in fitness centres, senior homes, and hospitals. Also, utilization of prosumer driven 3d food printing in fine dining restaurants has one of the highest business potential and feasibility at this point of time. Overall, the research implies that leveraging digital platforms in 3d food printing has the potential to generate futuristic food value chains that are connected, collaborative, data-driven, and transparent

Bridging the Gap: Community Gardens as a Supplement to Senior Adult Food Assistance Programs

Food insecurity and access to nutrition-rich food for senior adults receiving food assistance is an ever-growing concern in the United States. For households that lack accessible food, the availability of alternative sources of nutrition such as community gardens could be critically important to maintaining a stable level of food security. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of using a community garden as a supplemental food assistance tool for congregate meals sites and food pantries. This study encompassed the following three phases: 1) surveying the trends in Shelby County, Texas senior adults receiving food assistance to determine if there were differences between life satisfaction or food security by age or level of education, 2) interviewing food site directors to discern if they face challenges or limitations in storing or providing fresh vegetables to clientele, and 3) reviewing four successful Texas community gardens to assess their annual vegetable yields and community service hours while examining the use of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county agents to provide oversight of project and volunteers. An explanatory sequential methodology which entailed administering a questionnaire to 83 senior adults and interviews with four nutrition site directors was employed. The responses reflected that the senior adults surveyed indicated that they experienced food security issues, and the nutrition site directors had challenges and limitations in providing fresh vegetables to clients. However, the results indicated that there were no significant differences between life satisfaction and food security by age or level of education. Associations between life satisfaction and food security; life satisfaction and have grown a vegetable garden; and life satisfaction and number of times per day vegetables were consumed existed which were determined through analysis of this data. Future research should continue to be undertaken to identify how community gardens could be sustainable at the state level through Cooperative Extension System oversight, local government support, and volunteerism while addressing the limitations faced by nutrition site directors in providing clients with fresh produce. In addition, future research should also examine how gardens could be used as a low-cost supplemental food assistance tool in providing a more resilient and food-secure system for rural senior adults through the direct integration of food production and food consumption