Staying in touch and crafting mementoes

Designers of systems that attempt to support people in maintaining social connectedness should pay attention to the physical interaction characteristics of the systems they create. Systems today mostly accept the dominant computer interface configuration of screens, keyboards and mice, which are not always a good fit for settings outside the office, such as the home. We argue by reference to two design exemplars for a design philosophy that engages a broader range of people's abilities for skilled physical action when designing for social connectedness

Configuring the user as everybody: Gender and design cultures

On behalf of

Exploring enjoyability: which factors in a consumer device make the user smile?

Usability is a key concern in the design of products: is using the product easy,\ud comfortable, safe, effective, efficient, and easy to learn. However, for products with\ud an entertainment function, other requirements need to be considered as well: is the\ud interaction with the product enjoyable, engaging, ‘fun’.\ud The aim of this study was to investigate factors that should be considered when developing products that should be fun to use. Partly based on studies analysing what makes leisure activities and computer games enjoyable, a set of design heuristics was developed, which subsequently were used in the development of three devices for children. The devices can be used to control various applications, such as interactive TV and games. In an experiment these devices were tested and compared with conventional interaction devices (keyboard and mouse). The new devices appeared to be more difficult to use. But the children actually perceived this as an entertaining and nice challenge and found these devices more enjoyable to use

How diversity gets lost: Age and gender in design practices of information and communication technologies

This article adopts an intersectional approach to investigate how age, gender, and diversity are represented, silenced, or prioritized in design. Based on a comparative study of design practices of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for young girls and older people, this article describes differences and similarities in the ways in which designers tried to cope with diversity. Ultimately diversity was neglected, and the developers relied on hegemonic views of gender and age, constructed older people and young girls as an “other,” and consequently their input was neglected. These views were thus materialized in design and reinforce such views in powerful yet unobtrusive ways