65 research outputs found

    “Smart home system is like a mother”: The potential and risks of using product metaphors to influence consumers’ comprehension of really new products

    Get PDF
    Driven by innovative technology, really new products (RNPs) incorporate new functions that provide significant benefits for consumers. But consumers often experience difficulty understanding RNPs, which hinders consumers’ further adoption. To facilitate consumers’ comprehension, the use of product metaphors in RNPs is a promising strategy because it relates a target RNP to a source product/concept familiar to consumers. By using knowledge from the familiar source, consumers could gain better comprehension of the RNP. However, product metaphors can also carry risks that hinder consumers’ comprehension of RNPs, such as consumers’ misidentification of the source and consumer’ inability to use the relevant knowledge to comprehend RNPs. This research investigates the potential and risks of using product metaphors in RNPs through a mixed-methods approach. Specifically, an experiment and in-depth interviews were conducted to examine the effects of product metaphors on consumers’ comprehension. Results revealed that consumers encounter difficulty in detecting the similarities between source concepts/products and target RNPs due to which product metaphors may not necessarily enhance consumers’ comprehension. Accompanying a product metaphor with a textual clue can help consumers to detect the similarities between source concepts/products and target RNPs, leading to enhanced consumers’ comprehension. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. <br

    Transparency in product design: investigating design intentions and consumers’ interpretations

    Get PDF
    Transparency is used in product design across various product categories. Because of the physical property of letting light go through, transparency can create unique visual styles. Transparency can also communicate additional information as a result of what is situated underneath the product cover, which prompts different consumers’ interpretations. To support designers to use transparency effectively, this research aims to explore the use of transparency in product design to provide an overview of the design intentions of using transparency. Specifically, two studies were conducted. In Study 1, in-depth interviews with experienced designers (N = 6) were conducted and the results revealed the overview of the following five design intentions of using transparency in product design: enrich visual appeal, enrich product experience, improve product usability, facilitate consumers’ comprehension and demonstrate product functionality. The overview was further validated through consumer interviews (N = 13) in Study 2

    Longitudinal evaluation of cognitive functioning in young children with type 1 diabetes over 18 months

    Get PDF
    OBJECTIVE: Decrements in cognitive function may already be evident in young children with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Here we report prospectively acquired cognitive results over 18 months in a large cohort of young children with and without T1D. METHODS: 144 children with T1D (mean HbA1c: 7.9%) and 70 age-matched healthy controls (mean age both groups 8.5 years; median diabetes duration 3.9 yrs; mean age of onset 4.1 yrs) underwent neuropsychological testing at baseline and after 18-months of follow-up. We hypothesized that group differences observed at baseline would be more pronounced after 18 months, particularly in those T1D patients with greatest exposure to glycemic extremes. RESULTS: Cognitive domain scores did not differ between groups at the 18 month testing session and did not change differently between groups over the follow-up period. However, within the T1D group, a history of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) was correlated with lower Verbal IQ and greater hyperglycemia exposure (HbA1c area under the curve) was inversely correlated to executive functions test performance. In addition, those with a history of both types of exposure performed most poorly on measures of executive function. CONCLUSIONS: The subtle cognitive differences between T1D children and nondiabetic controls observed at baseline were not observed 18 months later. Within the T1D group, as at baseline, relationships between cognition (VIQ and executive functions) and glycemic variables (chronic hyperglycemia and DKA history) were evident. Continued longitudinal study of this T1D cohort and their carefully matched healthy comparison group is planned

    Predictors of Lost to Follow-Up among Children with Type 2 Diabetes

    Get PDF
    Background/Aims: Youth with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have poor compliance with medical care. This study aimed to determine which demographic and clinical factors differ between youth with T2D who receive care in a pediatric diabetes center versus youth lost to follow-up for >18 months. Methods: Data were analyzed from 496 subjects in the Pe­diatric Diabetes Consortium registry. Enrollment variables were selected a priori and analyzed with univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. Results: After a median of 1.3 years from enrollment, 55% of patients were lost to follow-up. The final model included age, race/ethnicity, parent education, and estimated distance to study site. The odds ratio (99% confidence interval) of loss to follow-up was 2.87 (1.34, 6.16) for those aged 15 to <18 years versus those aged 10 to <13 years and 6.57 (2.67, 16.15) for those aged ≥18 years versus those aged 10 to <13 years. Among patients living more than 50 miles from the clinic, the odds ra tio of loss to follow-up was 3.11 (1.14, 8.49) versus those living within 5 miles of the site. Conclusion: Older adolescents with T2D are more likely to be lost to follow-up, but other socioeconomic factors were not significant predictors of clinic follow-up

    Cognitive functioning in young children with type 1 diabetes

    Get PDF
    OBJECTIVE: To assess cognitive functioning in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and examine whether glycemic history influences cognitive function. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Neuropsychological evaluation of 216 children (healthy controls, n = 72; T1D, n = 144) ages 4-10yrs across five DirecNet sites. Cognitive domains included IQ, Executive Functions, Learning and Memory, and Processing Speed. Behavioral, mood, parental IQ data and T1D glycemic history since diagnosis were collected. RESULTS: The cohorts did not differ in age, gender or parent IQ. Median T1D duration was 2.5yrs and average onset age was 4yrs. After covarying age, gender, and parental IQ, the IQ and the Executive Functions domain scores trended lower (both p = .02, not statistically significant adjusting for multiple comparisons) with T1D relative to controls. Children with T1D were rated by parents as having more depressive and somatic symptoms (p < 0.001). Learning and memory (p = 0.46) and processing speed (p = 0.25) were similar. Trends in the data supported that the degree of hyperglycemia was associated with Executive Functions, and to a lesser extent, Child IQ and Learning and Memory. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in cognition are subtle in young children with T1D within 2 years of onset. Longitudinal evaluations will help determine whether these findings change or become more pronounced with time

    Closed-loop basal insulin delivery over 36 hours in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: randomized clinical trial.

    Get PDF
    OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the safety and efficacy of closed-loop basal insulin delivery during sleep and after regular meals and unannounced periods of exercise. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Twelve adolescents with type 1 diabetes (five males; mean age 15.0 [SD 1.4] years; HbA1c 7.9 [0.7]%; BMI 21.4 [2.6] kg/m(2)) were studied at a clinical research facility on two occasions and received, in random order, either closed-loop basal insulin delivery or conventional pump therapy for 36 h. During closed-loop insulin delivery, pump basal rates were adjusted every 15 min according to a model predictive control algorithm informed by subcutaneous sensor glucose levels. During control visits, subjects' standard infusion rates were applied. Prandial insulin boluses were given before main meals (50-80 g carbohydrates) but not before snacks (15-30 g carbohydrates). Subjects undertook moderate-intensity exercise, not announced to the algorithm, on a stationary bicycle at a 140 bpm heart rate in the morning (40 min) and afternoon (20 min). Primary outcome was time when plasma glucose was in the target range (71-180 mg/dL). RESULTS: Closed-loop basal insulin delivery increased percentage time when glucose was in the target range (median 84% [interquartile range 78-88%] vs. 49% [26-79%], P = 0.02) and reduced mean plasma glucose levels (128 [19] vs. 165 [55] mg/dL, P = 0.02). Plasma glucose levels were in the target range 100% of the time on 17 of 24 nights during closed-loop insulin delivery. Hypoglycemia occurred on 10 occasions during control visits and 9 occasions during closed-loop delivery (5 episodes were exercise related, and 4 occurred within 2.5 h of prandial bolus). CONCLUSIONS: Day-and-night closed-loop basal insulin delivery can improve glucose control in adolescents. However, unannounced moderate-intensity exercise and excessive prandial boluses pose challenges to hypoglycemia-free closed-loop basal insulin delivery
    corecore