Factors predicting telecare devices use

Tesis Univ. Granada. Departamento de Psicología Experimental y Fisiología del Comportamiento. Leída el 18 de julio de 201

Enhancing the Usability of Telecare Devices

Demographic and sociological changes in the last 50 years have forced Western societies to create services to attend to elderly people in their homes, where they can live within familiar environments. Telecare involves a device plugged into a telephonic network that provides access to teams of professionals who can attend to the needs of the elderly in their homes. These devices have been designed according to the principles of universal design, but the great number of erroneous calls to telecare centers point to the necessity of enhancing the usability of the devices. One analysis of the cognitive functioning of elderly people showed that a possible cause of these errors could be the difficulty elderly people have when processing language. In our experiment, we tested the hypothesis that the numbers of errors could be reduced by using icons instead of words in the device interface. The results support this hypothesis

Delivery truck drivers’ work outside the cab:psychosocial discomforts and risks based on participatory video analyses

Abstract Purpose: Delivery truck drivers face various physical and psychosocial discomforts and risks in their work. Psychosocial perceptions are linked to physiological and psychological loads—strain and stress—affecting drivers throughout various mechanisms within activities and conditions. In this study, participatory video-assisted analyses were utilised for identifying psychosocially demanding work situations that delivery truck drivers encounter outside the cab. Methods: Identifications were made by the drivers from previously recorded videos of their own work in their daily work environments. In addition, other stakeholders, such as managers and designers, also identified situations. The video identification data were further processed by the researchers, showing differences between the perceptions of the drivers and stakeholders on the causal conditions and intervening conditions behind the discomfort identifications. Results: All together 99 identified situations—over half (53%) of which included a fear of causing different types of undesired events with risks of losses, such as human injuries or material damages. The results showed not only do risks and discomforts exist in demanding work situations, which seemed relevant, but they also indicated the importance of involving different stakeholders. Conclusions: This study provides a unique methodological approach, as video observations and analyses and qualitative data analysis are combined to provide more in-depth data with visualizations into risk management processes