Designing a Travel Guide to the Un-Natural World: Exploring a Design-led Methodology

The analogy of designer as tourist in the un-natural world is used as an aid for thinking my way into the nature of design research. An exploration of how the design researcher, like a tourist, travels widely through the un-natural world of thought, theory and concept. If we are to design a travel guide for the un-natural world then what would this guide book look like, why do we need it and how could it work? The paper will propose that a ‘travel guide to the un-natural world’ in the form of a design-led methodology is needed for research into sustainable development and is useful not only for the design discipline but for the research community at large. These premises have been derived from the aptitude of the design process and the creative methods it employs to deal with the complex messiness of issues such as sustainability. Such a design-led methodology would be useful for the wider research community due to the integrative abilities of the design process and the trans-disciplinary scope of the tour through the un-natural world. Design-led methodology will be explored using examples from field work in Tumut (rural New South Wales, Australia) Keywords: Design Research, Design-Led Methods, Metadesign, Sustainability.</p

Use of an agile bridge in the development of assistive technology

Engaging with end users in the development of assistive technologies remains one of the major challenges for researchers and developers in the field of accessibility and HCI. Developing usable software systems for people with complex disabilities is problematic, software developers are wary of using user-centred design, one of the main methods by which usability can be improved, due to concerns about how best to work with adults with complex disabilities, in particular Severe Speech and Physical Impairments (SSPI) and how to involve them in research. This paper reports on how the adoption of an adapted agile approach involving the incorporation of a user advocate on the research team helped in meeting this challenge in one software project and offers suggestions for how this could be used by other development teams

Discussing uncertainty and risk in primary care: recommendations of a multi-disciplinary panel regarding communication around prostate cancer screening.

BackgroundShared decision making improves value-concordant decision-making around prostate cancer screening (PrCS). Yet, PrCS discussions remain complex, challenging and often emotional for physicians and average-risk men.ObjectiveIn July 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a multidisciplinary expert panel to identify priorities for funding agencies and development groups to promote evidence-based, value-concordant decisions between men at average risk for prostate cancer and their physicians.DesignTwo-day multidisciplinary expert panel in Atlanta, Georgia, with structured discussions and formal consensus processes.ParticipantsSixteen panelists represented diverse specialties (primary care, medical oncology, urology), disciplines (sociology, communication, medical education, clinical epidemiology) and market sectors (patient advocacy groups, Federal funding agencies, guideline-development organizations).Main measuresPanelists used guiding interactional and evaluation models to identify and rate strategies that might improve PrCS discussions and decisions for physicians, patients and health systems/society. Efficacy was defined as the likelihood of each strategy to impact outcomes. Effort was defined as the relative amount of effort to develop, implement and sustain the strategy. Each strategy was rated (1-7 scale; 7 = maximum) using group process software (ThinkTank(TM)). For each group, intervention strategies were grouped as financial/regulatory, educational, communication or attitudinal levers. For each strategy, barriers were identified.Key resultsHighly ranked strategies to improve value-concordant shared decision-making (SDM) included: changing outpatient clinic visit reimbursement to reward SDM; development of evidence-based, technology-assisted, point-of-service tools for physicians and patients; reframing confusing prostate cancer screening messages; providing pre-visit decision support interventions; utilizing electronic health records to promote benchmarking/best practices; providing additional training for physicians around value-concordant decision-making; and using re-accreditation to promote training.ConclusionsConference outcomes present an expert consensus of strategies likely to improve value-concordant prostate cancer screening decisions. In addition, the methodology used to obtain agreement provides a model of successful collaboration around this and future controversial cancer screening issues, which may be of interest to funding agencies, educators and policy makers

Spacecraft software training needs assessment research

The problems were identified, along with their causes and potential solutions, that the management analysts were encountering in performing their jobs. It was concluded that sophisticated training applications would provide the most effective solution to a substantial portion of the analysts' problems. The remainder could be alleviated through the introduction of tools that could help make retrieval of the needed information from the vast and complex information resources feasible

Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

The four major topics of discussion included: the NASA Software Engineering Laboratory, software testing, human factors in software engineering and software quality assessment. As in the past years, there were 12 position papers presented (3 for each topic) followed by questions and very heavy participation by the general audience

Making It Work: Linking Youth Reproductive Health and Livelihoods

Assesses the challenges and effectiveness of programs that integrate adolescent reproductive health with options that improve economic capabilities, assets, and activities. Highlights innovative approaches, and defines gaps in existing interventions

Operational Plan for HMIS Rollout to be Read in Conjunction with the MoH&SW Document of October 2007

The MoH&SW, with a consortium of partners, in October 2007, developed a Proposal to Strengthen the HMIS in Tanzania. This document builds on that proposal to develop a budgeted 6‐month plan to kick‐start implementation of the Revised MTUHA in one region and at national level, to develop a replicable model that can be scaled up to other regions as additional funds become available. The overall HMIS revision process will ensure that, within a period of five years the HMIS will be functional in all 21 regions of the country, in a phased manner Six months intensive systems and database development in Mtwara region Eighteen months implementation in one region in each of the six zones Within 5 years, National rollout to every region The initial six months implementation process, described in depth in this document, will use action research and participatory development methodology that will integrate the six work packages in the HMIS document, in line with the HSSP III proposals for strengthening M&E. A number of dedicated teams will roll out the HMIS, develop a toolkit for implementation in other regions and produce a modern web based data warehouse. The project logframe aims to provide quality routine data for monitoring MDGs and the NHSSPIII by producing five outputs – HMIS revision, HMIS implementation, Capacity development, the DHIS software and action research. Terms of reference are developed for each of the HMIS teams, based on the activities in the logframe – Indicator and dataset revision, HMIS design, Database development and training team. An action‐based budget of US$15 million is provided for three years that envisages The model region will cost$1,25 million for the first year, including the rollout activities, the development of training material, adaptation of software etc. The other six regions will cost 1,05million for first year; all regions will reduce to $500,000 for the second year and$300,000 in the third year. National level costs will reduce from $700,000 to 500,000 a year as local consultants replace international technical assistance and Ministry takes over running expenses. Rollout for the other 14 regions will need a separate budgeting process after the six regions, but should be in the range of 1,8 million a year (or less if costs can be reduced). The activities in the model initiation region will cost$1,2 million for the first year, including the rollout activities, the development of training material, adaptation of software et