Graphical Design and Functional Perception on Technology-Driven Products: Case Study on Mobile Usage of the Elderly

AbstractThree features-complexity of iconic, the visual limitation of the aged, and the interpretation of iconic symbols are investigated. The research finds that respondents are proved to be equally able to learn complicated level as younger users. With reading glasses, the elderly are able to visualize and understand simple icons as small as 5-10mm, complicated ones as 30mm, graphical ones with textual as 10-15mm bright color for simple ones and cooler tone for complicated ones. 2D icons are for familiar objects while 3D and realistic ones are not. Textual representation could enhance the understanding of representation as well

Culture and disaster risk management – citizens’ reactions and opinions during Citizen Summit in Malta

The analyses and results in this document are based on data collected during the second CARISMAND Citizen Summit held in Malta on July 16th 2016. The Citizen Summit was designed as a 1-day event combining public information with feedback gathering through different methods of data collection: (1) 30 questions with pre-defined answer options posed to the audience and collected via an audience response system; and (2) small moderated group discussions of approximately 1.5 hours duration which followed a detailed set of questions and discussion guidelines, including (3) a short association exercise. All questions and discussions aimed to explore citizens’ attitudes, feelings and perceptions towards disaster risks as well as the identification of cultural factors in disaster preparation, response and recovery. The definition and design of the questions was based on a literature review, preliminary research results from other work packages, and taking up specific topics identified in the 1st CARISMAND Stakeholder Assembly. For a detailed overview of all questions asked and topics discussed please see Appendix A. Overall, 108 citizens participated in the Malta event. The total sample shows a relatively even gender and age distribution, which is unsurprising given the target quotas which were requested from the recruiting local market research agency. The comparatively low number of senior citizens aged 65 and above was expected and reflects mobility issues.Participants were asked about three key aspects of experience of disasters and disaster risk perception that could potentially have an impact on how other questions were answered. Half of respondents indicated that they, or a close friend or family member, have experienced a disaster, 38% felt that they are living in an area that is specifically prone to disasters, and 48% answered that they know other people in the area where they live who they think are particularly vulnerable or exposed to disasters. Slight gender differences were found to be not statistically significant (p>=.05). This report presents the results of the second CARISMAND Citizen Summit and is structured in six main sections: After this introduction, the second section will provide an overview of the different methods applied. The third section, based on the quantitative data collected via the audience response system, presents the results from questions on general disaster risk perceptions, disaster preparedness, and behaviours in disaster situations, the latter with a particular focus on the use of social media. The fourth section, based on the qualitative data collected in the discussion groups, will analyse the participants’ risk perceptions and behaviours related to (a) different “features” of disasters, in particular related to slow/fast onset, short/long-term effects and the “visibility” of disasters, and (b) different disaster phases. Furthermore, this section will report on the different cultural aspects and cultural groups identified by the participants, the specific needs of such groups, and perceived community strengths and weaknesses in case of a disaster. Additionally, it will provide insight into participants’ views on measures that may help to improve disaster preparedness and response. The fifth section focuses on risk perception in relation to causes of disasters, in particular the blurred distinction between natural and man-made disasters. The final section compares and contrasts the results from sections 2, 3 and 4, draws some tentative conclusions, and identifies topics and issues that should feed into the next round of events in 2017, i.e. the 2nd Stakeholder Assembly as well as the 3rd and 4th Citizen Summits.The project was co-funded by the European Commission within the Horizon2020 Programme (2014-2020).peer-reviewe

Information technology usage and quality of life among older persons : a qualitative study in Hong Kong

INTRODUCTION: In this high technology era, rapid developments in information technology (IT) have the potential to transform the lives of older persons. Ageing tends to be associated with reductions in health status and resources, which can be potentially affect the adoption of new technology. However, the role of IT is becoming ever more influential in our daily living though the digital services such as email, e-banking and e-shopping. Therefore, older persons inevitably come across various IT-related products, especially computers and the Internet, in their everyday lives. Moreover, the quality of life of older persons is important and has been identified as an important aspect of successful ageing. This study will explore the relationships between IT usage and the quality of life amongst older persons in order to determine the main reasons why they do or do not use IT and how they learned about IT. The research findings will contribute to the improvement of understanding of older persons’ well being and attainment of successful ageing, especially in a rapidly ageing society such as Hong Kong. METHODS: The study employed a combination of research methods. A sample of twelve older persons was invited to participate in two focus group discussions (FGD). Nine in-depth interviews with key informants were then conducted with respondents from both professional and older persons’ groups. A face-to face survey was conducted amongst 96 respondents who were recruited from nine neighbourhood elderly centres (NECs) in four districts of Hong Kong. A questionnaire was designed to investigate IT usage behaviour and quality of life among older persons. The questionnaire had four main parts: 1) IT usage and behaviour, 2) Intentions of using IT, 3) IT and quality of life, and 4) Personal profiles of respondents. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The results showed that major reasons for IT usage among older persons were perceived usefulness, social trends, maintenance of family connections, self-enhancement and leisure activities. Both professionals and older persons held positive attitudes towards IT usage among older persons, as they mentioned that IT usage is likely to be positively related to older persons’ quality of life. The survey results supported the suggestion that IT usage is indeed related positively significantly to quality of life. The results also suggest that public policies and practices related to IT learning and support and free wireless services should be enhanced to enhance the social connectedness and quality of life amongst older persons

Fall Prediction and Prevention Systems: Recent Trends, Challenges, and Future Research Directions.

Fall prediction is a multifaceted problem that involves complex interactions between physiological, behavioral, and environmental factors. Existing fall detection and prediction systems mainly focus on physiological factors such as gait, vision, and cognition, and do not address the multifactorial nature of falls. In addition, these systems lack efficient user interfaces and feedback for preventing future falls. Recent advances in internet of things (IoT) and mobile technologies offer ample opportunities for integrating contextual information about patient behavior and environment along with physiological health data for predicting falls. This article reviews the state-of-the-art in fall detection and prediction systems. It also describes the challenges, limitations, and future directions in the design and implementation of effective fall prediction and prevention systems

Introduction to location-based mobile learning

[About the book] The report follows on from a 2-day workshop funded by the STELLAR Network of Excellence as part of their 2009 Alpine Rendez-Vous workshop series and is edited by Elizabeth Brown with a foreword from Mike Sharples. Contributors have provided examples of innovative and exciting research projects and practical applications for mobile learning in a location-sensitive setting, including the sharing of good practice and the key findings that have resulted from this work. There is also a debate about whether location-based and contextual learning results in shallower learning strategies and a section detailing the future challenges for location-based learning

Augmenting the field experience: a student-led comparison of techniques and technologies

In this study we report on our experiences of creating and running a student fieldtrip exercise which allowed students to compare a range of approaches to the design of technologies for augmenting landscape scenes. The main study site is around Keswick in the English Lake District, Cumbria, UK, an attractive upland environment popular with tourists and walkers. The aim of the exercise for the students was to assess the effectiveness of various forms of geographic information in augmenting real landscape scenes, as mediated through a range of techniques and technologies. These techniques were: computer-generated acetate overlays showing annotated wireframe views from certain key points; a custom-designed application running on a PDA; a mediascape running on the mScape software on a GPS-enabled mobile phone; Google Earth on a tablet PC; and a head-mounted in-field Virtual Reality system. Each group of students had all five techniques available to them, and were tasked with comparing them in the context of creating a visitor guide to the area centred on the field centre. Here we summarise their findings and reflect upon some of the broader research questions emerging from the project

SEMA4A: An ontology for emergency notification systems accessibility

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Expert Systems with Applications. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2009 Elsevier B.V.Providing alert communication in emergency situations is vital to reduce the number of victims. Reaching this goal is challenging due to users’ diversity: people with disabilities, elderly and children, and other vulnerable groups. Notifications are critical when an emergency scenario is going to happen (e.g. a typhoon approaching) so the ability to transmit notifications to different kind of users is a crucial feature for such systems. In this work an ontology was developed by investigating different sources: accessibility guidelines, emergency response systems, communication devices and technologies, taking into account the different abilities of people to react to different alarms (e.g. mobile phone vibration as an alarm for deafblind people). We think that the proposed ontology addresses the information needs for sharing and integrating emergency notification messages over distinct emergency response information systems providing accessibility under different conditions and for different kind of users.Ministerio de Educación y Cienci