User-Centred E-Health: Engaging Users into the e-Health Design Process

Being familiar with the benefits of e-Health, Telekom Slovenia and the Faculty of Medicine from the University of Maribor along with other partners have initiated an e- Health project. In order to achieve high and effective user adoption of e-Health services, the user-centred design approach is used in the-Health project. Since broadly known conventional UCD methods and techniques are not completely appropriate for a large diversity of users, this paper describes how we have modified traditional UCD methods to support study researchers for carrying out their user studies with older adults on the example of a SOS@home service

Assisted Living Solutions for the Elderly through Interactive TV

Abstract. In this paper we are presenting application called med-reminder which will extend the functionality of existing devices providing interactive TV and help to increase the quality of life for the elderly. Med-reminder application is used for reminding people to take their medicines correctly and on time or to call a relative or medical person in an emergency situation. Since the graphical user interface was adapted for the elderly, med-reminder is easy to use without previous training. For evaluating the graphical user interface, navigation and general usability of the application, and hence identification of key aspects that increases adoption rate of assisted living applications among the target population a methodology for usability evaluation study was designed and presented in the paper

Adapted User-Centered Design: A Strategy for the Higher User Acceptance of Innovative e-Health Services

Being familiar with all the benefits of e-Health and the strategic plan for the Slovenian health sector’s informatization, Telekom Slovenia and the Faculty of Medicine from the University of Maribor, along with other partners, have initiated an e-Health project. The project group is developing various e-Health services that are based on modern ICT (information and communications technology) solutions and will be available on several screens. In order to meet the users’ needs and expectations and, consequently, achieve the high acceptance of e-Health services, the user-centered design (UCD) approach was employed in the e-Health project. However, during the research it was found that conventional UCD methods are not completely appropriate for older adults: the target population of the e-Health services. That is why the selected UCD methods were modified and adapted for older adults. The modified UCD methods used in the research study are presented in this paper. Using the results of the adapted UCD methods, a prototype for a service named MedReminder was developed. The prototype was evaluated by a group of 12 study participants. The study participants evaluated the MedReminder service as acceptable with a good potential for a high adoption rate among its target population, <em>i.e.</em>, older adults

Ambient bloom: New business, content, design and models to increase the semantic ambient media experience

Semantic ambient media are the novel trend in the world of media reaching from the pioneering subareas such as ambient advertising to the new and emerging subareas such as ambient assisted living. They will likely shape the upcoming years in terms of modeling smart environments and also media consumption and interaction. This work analyzes semantic ambient media by considering business models, content and media, interaction design and consumer experience, and methods and techniques that are important to create this new form of media. Discussion is led using the state-of-the-art event of the semantic ambient media, which is the annual international workshop on Semantic Ambient Media Experience (SAME). The study also creates a vision for how ambient media will evolve and how they will look like in the future decade. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC