Analysis of perceptions of sustainable labelling according to Product Type

Sustainability labeling is commonly applied to consumer products. It is usual to find labels related to different sustainability aspects, such as environment, health or fair trade. Consumers with sustainability awareness will base their choices on how the product aligns with their values. However, consumer preferences about sustainability traits may depend on the specific type of product. To determine if perceptions on labeling about sustainable aspects differ based on product type, a study was carried out in which 73 participants chose between three versions of a same product, each version containing a sustainable label (environmental, social or related to health). Three different products for daily use were chosen: food (a milk carton), clothing (a T-shirt) and a personal hygiene product (a bottle of shampoo). For each product and aspect of sustainability, the labels were chosen among the best known. Choices had to be made around various perceptions: quality, price, sustainability, trust, willingness to pay and general choice (preference). The results show that, for some questions, the choice of the preferred sustainability aspect depends on the product. Therefore, it is concluded that the evaluation and decision criteria of sustainable labeling may vary, depending on the type of product to which it is applied

An eye-tracking study to assess the perception of usability affordances of assistive devices. An application to jar openers

Some assistive devices (ADs) aim to ease elders performing daily activities by changing postural and strength requirements. Elders usually have cognitive lacks too, making AD usability perception an important issue. Usability perceptions arise from the affordances conveyed by the AD: design features should act as signifiers transmitting opportunities of how to use the AD. This study assesses the perception of jar openers usability. Eye-tracking (ET) data from 56 subjects were used. Rendered images of 6 ADs were shown, in 2 versions: with and without rubber on the grip area. Each slide showed the 6 ADs, each AD image being an area of interest (AoI) to be tracked. The participants ranked the ADs in the next usability affordances: comfort, effort level, easiness to grip, easiness to use, lid slippery and robustness. For each affordance, they were eye-tracked while deciding the best AD, and afterwards they ranked the other ADs. The ranks were transformed into scores, and their correlation with ET parameters (decision time and number of fixations on each AoI) were studied, along with the effect of the rubber on the scores. Heat maps were also analyzed to identify the signifiers of the ADs that attract attention on usability. The results showed the potentiality of ET to study the perception of ADs usability affordances, and that the addition of rubber on the grip area of the jar openers or the material and shape of the lid area have an effect on their understanding and use

Using Sensorized Gloves and Dimensional Reduction for Hand Function Assessment of Patients with Osteoarthritis

Sensorized gloves allow the measurement of all hand kinematics that are essential for daily functionality. However, they are scarcely used by clinicians, mainly because of the difficulty of analyzing all joint angles simultaneously. This study aims to render this analysis easier in order to enable the applicability of the early detection of hand osteoarthritis (HOA) and the identification of indicators of dysfunction. Dimensional reduction was used to compare kinematics (16 angles) of HOA patients and healthy subjects while performing the tasks of the Sollerman hand function test (SHFT). Five synergies were identified by using principal component (PC) analyses, patients using less fingers arch, higher palm arching, and a more independent thumb abduction. The healthy PCs, explaining 70% of patients’ data variance, were used to transform the set of angles of both samples into five reduced variables (RVs): fingers arch, hand closure, thumb-index pinch, forced thumb opposition, and palmar arching. Significant differences between samples were identified in the ranges of movement of most of the RVs and in the median values of hand closure and thumb opposition. A discriminant function for the detection of HOA, based in RVs, is provided, with a success rate of detection higher than that of the SHFT. The temporal profiles of the RVs in two tasks were also compared, showing their potentiality as dysfunction indicators. Finally, reducing the number of sensors to only one sensor per synergy was explored through a linear regression, resulting in a mean error of 7.0◦

Toward Early and Objective Hand Osteoarthritis Detection by Using EMG during Grasps

The early and objective detection of hand pathologies is a field that still requires more research. One of the main signs of hand osteoarthritis (HOA) is joint degeneration, which causes loss of strength, among other symptoms. HOA is usually diagnosed with imaging and radiography, but the disease is in an advanced stage when HOA is observable by these methods. Some authors suggest that muscle tissue changes seem to occur before joint degeneration. We propose recording muscular activity to look for indicators of these changes that might help in early diagnosis. Muscular activity is often measured using electromyography (EMG), which consists of recording electrical muscle activity. The aim of this study is to study whether different EMG characteristics (zero crossing, wavelength, mean absolute value, muscle activity) via collection of forearm and hand EMG signals are feasible alternatives to the existing methods of detecting HOA patients’ hand function. We used surface EMG to measure the electrical activity of the dominant hand’s forearm muscles with 22 healthy subjects and 20 HOA patients performing maximum force during six representative grasp types (the most commonly used in ADLs). The EMG characteristics were used to identify discriminant functions to detect HOA. The results show that forearm muscles are significantly affected by HOA in EMG terms, with very high success rates (between 93.3% and 100%) in the discriminant analyses, which suggest that EMG can be used as a preliminary step towards confirmation with current HOA diagnostic techniques. Digit flexors during cylindrical grasp, thumb muscles during oblique palmar grasp, and wrist extensors and radial deviators during the intermediate power–precision grasp are good candidates to help detect HOA

Soft. Mueble de Baño con Lavabo Inclusivo Integrado

Treball Final de Grau en Enginyeria en Disseny Industrial i Desenvolupament de Productes. Codi: DI1048. Curs: 2016/201

Evaluación de dispositivos de asistencia para la manipulación en actividades de la vida diaria incorporando el análisis del diseño afectivo mediante Eye-Tracking

En esta tesis se ha explorado la utilidad del Eye-Tracker como herramienta de diseño afectivo, aplicada al análisis del diseño intuitivo, la funcionalidad y la usabilidad de dispositivos de asistencia para la manipulación en actividades de la vida diaria, y explorar el comportamiento de la mirada en la toma de decisiones. Como contribución principal, se ha mostrado que las métricas del Eye-Tracker permiten: (i) comparar el diseño intuitivo de diferentes modelos, con menor número de fijaciones y visitas los más intuitivos, (ii) predecir valoraciones de usabilidad, con más fijaciones y visitas los mejor valorados, y (iii) predecir comportamientos de duda en la valoración de diseños, con más movimientos sacádicos y de mayor amplitud en caso de duda. Por otra parte, se ha contribuido en identificar elementos de diseño (signifiers) que clarifican la funcionalidad y usabilidad de los dispositivos de asistencia, y que pueden ayudar al diseño de modelos más intuitivos.This thesis has explored the usefulness of the Eye-Tracker as an affective design tool. The Eye-Tracker has been applied to the analysis of the intuitive design, functionality and usability of assistive devices for manipulation in activities of daily living. Also, to explore the gaze behaviour in decision making process. As the main contribution, it has been checked that Eye-Tracker metrics allow: (i) comparing how intuitive are different designs of products, with fewer fixations and visits obtaining the most intuitive products, (ii) predicting usability product assessments, the best rated products having more fixations and visits, and (iii) predicting hesitation behaviours during product design assessment, with more and wider saccadic movements in case of hesitation. An additional contribution is the identification of design elements (signifiers) that clarify the functionality and usability of assistive devices, which can help in the design of more intuitive products.Programa de Doctorat en Tecnologies Industrials i Material

Anthropometric characterisation of palm and finger shapes to complement current glove-sizing systems

Hand length and width have traditionally been considered key metrics for glove-sizing systems. Morphological differences in palm and finger shapes should also be considered for more accurate glove fitting. In this paper, finger and palm lengths of the five hand digits of 139 subjects from a Mediterranean population were measured. Hierarchical clusters and analysis of variance were applied to identify morphological differences. Three palm shapes and three finger shapes were identified, depending on the predominance of the dimensions of the peripheral digits. It is recommended that at least three different shapes, which combine some of the most frequent cross combinations of palm and hand shapes, should be considered to complement traditional glove sizes. These results provide new insights into improving the fitting of current glove-sizing systems and, consequently, glove safety and efficiency. Relevance to industry This work classifies palm and hand shapes from metacarpal and digit lengths to improve the fitting of current glove-sizing systems and, therefore, glove safety and efficiency

The Use of New Presentation Technologies in Electronic Sales Environments and Their Influence on Product Perception

Ponència presentada a 23rd International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCII2021)New tools have appeared to improve interaction with products in online shopping: virtual reality (VR) applications, where customers are immersed in a wholly virtual environment; augmented reality (AR) applications, which allow virtual elements to be visualised in real environments; and 360° displays (360-D), which allow 3D representations to be rotated in any direction. The aim of this work is to analyse the influence of using these technologies for product presentation on the perception of different aspects of the products and also on the shopping experience, within the context of an online shopping, and compare them with traditional presentation of products through static 2D rendered images. A study has been conducted with a piece of furniture (a sideboard) and a household accessory (a gooseneck lamp). A questionnaire was developed simulating a website for selling products online, and showing the sideboard and the lamp by means of 2D images, 360-D, AR and VR techniques. The participants evaluated different aspects related to the perception of general, detailed, functional and aesthetic characteristics of the products, as well as aspects concerning the shopping experience and the use of the technologies. Results show a similar perception of product characteristics and shopping experience for the four techniques, except for the perception of details (worst for VR) and easiness of use (worst for AR and VR), with some differences depending on the type of product. In conclusion, 360-D and AR techniques are recommended for large appliances, while 360-D and 2D images are better for small ones

Perceiving Design Features in New Interaction Environments: Comparing Rendered Images, 360° Rotation, AR, Immersive and Non-Immersive VR, and Real Product Interaction

The emergence of new display technologies can change the perception of product design features and their assessment. Previous studies are limited to comparisons between a few technologies; the real product is considered only occasionally. This work compares the perceptions of 10 design features in two household products, shown by five display technologies (image rendering, 360° rotation, and augmented, immersive, and non-immersive virtual reality), and also with the real product. Results show that the 360° rotation provides the best perception for the most important features. However, the perception of aesthetic features is better achieved with i_VR. Other global results vary depending on the product. Finally, interaction with the real product shows a quite different perception for many features. The results contribute to the understanding of product perceptions influenced by different displays, comparing them with perceptions generated through real interaction. It is expected that the conclusions will be used to optimize the presentation of product features

Hand kinematics in osteoarthritis patients while performing functional activities

Purpose To identify the impact of kinematic limitations on hand osteoarthritis patients’ ability to perform daily living activities. Methods An experiment was performed on 33 patients and 32 healthy subjects. Active ranges of motion (AROM) of 16 hand joint angles were measured, together with scores of different hand tests of dexterity (Box and Block, Nine Hole Peg, Kapandji) and function (Sollerman Hand Function Test, SHFT). Functional ranges of motion (FROM) were recorded during SHFT tasks. Results by task are also reported. Results Patients’ AROM is limited in flexion of thumb carpometacarpal and interphalangeal, and finger metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints, and in palmar arch. Patients scored worse in gross dexterity and opposition, but only Kapandji score was correlated with AROM limitations. Pain is mostly reported in patients with limited extension of finger MCP and PIP joints. Patients used significantly different FROM in almost all the joints, and needed more time to accomplish the SHFT tasks. Conclusions AROM measurements can be used as indicators for early diagnosis. Patients use specific strategies to accomplish each task, arising from AROM limitations; some tasks with very extreme postures. The tasks where precision or force are required for thumb are the most affected ones. Implications for rehabilitation Active range of motion is an indicator for early hand osteoarthritis diagnosis. Patients' functional ranges are reduced, and thumb opposition and gross dexterity are hindered. Rehabilitation should focus especially on tasks requiring precision and thumb strength. Rehabilitation should favor the improvement of task completion times