Helping young designers design for children: evaluating toys and possible values

When designing for children, it remains important not only to emphasise elements such as ergonomics and usability but also values, that can be translated into pleasurable user experiences for children. While methods such as interviews are commonly used to better understand our users, interviewing children can be a challenge. Experience as part of a year project on designing toys for children highlighted that children might answer questions in a surprising way, or students might struggle to ask questions that are not suggestive. To overcome some of these difficulties, we developed a Value Matrix, that can help students to explore the various values or incentives children might have while playing. This Value Matrix can subsequently be used to scan existing toys or new concepts and translate these insights into toys that consist of a wider variety of values children like to experience in a game or toy. We evaluated this tool with 118 first year Industrial Product Design students. Our results show that the Value Matrix gives students guidance and support while designing

Development and Usability Testing of an Internet Intervention to Increase Physical Activity in Overweight Adolescents

Background: Internet interventions may provide opportunities for low threshold counseling using feedback to guide and support health behavior, including increased physical activity. Research shows that overweight and obese adolescents are less physically active than their peers of normal weight. There are good reasons to believe that Internet-based interventions may be particularly suitable for motivating adolescents to increase physical activity, but we need to gain further knowledge of what features are effective and how to design such interventions. Objective: To describe the process of development and evaluation of usability of a Web-based program for increasing physical activity in overweight adolescents. Methods: Informed by the self-determination theory, motivational interviewing, and perspectives on self-regulation, this intervention was developed in a stepwise process by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, designers, developers, and representatives from the target group. An iterative qualitative usability testing approach (observation, survey, and interview) was applied in 2 sequences, first in the lab and second in the field, to assess how adolescents (aged 12-16 years) used and experienced the program and to make adjustments to the program based on evaluation of their response. Results: The following components were included in the program: self-monitoring through planning and registration of physical activity and graphical response on progress, autonomy supportive individual Web-based counseling, forum for social support, and relevant age-adjusted information about physical activity. The first usability test resulted in adjustments related mainly to making the content and aim of the different features more visible and explicit. The second test evaluated the program with adjustments from the first test, revealing that the program was well accepted by the participants and only small aesthetic adjustments had to be made to complete the final version of the Internet program, Young & Active. Conclusions: Thorough preparation, with clear theory foundation and close monitoring in the developmental phase, as well as contribution and iterative evaluation from the target group, is essential to create a user-friendly and engaging program. The efficacy of the program will be evaluated in a controlled trial

Surveying Persons with Disabilities: A Source Guide (Version 1)

As a collaborator with the Cornell Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. has been working on a project that identifies the strengths and limitations in existing disability data collection in both content and data collection methodology. The intended outcomes of this project include expanding and synthesizing knowledge of best practices and the extent existing data use those practices, informing the development of data enhancement options, and contributing to a more informed use of existing data. In an effort to provide the public with an up-to-date and easily accessible source of research on the methodological issues associated with surveying persons with disabilities, MPR has prepared a Source Guide of material related to this topic. The Source Guide contains 150 abstracts, summaries, and references, followed by a Subject Index, which cross references the sources from the Reference List under various subjects. The Source Guide is viewed as a “living document,” and will be periodically updated

Virtual Reality and Education : evaluating the Learning Experience

The paper presents the evaluation of two different case studies involving educational virtual reality experiences for adults and children. The case studies concern applications for two different content domains, archeology and mathematics education, both developed for high-end projection-based virtual reality systems such as the CAVE®. In the first case of archaeology education, an evaluation study was performed in situ with adults and children who used the virtual environment during their museum visit. In the second case of learning abstract mathematics, the evaluation study was held in a controlled laboratory setting. The evaluation methods used ranged from quantifiable pre- and post- questionnaires and log files to the more qualitative methods of direct observation and semi-structured interviewing. Emphasis was given both on usability issues and on the evaluation of effectiveness in terms of learning.L'article presenta l'avaluació de dos estudis de cas diferents que fan referència a experiències educatives per adults i nens utilitzant la realitat virtual. Els estudis de cas consisteixen en aplicacions a dos continguts diferents, l'ensenyament de l'arqueologia i de les matemàtiques, desenvolupades ambdues per sistemes de realitat virtual projectada d'alta definició com CAVE®. En el primer cas que es refereix a l'ensenyament de l'arqueologia, es va dur a terme un estudi in situ amb adults i nens que van utilitzar l'entorn virtual durant una visita a un museu. En el segon cas, el de l'ensenyament de matemàtiques abstractes, l'estudi avaluatiu es va dur a terme en un context controlat de laboratori. Els mètodes avaluatius utilitzats abastaren des de qüestionaris quantificables (per abans i després de l'experiència) fins a mètodes més cualitatius d'observació directa i entrevistes semi-estructurades. S'enfasitzà tant els aspectes relacionats amb les possibilitats d'ús, com l'avaluació de l'efectivitat en termes d'aprenentatge, així com en l'eficàcia del desplegament a llarg termini de la Realitat Virtual en condicions realistes d'ús, especialment quan la tecnologia es pugui convertir en habitual i el contingut prevalgui sobre el mètode expositiu.El artículo presenta la evaluación de dos estudios de caso diferentes referentes a experiencias educativas para adultos y niños utilizando la realidad virtual. Los estudios de caso consisten en aplicaciones a dos contenidos diferentes, la enseñanza de la arqueología y de las matemáticas, desarrolladas ambas para sistemas de realidad virtual proyectada de alta definición como CAVE®. En el primer caso referido a la enseñanza de la arqueología, se llevo a cabo un estudio in situ con adultos y niños que utilizaron el entorno virtual durante una visita a un museo. En el segundo caso, referido a la enseñanza de matemáticas abstractas, el estudio evaluativo se llevo a cabo en un contexto controlado de laboratorio. Los métodos evaluativos utilizados abarcaron desde cuestionarios cuantificables (para antes y después de la experiencia) hasta métodos más cualitativos de observación directa y entrevistas semi-estructuradas. Se enfatizó tanto los aspectos relacionados con las posibilidades de uso, como la evaluación de la efectividad en términos de aprendizaje, así como en la eficacia del despliegue a largo plazo de la Realidad Virtual en condiciones realistas de uso, especialmente cuando la tecnología se pueda convertir en habitual y el contenido prevalezca sobre el medio expositivo

Characterizing the Application of Design Ethnography Techniques to Improve Novice Human-Centered Design Processes.

Design is a central, distinguishing feature of engineering, requiring the development of technical solutions to societal problems. Successful design solutions must not only be technically sound, but also well-adapted to the context and culture in which they will be used. However, the most commonly used methods for eliciting and characterizing stakeholder preferences do not typically reveal critical stakeholder and contextual information. Through the studies described in this dissertation, I explore the use of design ethnography during front-end engineering design phases to capture both stakeholder preferences and contextual knowledge to inform engineering design decision making. Design ethnography is a set of primarily qualitative data collection and analysis techniques that have been adapted from the field of anthropology to augment the engineering design process. Studies from the fields of human-computer interaction and product development have demonstrated that design ethnography techniques are cost-effective and lead to more successful products. However, the design ethnography literature lacks critical understanding of the major barriers and factors that influence design ethnography success, methodologies for synthesizing and applying design ethnography data, best practices to engage with stakeholders, developmental trajectories of novice to expert skill acquisition, and case studies of how design ethnography has been implemented in diverse settings. The studies detailed in this dissertation employ a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research methods to address these gaps in the literature. Through this research, I have characterized novice design ethnography implementation strategies and identified internal and external factors that affect design ethnography execution; investigated correlations between information processing ability and the quality of product requirements developed; established a framework for evaluating and directing design ethnography stakeholder interviews; developed a case study within a global health design context; and interpreted the findings within a theoretically grounded model to represent novice to expert development. This body of work informs strategies and processes for engaging with stakeholders and understanding broader contexts in design work to improve design decision making within both design professional practice and engineering education.PhDMechanical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133391/1/imohedas_1.pd

Design an engaging interactive experience for people with dementia

The population of the world is increasing resulting in a higher number of people dealing with dementia–whether being diagnosed with it or taking care of someone that is diagnosed with it. This master thesis aims to investigate which types of multi-media technology-based experiences can improve the quality of life for people with dementia. To reach the goal of the thesis–investigation will be done through different iterations of a design method; divergence, transformation and convergence. These iterations will include observations, interviews and using personas as a tool to design. The results from the methods were used to create a high fidelity prototype which was evaluated by an expert in the field of dementia

E-Learning. A study of students’ attitudes and learning outcome when using blended learning with integration of multimedia instructions

The advent of new technologies has provided opportunities and challenges for education institutions to seek more effective ways of teaching and learning. Elearning is now an established phenomenon in education and institutions are increasing their effort to offer greater flexibility, more personalized learning, and greater learner satisfaction. Consequently blended learning has emerged as a delivery method that addresses the face-to-face advantages of a traditional classroom and the time efficiency and location convenience of an online teaching and learning environment. The opportunities of flexibility and convenience are not evident in a classroom environment. However the face-to-face interactions provide the foundation for social communication which can be critical to online learning. Educators who are comfortable with traditional classroom delivery will meet learners’ enhanced demands for flexibility through online presence for courses. As educators are generally time-pore, and with little clear direction, research can give them valuable insights into advantaged and disadvantaged of various teaching and learning formats. This thesis examines students’ attitudes when using blended learning with integration of multimedia instructions. It identifies aspects around cognitive learning outcome and provides insight into students’ experiences and their overall satisfaction with this instructional design. The main objective with this initiative is to sustain the evolution from traditional teaching to active learning and to better integrate the increasing number of educational resources online. In particular this study includes aspects about students’ attitudes towards using a blended learning format, learning theories, the instructional principles of multimedia production, and identification of optimal ways to use e-learning. This thesis contributes to the field of e-learning by three main contributions (A1-A3): A1: A contribution utilizing blended learning with integration of multimedia instructions. The quality of the blended learning format is discussed on the basis of the attitudes and experiences from the adult participants. The contribution outlines characteristics about good properties of multimedia instructions to supplement traditional classroom teaching. The content of A1 constitutes a paper that is submitted for journal publication. A2: A model for testing the cognitive learning outcome using a blended learning format with two different teaching treatments. A2 constituted the main part of a conference proceedings paper. The study further contributes in a book with the title: Cases on managing e-learning: Development and implementation. Will be released in 2012. A3: This contribution outlines a blended learning course design for postgraduate dental students with emphasis on flexibility and location convenience. The course was redesigned from a former traditional course format. The content of A3 constitutes a paper that is submitted for journal publication. The research makes a contribution in the exploration of the advantages and disadvantaged of utilizing blended learning. The research methods comprise both quantitative and qualitative investigation approaches. The empirical data for this thesis were collected through 149 participating students and 13 semi-structured interviews. The thesis supports the view of increased favorable ways of teaching and learning when using new online technologies. However no evidence for increased cognitive learning outcome was identified. Nonetheless the blended learning format with integration of multimedia instructions holds an experienced potential for improved quality of teaching and learning in terms of enhanced satisfaction among learners. The main findings. The thesis contributes to the field of e-learning by the following main contributions. First, an identification of educational key issues favourable to a blended learning format with integration of multimedia instructions; second, identification of factors to produce high quality multimedia instructions; third, the design of a test procedure to conduct measurements on cognitive learning outcome based on a basic retention level and a more advanced transfer level; forth, suggestions how to improve the influence of the internet media for future postgraduate dental educational programs