Digital crowdsourcing in healthcare environment co-design

Improving user experiences of healthcare environments via their participation has become a central theme in healthcare studies and strategic agendas. The co-design approach is often utilized to take into account opinions from different stakeholders including hospital staff. However, there are a number of competing stimuli and demands on staff at any point in time potentially making it difficult for them to participate in the co-design processes. Digital crowdsourcing may engage staff in participating in the design and appraisal of hospital environments when they have a spare moment by collecting small amounts of relevant data. In order to explore this, we have implemented a digital crowdsourcing co-design prototype. As users’ perceived acceptance of technologies is among the determining factors for a successful digital approach, in this paper, we report on participants’ acceptance of the prototype, aiming to reflect if and to what extend they accept this prototype to aid further development

Digital Crowdsourcing in Healthcare Environment Co-design

Improving user experiences of healthcare environments via their participation has become a central theme in healthcare studies and strategic agendas. The co-design approach is often utilized to take into account opinions from different stakeholders including hospital staff. However, there are a number of competing stimuli and demands on staff at any point in time potentially making it difficult for them to participate in the co-design processes. Digital crowdsourcing may engage staff in participating in the design and appraisal of hospital environments when they have a spare moment by collecting small amounts of relevant data. In order to explore this, we have implemented a digital crowdsourcing co-design prototype. As users’ perceived acceptance of technologies is among the determining factors for a successful digital approach, in this paper, we report on participants’ acceptance of the prototype, aiming to reflect if and to what extend they accept this prototype to aid further development

Comparing adaptive cognitive training in virtual reality and paper-pencil in a sample of stroke patients

The growing number of people with cognitive deficits creates an urgent need for new cognitive training solutions. Paper-and-pencil tasks are still widely used for cognitive rehabilitation despite the proliferation of new computer-based methods, like VR-based simulations of ADL’s. The health professionals’ resistance in adopting new tools might be explained by the small number of validation trials. Studies have established construct validity of VR assessment tools with their paper-and-pencil versions by demonstrating significant associations with their traditional construct-driven measures. However, adaptive rehabilitation tools for intervention are mostly not equivalent to their counterpart paper-and-pencil versions, which makes it difficult to carry out comparative studies. Here we present a 12-session intervention study with 31 stroke survivors who underwent different rehabilitation protocols based on the same content and difficulty adaptation progression framework: 17 performed paper-and-pencil training with the Task Generator and 14 performed VR-based training with the Reh@City. Results have shown that both groups performed at the same level and there was not an effect of the training methodology in overall performance. However, the Reh@City enabled more intensive training, which may translate in more cognitive improvements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Efficacy of Heritage Interpretation at the Lalibela Rock-Hewn Churches in Ethiopia: exploring the need for integrating ICT-mediation

The inscription of a property in the World Heritage List serves as a recognition of its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). Such recognition gives visitors the expectation that visiting the site would be a unique experience that would fulfil their visitation goals. Need therefore exists to ensure quality heritage interpretation at the particular World Heritage site. This is both beneficial to ensuring adequate presentation of the site’s OUV and visitor satisfaction. This paper seeks to investigate the level of visitor satisfaction with heritage interpretation at the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela one of the most visited attractions in Ethiopia. The study is based on an analysis of online travel reviews of the site using Qualitative Content Analysis. The findings of the study indicate that heritage guiding and interpretation at the Rock hewn churches of Lalibela is provided mainly by the local guides. The study however, finds a number of reported / perceived challenges related to visitor satisfaction, including perceived visitor exploitation by local guides and church workers, visitor harassment, dishonesty by the guides when dealing with clients, language barriers and lack of signage and site maps. It thus argues that there is room to expand the scope of heritage interpretation beyond human guides, and recommends adoption of ICTs-mediated interpretation services at this World Heritage destination

American Generation Y and The Hotel of 2030

The Baby Boomer generation, once the largest, most important consumer base and leader in purchasing power, is entering retirement (Sherman, 2008). Now an aging generation, the Boomers, are slowly losing their hold on the attention of the hospitality industry. The Boomers are quickly being eclipsed by their children and grandchildren as the largest market population and the biggest spenders within America with over 73 million or 26% of the total US population belonging to this demographic (Nusair, Parsa, & Cobanoglu, 2011). Much like the Baby Boomers, this demographic, known as primarily as Generation Y (Gen Y) or “Echo-Boomers” due to the great impact that they will have on society and business as the Baby Boomers did; Gen Y will slowly become the focus of many revenue managers, general managers, and industry executives (Agarwal, 2009). It is this generation’s opinion that will most likely determine the success and evolution of their business for decades to come, setting the tone for future generations. Many studies are starting to come about in response to this very fact. By the year 2030, Gen Y will make up 34% of the US population with many of them at the pinnacle of their purchasing power (Nusair et al., 2011)

Differentiation of the Causal Characteristics and Influences of Virtual Reality and the Effects on Learning at a Science Exhibit

Within the context of the informal science center, exhibits are the main interface for public learning. Essential to the success of a science center is how well exhibits model effective strategies for learning. Virtual Reality (VR) technology with its flexible, adaptive, multimedia, and immersive-learning capabilities is emerging for use by science centers in exhibits; however, research on learning in virtual environments at exhibits is scarce. To support the future development of VR science exhibits it is critical to investigate VR\u27s pedagogical value and effects on science learning. Research investigated the Smoke & Mirrors VR exhibit at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego, California. Inquiry focused on the interplay between elements of the exhibit\u27s design, assessing the separate and interactive effects of visual imagery, moving images, sound, narration, and interactive tools to differentiate the causal characteristics and influences that enhanced and detracted from learning. Case study methodology was employed utilizing visitor observations and interviews with 14 participants. Findings indicated that realistic visual elements with text were the primary sources of content learning; however, positive results were limited to only a few participants. High cognitive load due to interactive tools; instructional design; and movement of visual images were found to be significant detracting characteristics of participant learning. Other characteristics and influences of VR were also found that directly effected learning. Research results will inform the forthcoming design of a new VR exhibit at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and to the design and development of future VR exhibits at informal science centers. A prior brief mixed-methods evaluation of Smoke & Mirrors was conducted in 2003, contributing background to the study and its future implications and strategies

The significance of integrated marketing communication techniques in the 21st century marketplace

The primary purpose of this study was to examine integrated marketing communication techniques used to develop successful apparel brands. This author researched existing data and explored the IMC development of three successful brand apparel companies: Nike, Ralph Lauren Polo, and Tommy Hilfiger. The study included the process of building brand identity, including the tenets of brand management and the symbolic process, as well as the significance of brand equity and architecture. This author conducted a pen and paper quantitative survey to a random sampling of 50 Cumberland County College undergraduate students concerning the influential factors in their choice of brand selection. The data was categorized and tabulated in percentages by age into two groups, 18-25 and 26+. This author conducted two focus groups consisting of 10 students from the 18-25 age group and 10 students from the 26+ age group. The quantitative and qualitative results indicated that the respondents were very influenced by integrated brand marketing techniques in the selection of apparel items

Profiling The Needs and Wants of Millennials in The Tourism Industry: Implications for Zimbabwe

Purpose: The main purpose of the paper is to profile the needs and wants of millennials in the tourism industry and their implications for tourism operators in Zimbabwe. Methods: The study adopted a qualitative design approach with document analysis being the data collection method. Data were analyzed thematically.  Results: The major finding was that millennials desire authentic and memorable experiences, they are highly knowledgeable, have strong digital skills, they are social media creatures and are permanently connected online, they are particular and question everything, they prefer leisure and recreational activities, they prefer hotel facilities with health-oriented facilities like fitness centers and they practice volunteer tourism.  Millennials are different, they think and act differently, and their travel choices and preferences are different from the generations before them. Implications: Tourism operators including hotels should adapt their service delivery systems to the needs and wants of millennials to achieve superior business performance. There is a need for the adoption of proactive marketing strategies as well as taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by millennials in the tourism industry in Zimbabwe

An Experimental investigation of presentation medium–dependent differences of picture consumption by college-aged adults

While digital camera owners are taking more photos than ever before, most of them are not printing the photos. When they do, they only print in small quantities. The reason for this is that most users share their photos online or through e-mail. While fewer people print their images at the moment they are taking them, they are saving the digital files of the photos for future use. In conducting a literature review, a good overview was acquired of the current consumer photographer\u27s practices in taking, sharing, and saving pictures. In addition, a first experiment was set up involving college-aged young adults as the population. This first experiment focused on presentation medium-dependent differences in picture consumption, as well as consumer printing behavior regarding their own photographs. A following experiment took a second look at presentation medium-dependent differences in picture consumption. In addition, it provided a more complete picture of sharing and saving behavior, as well as an understanding of the value that observers place on conventional photographic images. The outcome of these experiments showed that most participants preferred printed images over on-screen images. Regardless of this finding, participants did not print images very often for a variety of reasons, including lack of time or money. In addition, results showed that the most commonly used printing tools included Kodak Gallery EasyShare, Shutterfly, and Flickr. Finally, participants cited Photoshop, Lightroom, and Picasa as the primary editing tools, with Facebook being mentioned as the main sharing tool

Assessing a Firm's Web Presence: A Heuristic Evaluation Procedure for the Measurement of Usability

Web site usability is a critical metric for assessing the quality of a firm's Web presence. A measure of usability must not only provide a global rating for a specific Web site, ideally it should also illuminate specific strengths and weaknesses associated with site design. In this paper, we describe a heuristic evaluation procedure for examining the usability of Web sites. The procedure utilizes a comprehensive set of usability guidelines developed by Microsoft. We present the categories and subcategories comprising these guidelines, and 7discuss the development of an instrument that operationalizes the measurement of usability. The proposed instrument was tested in a heuristic evaluation study where 1,475 users rated multiple Web sites from four different industry sectors: airlines, online bookstores, automobile manufacturers, and car rental agencies. To enhance the external validity of the study, users were asked to assume the role of a consumer or an investor when assessing usability. Empirical results suggest that the evaluation procedure, the instrument, as well as the usability metric exhibit good properties. Implications of the findings for researchers, for Web site designers, and for heuristic evaluation methods in usability testing are offered