TELSCAN project: supporting transport telematics projects

TELSCAN project: supporting transport telematics project

USERfit - Design for all methods and tools

What can we do as ergonomists to promote design for all (or at least design solutions that will include a greater number of people)? Perhaps the best answer we can offer comes from Rudyard Kipling: I have six honest serving men, they taught me all I knew. Their names are ‘What’, ‘Why’, ‘When;, ‘Where’, ‘How’ and ‘Who’ (Rudyard Kipling, The Just So Stories

What to teach? A taxonomy of Knowledge and Skills for 'Design for All' Curricula related to HCI

An EU project called IDCnet is focusing on educating the students and professionals who are learning and working in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT) to include the requirements of older and disabled people. The aim of the project is to integrate information and identify core knowledge sets and skills for model curricula in Design for All (DfA) specifically for information and communication products, systems and services. Various categories of knowledge and skills have been identified as being important to include in modules and courses with Design for All content, e.g., awareness raising, reasons for promoting Design for All, and what legislation and guidelines are important to consider. Nine categories and some suggestion of the content of courses in inclusive design for ICT are discussed, suggesting what to teach and why it is important. The paper concludes by stating that the work of IDCnet will be extended by carrying out teaching pilots, by communicating the results to Education Policy and Strategy bodies, and by inviting participation and contributions from interested and informed experts in this field

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

Tactile communication in the home environment

Communication is a crucial part of home-life. It includes interactions, both face-to-face and remotely, with others living in the household, friends/relatives and service providers. Effective communication in these, and other situations, is important to quality of life. Deafblindness has a profound impact on communication. This paper considers some of the issues that arise when using English-based tactile communication and the implications for the home environment

The ageing workforce: a case study

The aims of this study were to investigate work conditions in a warehouse of a large distribution company, and to advise on how to eliminate gaps between job demands and how work capacities for an ageing workforce may be maintained or increased. The entire warehouse team of 56 employees was involved in the study, consisting of 26 males and 30 females ranging in age from 19 to 63 years. Methods used were quantitative analysis of accident statistics, quantitative and/or qualitative analysis of human resources and administrative records, direct observation and informal consultation, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, task analysis, and postural analysis. A selection of results provides a genuine illustration of an ageing workforce, which can be applicable to a wider range of employment scenarios. The study recommends that adequate training and awareness raising are required for both employers and employees of all ages to recognise limitations, coping strategies, the advantages of flexible working practices, and safe working postures. The findings and recommendations are of direct and practical value to a range of companies, and can contribute to training schemes in age awareness for employers and employees alike

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

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

Changing what it means to be "normal": a grounded theory study of the mobility choices of people who are blind or visually impaired

Introduction: The ability to get out and about is important to social inclusion and quality of life and it is one of the most significant challenges for people who are blind or visually impaired. There has been little research into the underlying concerns of people who are blind or visually impaired when making decisions about mobility. Method: This grounded theory study explored the main mobility-related concerns of people who are blind or visually impaired. It uses qualitative data, drawn from a combination of online discussions, face-to-face, telephone and email interviews, and focus groups with people who are blind or visually impaired and rehabilitation practitioners. Results: The primary concern of people who are blind or visually impaired when making choices about where to go, and when and how to do so, was a desire to see oneself and to be seen by others as “normal”. Self-identity and perceived “normality” are subjective and changeable and are continually internally co-reconstructed to achieve congruence between them. The mobility strategies used are those that are perceived as most “normal”. Discussion: Perceived “normality” has a powerful influence on behaviour. By harnessing this, rehabilitation services may be better able to promote autonomy and self-reliance. Implications for Practitioners: To promote independence, rehabilitation services must change people’s perception of what is “normal”. People must be supported to come to perceive fulfilment of valued social roles, autonomy and self-reliance as “normal”

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