Generating and translating context capability data to support the implementation of inclusive design within industry

The research detailed within this thesis was undertaken in response to: 1) the ageing population; 2) a lack of older adult context (real world) capability data; and 3) the need for inclusive design within commercial design practice in order to minimise exclusion with everyday products. The principal aim of this programme of research was to generate older adult context capability data and translate it into a suitable form that will support the implementation of inclusive design within industry. This aim was achieved through reviewing environmental context of use (Chapter 2), conducting two empirical studies: Study 1 (Chapter 4) investigated the impact of an everyday cold temperature (5°C) on older adults dexterity (fine finger dexterity, power and pinch grip); and Study 2 (Chapter 5) investigated the impact of everyday ambient illumination levels (overcast, in-house and street lighting) and contrast on older adults visual acuity. The capability data gathered from these studies were then translated into a suitable form for designers in order to support the implementation of inclusive design within industry; this was achieved through following a Human Centred Design process which involved multiple iterative and evaluative stages. The findings from this thesis make several contributions to the area of inclusive design: A framework that brings together a number of environmental contextual factors which can impact on product interaction; Knowledge and understanding of how to collect and analyse original context capability data from older adults; Capability data which quantifies the impact of everyday environmental conditions on older adults product interaction capabilities; Knowledge and understanding of how to translate capability data into a suitable form to facilitate inclusive design; An interactive data tool (Context Calculator) that will aid designers in the design and development of inclusive everyday products

Designing inclusive products for everyday environments: the effects of everyday cold temperatures on older adults' dexterity

This paper focuses on the effect an everyday cold temperature (5°C) can have on older adults (+65 years) dexterous capabilities and the implications for design. Fine finger capability, power and pinch grip were measured using objective performance measures. Ability to perform tasks using a mobile phone, stylus, touch screen and garden secateurs were also measured. All measures were performed in a climatic cold chamber regulated at 5°C and in a thermo-neutral environment regulated between 19°C-24°C. Participants were exposed to the cold for a maximum of 40 minutes. Results from the study showed that older adult’s fine finger dexterity, ability to pick-up and place objects and ability to use a mobile phone was significantly (p<0.05) affected by an everyday cold temperature of 5°C when compared to performance in the thermo-neutral environment. However, power and pinch grip strength and ability to use the gardening secateurs was not significantly affected by the cold. Based these findings, the following guidance is offered to designers developing products that are likely to be used outside in an everyday cold environment: 1) Minimise the number of product interactions that require precise fine finger movements; 2) Try to avoid small controls that have to be pressed in a sequence; 3) Maximise the number of product interactions that can be operated through either exerting a gripping action (power or pinch grip) or by gross hand and arm movements

The importance of context in inclusive design

Capability data used in current inclusive design tools fail to take into account context of use. Two experiments were conducted with older users to determine what effect the physical environment has on two essential product interaction capabilities (vision and dexterity). For vision (n1 = 38) everyday lighting levels were investigated, and for dexterity (n2 = 14) warm (19°C-24°C) and cold temperatures (5°C) were investigated. Results from the vision study showed that when the lighting level decreased from daylight to street lighting, there was a decrease of up to 44% in the number of participants able to correctly read particular rows of letters. Findings from the dexterity study indicated that fine finger dexterity is significantly reduced (p<0.05) when exposed to average winter temperatures (5°C). Failure to consider the capabilities of users in these everyday contexts of use could result in products excluding or causing difficulties to those intended to be included

Designing for people that are WELL old

In the UK, inclusion is an important topic on different social levels and the need for change in government, education and industry to reduce social exclusion is recognised. Despite a range of datasets and methods having been created to help minimise exclusion, the topic of inclusion and, in particular, inclusive design is not yet covered in education i.e. the Design and Technology curriculum. Engaging school pupils with the topic has the greatest potential to bring about long-term change towards a more inclusive society. This paper reports on the outcomes of several design workshops on inclusivity. The workshops were aimed at, and conducted with, key stage 3 and key stage 4 pupils. The overall aim of the workshop was to establish the impact that current inclusive design methods have on the mindset of the pupils. The methods used in the workshop included impairment simulators and case studies. An assessment at the beginning and end of the workshop evaluated changes in attitude. A total of 10 workshops were conducted with over 150 pupils. It was found that such methods do provide insights that result in solutions that address inclusive issues. This paper concludes with the view that inclusive design methods can impact and change the mindsets of pupils as young as 11 years old. However, if a truly inclusive society is to be achieved, there is a need to instigate change in the overall national design ethos i.e. focusing more on principles than practice and preventing the immediate leap to solutions rather than identifying the true nature of the problems

Now you see it, now you don’t

This paper details a study that was conducted to determine the effect physical context of use, e.g. daily lighting levels and contrast, has on perception. The study was undertaken to further develop inclusive design analytical tools that assess the characteristics of a product against the capabilities of users. A total of four lighting levels were tested (equivalent to street lighting, in-house lighting, optimum and daylight), and four contrast levels (90%, 50%, 25% and 10% contrast). A random proportionate sample of adults aged 65 years and older was drawn from the population (N = 38, age range 65-87 years, mean age 74). The experiment revealed daily lighting levels to have a noticeable affect on visual acuity. Results showed that by increasing the lighting level from street lighting to optimum, there was an increase of up to 44% in the number of participants able to correctly read particular rows of letters. In 73% of cases the number of people able to correctly read each letter size decreased when its contrast was reduced. With certain letter sizes up to 50% more people were able to read letters at 90% compared to 10% contrast. Future work is being planned to see how these results relate to the general population and everyday products

Comprehension test on lighter symbols uk report

The Ergonomics and Safety Research Institute (ESRI) were commissioned by the LNE to carryout a UK comprehension test on symbols for lighters. The work, commissioned by LNE, is at the request of the European Federation of Lighters. The comprehension tests were carried out in accordance with the methodology in ISO 9186: 2001 Graphical symbols – Test methods for judged comprehensibility and for comprehension

Translating inclusive capability data for designers

In 2009, the UK government launched a new strategy called ‘Building a society for all ages: a choice for older people’. One of the major challenges outlined in this strategy document is for old age to no longer be a time of dependency and exclusion. In relation to product design, accurate and relevant capability data is essential in helping designers overcome this challenge. However, there is a large and growing body of literature that suggests current capability datasets provide little if any assistance to designers in helping them reduce dependency and exclusion. This paper reports on the process of translating visual capability data into a usable form for designers. It details the need to consider inclusion data as opposed to exclusion data and how capability data can be converted into inclusion percentages using zscores. The paper also reports on the findings of a design research workshop where 3 data concepts were trialed. Findings suggest that the aesthetics/semantics of a dataset may be one of the key factors that contribute to its use by designers in industry. Also, one of the factors to emerge from this research is the importance of explaining the context of the data and the issues surrounding it

Packaging : a box of delights or a can of worms? The contribution of ergonomics to the usability, safety and semantics of packaging

Product packaging offers manufacturers tremendous opportunities to satisfy the needs of the various stakeholders in the products’ lifecycle. It can obviously protect during distribution, advertise the contents of the pack, ensure sterility and prevent tampering and inform the end user how to make use of the contents and dispose of or recycle the packaging itself. Package characteristics can also help shape buyers’ impressions at the time of purchase and during use. In recent years buyers have shown a willingness to pay more for improved packaging, but there are limits. (Dibb & Simpkin et al, 1997) Unfortunately research shows that there is also a darker side to packaging and that there are a large number of injuries either caused by, or directly associated with, packaging. It is a socially unacceptable fact that some 49,000 UK consumers need hospital treatment from injuries through opening grocery packaging each year

Have I just pressed something? The effects of everyday cold temperatures on dexterity

This paper details work on the effect of physical context of use on inclusive product interaction. Context of use refers to a set of circumstances which relate to the Users, Tasks, Equipment/Tools and Environment (both Physical and Social) (ISO, 1997). In particular, the physical context of use refers to factors such as lighting levels, temperature, weather conditions, vibration, noise, the built environment, etc. Consideration of the context of use is an integral, although sometimes implicit, part of any product design process. When a mismatch between context and a product occurs, it is unlikely that the benefits of a product will be realised (Maguire, 2001). Recent evidence suggests context of use can have a multi-faceted impact on product use (e.g. increasing or decreasing user capability and/or increasing product demand) particularly with older adults who have significantly reduced capability due to their age (Elton et al, 2008). Specifically, it is the physical environment that significantly affects capability. The vast majority of product interactions make demands on the visual and dexterous (arm, hand and finger) capabilities of the user. Whilst other capabilities are also used, it is these that are most common. Several studies (Riley and Cochran, 1984; Havenith et al, 1995; Boyce, 2003) have reported the effect of the physical environment on vision and dexterity. However, such studies focus on the body’s physiological response to such conditions and generally investigate extremes, e.g. freezing temperatures. Whilst these studies indicate the extent to which the physical environment can affect capability, they have very little relevance to everyday scenarios where products are used. Previous research investigated the effect of everyday lighting levels on visual capabilities (Elton and Nicolle, 2009). This paper reports the findings from a pilot study that investigated the effect of an everyday winter temperature on dexterity and how this can affect product interaction

Revision of body size criteria in standards - protecting people who work at height

The Ergonomics and Safety Research Institute was commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive to consider whether the body size criteria in standards which are used to test Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) safety needed revision. Currently, the PPE for workers at height is tested using a mass of 100 kg (BS EN 361: 2002), this being the minimum chosen weight to test this equipment. The 100kg mass represents the 95%ile weight of the UK adult population; this weight has also been used to represent the working at height population. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many people who work at height do not fall within the normal size distribution of UK adults on which the 100 kg was based on. The main aims of this research were to determine the actual weight distribution of individuals who work at height, also to collect basic anthropometric and demographic data, to establish whether the current relevant design standards are sufficient A total of 589 people who worked at height comprised the sample; 15 body measurements as well as demographic data were taken from each participant. Two additional dimensions were calculated (Weight of Equipment and Working Weight), to provide information on how much equipment people were carrying while working at height and to determine the total weight of the worker if they were to fall from height. Clothed Body Mass Index was also calculated for participants. Workers were allocated to one of 10 industry categories for more detailed analysis of the data. The re-sampling technique of bootstrapping was used on these data, as it provides distributions and confidence limits for any statistic. Bootstrapped confidence intervals for the 99th and 95th percentiles are given for Weight and for Working Weight. Results show that the current figure of 100 kg significantly underestimates the actual 95th percentile for workers Weight Without Equipment. It is likely (95% confidence) that the interval 112.3 kg 118.4 kg covers the true value of the 95th percentile for Weight Without Equipment and the interval 116.2 kg 122.0 kg covers the true value of the 95th percentile for Working Weight. Results also suggest that the torso dummy currently specified in BS EN 364: 1993 generally under-represents the size of people who work at height. Data that could be used in the design of a full bodied dummy or safety nets to prevent limb penetrations are presented