Enabling technology hand in hand with enabling practices

Mobile games are one of the technologies that can change the way people express and interact with their environment. In certain development, mobile games can also be used as medium to support the learning process. One of the main elements of mobile games is accessibility. Accessibility can be illustrated by the ease of interaction in the mobile games itself. There are not many mobile games developed for players with special needs, such as people with visual impairment. This research was conducted to develop alternative interaction design on mobile device that can be used by people with visual impairment. The development of alternative design was conducted by using participatory design approach. The participatory design approach is considered to be able to create interaction design which is appropriate with the participants wish. This study involved 10 visual impairment people as participants in the participatory design process. The final result showed that the alternative design produced were in accordance with participants desire.

Introduction: Social and healthcare organisations are facing significant challenges in rebuilding care services after the COVID-19 pandemic, which were already under pressure due to demographic changes, including ageing and chronicity of the population and increased situations of dependency. These generate an increased number of hospital admissions, and in some cases longer stays due to a lack of social support at home. Integrated health and social care systems can be at the forefront of providing a better response to these challenges, helping to maintain people’s autonomy to live in their own homes and remain independent for as long as possible. In the development of new care models, active engagement of all stakeholders, including patients and caregivers, holds pivotal significance. Their input is vital to ensure the model aligns with real-world needs and is user-friendly. Objective: The main objective of this study was to develop an innovative integrated health and social care model that incorporates home care services and technological support to enhance the transition from hospital to home for those elderly patients who lack the social support needed; with the ultimate goal to shorten hospital stays or avoid them when possible and improve patients’ wellbeing. This model was designed through a participatory design approach, involving care recipients, care providers, and all relevant stakeholders in the process to design a solution that is based on users’ needs. Methods: A participatory design approach was employed to achieve the main objective of the study. Using design thinking and citizen participation techniques, the study was distributed across 4 phases: (1) Definition of the main target groups, carepathways and pathologies to focus on for the pilot, (2) understanding of the current pathways, the social and healthcare services ecosystem, and identifying patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals’ needs (3) online and in-person co-creation activities with patients, caregivers, healthcare and social care professionals, as well as home service providers, technology experts, and decision-makers to co-create the new integrated care model and service, (4) design of the final model and service to deploy a pilot for 18 months. Results: As a result, a new integrated care service has been developed, based on users’ expertise and needs, to provide social & health home care support during the first 7-30 days post-hospital discharge. The service encompasses four main elements that constitute this holistic support: (1) Daily support from a caregiver at home, and regular home monitoring by a technical multidisciplinary team; (2) A monitoring kit for remote health tracking and identification of warning signs; (3) A personal discharge folder containing self-care and prevention content with personalised recommendations for proactive engagement in their recovery; (4) A digital platform facilitating information management, alerts, and communication among stakeholders. This innovative and integrated care approach aims to facilitate early return home, contributing to the patients’ recovery after hospitalisation while restoring autonomy and organising long-term support; ultimately enhancing patients’ well-being.

BackgroundIn response to the rise in opioid-related deaths, communities across Ontario have developed opioid or overdose response plans to address issues at the local level. Public Health Ontario (PHO) leads the Community Opioid / Overdose Capacity Building (COM-CAP) project, which aims to reduce overdose-related harms at the community level by working with communities to identify, develop, and evaluate capacity building supports for local needs around overdose planning. The ‘From Design to Action’ co-design workshop used a participatory design approach to engage communities in identifying the requirements for capacity building support.MethodsA participatory approach (co-design) provided opportunity for collaborative discussion around capacity building needs at the community level. The co-design workshop included three structured collaborative activities to 1) prioritize scenarios that illustrated various challenges associated with community overdose response planning, 2) prioritize the challenges within each scenario and 3) prioritize the supports to address each of these challenges. It was conducted with fifty-two participants involved in opioid/overdose-related response plans in Ontario. Participatory materials were informed by the results of a situational assessment (SA) data gathering process, including survey, interview, and focus group data. A voting system, including dot stickers and discussion notes, was applied to identify priority supports and delivery mechanisms.ResultsAt the workshop, key challenges and top-priority supports were identified, for development and implementation. The prioritized challenges were organized into five categories of capacity building supports addressing: 1) stigma & equity; 2) trust-based relationships, consensus building & on-going communication; 3) knowledge development & on-going access to information and data; 4) tailored strategies and plan adaptation to changing structures and local context; and 5) structural enablers and responsive governance.ConclusionUsing a participatory approach, the workshop provided an opportunity for sharing, generating, and mobilizing knowledge to address research-practice gaps at the community level for opioid response planning. The application of health design methods such as the ‘From Design to Action’ co-design workshop supports teams to gain a deeper understanding of needs for capacity building as well as illustrating the application of participatory approaches in identifying capacity building needs for complex public health issues such as the overdose crisis.

Since 2014, a growing body of critical research has pointed out flaws in smart city development. It has been described as too technology-led and business-oriented, diminishing citizens' agency and causing digital divides. As the agenda keeps spreading, there is an urgent need to develop more participatory, inclusive and bottom-up approaches to balance interests of those currently in strong power positions, such as large corporations. Participatory design (PD) and participatory approaches in general have been suggested as a remedy, but they often tend to be local, small-scale and short-term. Therefore, their impacts are often modest as well. We suggest that we need to start thinking about ways to create scalable approaches that would grow the temporal and spatial impact of actions and practices that intend to increase citizens' understanding and control over new technologies, i.e. their technological agency. Without making sure that more people have adequate knowledge and sufficient control and mastery of technologies, societal discussion and ultimately, political decisions, are left to few experts. We explore the potential of public libraries to act as an ally and cooperation partner in participatory design and technology education in general, with a significant potential to broaden micro-level actions' impact. The paper consists of a broad literature review mapping the central challenges of current smart city development; this is followed with an introduction to the Finnish library system as a democratic project; finally, we present three examples of how libraries are carrying out technological education connected to emerging technologies, particularly to 3D printing, robotics and virtual reality. Our central argument is that there is a need to bridge micro-level actions, such as those connected to participatory design projects, with the macro-level technopolitical development by collaborating with meso-level actors and networks.

BackgroundIn long-term care environments, residents who have severe mobility deficits are typically transported by having another person push the individual in a manual wheelchair. This practice is inefficient and encourages staff to hurry to complete the process, thereby setting the stage for unsafe practices. Furthermore, the time involved in assembling multiple individuals with disabilities often deters their participation in group activities.MethodsThe Wheelchair Convoy System (WCS) is being developed to allow a single caregiver to move multiple individuals without removing them from their wheelchairs. The WCS will consist of a processor, and a flexible cord linking each wheelchair to the wheelchair in front of it. A Participatory Design approach – in which several iterations of design, fabrication and evaluation are used to elicit feedback from users – was used.ResultsAn iterative cycle of development and evaluation was followed through five prototypes of the device. The third and fourth prototypes were evaluated in unmanned field trials at J. Iverson Riddle Development Center. The prototypes were used to form a convoy of three wheelchairs that successfully completed a series of navigation tasks.ConclusionA Participatory Design approach to the project allowed the design of the WCS to quickly evolve towards a viable solution. The design that emerged by the end of the fifth development cycle bore little resemblance to the initial design, but successfully met the project's design criteria. Additional development and testing is planned to further refine the system.

The article concerns the issue of equal opportunities for disabled employees as sustainable participation in the labor market in selected workplaces in Poland. Disabled people are part of society; therefore, they should not be discriminated against by exclusion and allowed to participate fully in public life. This work analyzes scientific publications and fragments of reports, which have made it possible to draw conclusions on what areas of life disabled people have problems with regarding functioning and what should be changed to improve their quality of life. The aim of the article was to analyze examples of facilities used, among others, at universities that allow disabled people to move safety and freely. The substantive scope includes reference to Polish legal regulations regarding the process of employing disabled people in a balanced labor market against the background of statistical data. The article indicates that workplace facilities for disabled people (mobile and visually impaired) have a positive impact on the functioning of the rest of society due to the elimination of architectural barriers.

Chapter 4 - The profits of CAAD can be increased by an integrated participatory design approach

Handwashing is an effective and cost-efficient health behavior for preventing infectious diseases; however, its practice is shaped by multiple contextual factors and inequalities between different social groups in Sierra Leone. To address these inequalities, participatory approaches that allow a more equitable distribution of resources and the development of locally tailored interventions are increasingly used. However, social power dynamics have not been well integrated into the concept of participation, despite their known impact. We sought to investigate the role of power dynamics in participatory approaches to handwashing in Sierra Leone. From a socio-ecological perspective, this qualitative, formative interview study aimed to identify relevant actors and their power relationships before designing a participatory handwashing project in rural Sierra Leone. A field experiment with focus groups and a research diary compared the development of power dynamics in a participatory, community-driven approach with that in a nonparticipatory top-down approach. According to our formative study, in community-based projects, multiple groups and actors interact directly or indirectly with each other, located within a macro level (eg, political institutions), meso level (eg, community leaders and groups), and micro level (eg, families) of a socio-ecological model. Although distinct leadership structures were noticeable and affected intervention attendance and processes of change in nonparticipatory approaches, community-led activities and handwashing increased in the participatory approach, irrespective of the leadership structure. Despite their ambivalence, the strategic inclusion of different community leaders appeared essential to enhance the value of the project, mobilize creative action, and empower lower-ranking individuals to practice handwashing. A similar ambivalent role could be observed in relation to external researchers, especially if they come from a different cultural background than the research participants, for example, from a Western country in a non-Western project setting. Although external researchers can initiate a project or provide certain resources, distinct expectations regarding their roles and resources can impact participatory efforts and power relations. The results highlight the advantages of participatory approaches for health promotion. Power dynamics should be a core component of continuous reflection and analysis in participatory projects.

User-centered and Participatory Design approaches have become widespread within HCI, also when designing digital media for older adults. These methodologies are seen as crucial to adapt technology design to older people's needs and increase their acceptance of digital technology. Nevertheless, it is often difficult to reach a diverse group of older people, for instance, people with limited technology skills, limited mobility, or cognitive issues. In addition, gerontologists criticized lately how older people's participation unfolds in technology design projects, e.g. that people are pushed into the role of users. Little is known about the motivations and needs of older adults regarding their participation in HCI research. To close this gap, we conducted an online survey (N=46) and semi-structured interviews (N=8) focusing on motivations, willingness and experiences regarding participation. Results show that people are generally willing to participate due to interest in the topic, learning new things and social bonding. However, despite the conceptions within HCI that long-term engagement is crucial within participatory design, older people in the study preferred less commitment and more open formats.

Using a participatory design approach for co-creating culturally situated STEM enrichment activities

BackgroundTen million parents provide unpaid care to children living with chronic conditions, such as asthma, and a high percentage of these parents are in marginalized communities, including racial and ethnic minority and low-income families. There is an urgent need to develop technology-enabled tailored solutions to support the self-care needs of these parents.ObjectiveThis study aimed to use a participatory design approach to describe and compare Latino and non-Latino parents’ current self-care practices, needs, and technology preferences when caring for children with asthma in marginalized communities.MethodsThe participatory design approach was used to actively engage intended users in the design process and empower them to identify needs and generate design ideas to meet those needs.ResultsThirteen stakeholders participated in three design sessions. We described Latino and non-Latino parents’ similarities in self-care practices and cultural-specific preferences. When coming up with ideas of technologies for self-care, non-Latino parents focused on improving caregiving stress through journaling, daily affirmations, and tracking feelings, while Latino parents focused more on relaxation and entertainment.ConclusionsConsiderations need to be taken beyond language differences when developing technology-enabled interventions for diverse populations. The community partnership approach strengthened the study’s inclusive design.

For more than a decade, quality development in the Danish health care sector has been managed with an accreditation system known as the Danish quality model (DQM), shaping the strategy for how to align work organization with technology use. In this article, we introduce a participatory design approach, known as effects-driven information technology development (EDIT), and discuss how this approach may contribute to a new quality-assurance program for the Danish health care sector. Our purpose is to demonstrate how accreditation, which focuses on processes and standards, needs to be supplemented and balanced with participatory approaches that allow for local experimentation and implementation of high-quality outcomes. We describe accreditation and participatory design as two approaches to reconfiguring and aligning work organization and technology; further, we emphasize the differences in each approach’s strategy and application.

Healthcare spaces are often massive in scale and constantly under renovation, which may cause disorientation and, therefore, high levels of anxiety and stress for first-time visitors. In China, many hospitals lack a good wayfinding system: directions are often given verbally by hospital staff and healthcare seekers are often unsure when they have arrived at their destination. Designers are under pressure to develop a sustainable wayfinding system that takes users’ needs into consideration. To tackle this issue, participatory design (PD) was applied in the Shanghai Oncology Hospital (SOH), China. For this project, a diverse group of stakeholders, who are often excluded from the process of designing solutions in healthcare, were recruited. Through this project, new insights into the Participatory Design approach were generated that can be applied to future wayfinding projects within the Chinese healthcare industry.

Background: There are 4.9 million English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States. Only 2% of educators are trained to support these vulnerable students. Social robots show promise for language acquisition and may provide valuable support for students, especially as we return to needing smaller classes due to COVID-19. While cultural responsiveness increases gains for ELLs, little is known about the design of culturally responsive child–robot interactions. Method: Therefore, using a participatory design approach, we conducted an exploratory study with 24 Spanish-speaking ELLs at a Pacific Northwest elementary school. As cultural informants, students participated in a 15-min, robot-led, small group story discussion followed by a post-interaction feedback session. We then conducted reflexive critiques with six ELL teachers who reviewed the group interactions to provide further interpretation on design feature possibilities and potential interactions with the robot. Results: Students found the social robot engaging, but many were hesitant to converse with the robot. During post-interaction dialogue students articulated the specific ways in which the social robot appearance and behavior could be modified to help them feel more comfortable. Teachers postulated that the social robot could be designed to engage students in peer-to-peer conversations. Teachers also recognized the ELLs verbosity when discussing their experiences with the robot and suggested such interactions could stimulate responsiveness from students. Conclusion: Cultural responsiveness is a key component to successful education in ELLs. However, integrating appropriate, cultural responsiveness into robot interactions may require participants as cultural informants to ensure the robot behaviors and interactions are situated in that educational community. Utilizing a participatory approach to engage ELLs in design decisions for social robots is a promising way to gather culturally responsive requirements to inform successful child–robot interactions.

Simple SummaryCompounding pre-existing diverse vulnerabilities, pet owners living with (dis)abilities are expected to confront more challenges than their peers without (dis)abilities. However, there is a paucity of literature investigating COVID-19-specific impacts on access to veterinary medical and behavioral services from the lens of persons with (dis)abilities (PWDs). Through semi-structured in-depth interviews, this study highlights PWDs’ difficulties, three-fold: (1) COVID-19 has worsened PWDs’ already precarious financial capacity to pay for veterinary services, (2) existing assistance and support programs do not effectively address PWDs’ unique requirements to support their companion animals’ health needs, and (3) public health protocols triggered public transportation challenges for PWDs who must now also adapt to complicated curbside services. Building PWD-driven social assistance and support programs would help reduce these challenges and promote health and well-being for both PWDs and their companion animals.The research aims to explore COVID-19 health and safety protocol impacts on companion animal guardians living with (dis)abilities relating to veterinary medical and behavioral service access. The COVID-19 global public health crisis has impacted almost all international communities; however, vulnerable and marginalized groups have been disproportionately affected. Within the human–companion animal domain, COVID-19-driven societal impacts (e.g., social, health, and economic) not only boomed with new companion animal guardians, but also negatively influenced guardians’ access to veterinary services. Although studies have examined guardian-related COVID-19-specific challenges, there is a paucity of concentration on vulnerable populations, such as persons with disabilities (PWDs). Responding to this research deficit, this study recruited twelve companion animal guardians to participate in semi-structured in-depth interviews, and eight (67%) of the twelve participants self-identified as PWDs. From a PWD perspective, this research reveals three pandemic-triggered primary barriers, preventing PWDs from pursuing veterinary services: (1) service affordability, (2) assistance program feasibility, and (3) veterinary service accessibility. This article argues that PWD-driven approaches could improve existing assistance and support programs to address PWDs’ unique requirements, promoting a healthy human–animal bond.