Context Mapping
The context mapping was used to get more knowledge on the subject of disability and go in-depth into the specific disability of our user and wheelchair use. This was achieved by doing literary research on the topics described below and doing interviews with our participant. The topics are summarized on this pages and all the results of our research are put together into the context mapping report which can be found underneath the summaries. Based on this research a requirements list was constructed which is located at the bottom of this page.
Societal Trends
In order to design for disabled people it is important to get to know the general view on disabilities. The fact is that the definition of health is changing from the absence of disease to the acceptance and ability to adapt to these illnesses. These changes are made to help disabled people adapt and self-manage in a social environment. Furthermore, these changes also extend to healthcare. Instead of trying to cure these people they help and assist them. However these changes are not enough to shrink the gap between disabled and non-disabled people. For instance many building are not accessible for wheelchair users. This is also a problem that our participant experiences.
Assistive Technologies
Assistive technologies are products that support impaired individuals and help them to live independently. In order to design an effective product which improves the well-being of the user, certain precautions need to be taken. The best way to design such a product is with co-design. An issue that needs to be circumvented is the abandonment of the product, this is quite a big problem. To combat this issue, effective assessment is needed. A good process is matching person and technology assessment.
Human centred design
To create our product we will use the philosophy of human centred design. We will focus on the wants and needs of our participant and gather as much information to create the correct requirements for our product. We will keep our participant up-to-date on the development of the product. This could prove a challenge because of the travel distance, so a well thought-out plan needs to be constructed.
Disability of our user
Our participant cannot use his legs and is, hereby, forced to transport himself with a wheelchair. His disability stems from pre-natal asphyxia, which is the second cause of neuro-disability worldwide. Perinatal asphyxia is a lack of blood or oxygen during the birth process. It is known to result in not only mild brain damage and seizures but also motor deficits. This may cause a variety of social and mental problems. These issues might differ from case to case. For the project it means that it is necessary to limit the amount of functions that are included in the product, but it might also have other implication that should be taken into account.
Co-design
Co-design is the practice of designing a product alongside one or more stakeholders, also known as participants. This way of designing highlights the importance of the stake-holders’ needs and the usability of the product throughout the design process. For the co-design process physical models and prototypes are more effective than visuals because the participant could interact with them. Although physical products take more time to make than drawings, they could be very useful when meeting the participant for assessing the product. It is also vital that members of a design team should observe and reflect on what they have learned throughout the process of co-designing so they can make adequate decisions regarding the design.
Engaging with the practice
To be able to effectively work with our participant our team conducted several interviews – Five in total. During those interviews we discussed and explored several topics such as our participant’s likes, dislikes, routine, preferred styles and ideas. We also went over a couple of low-fidelity prototypes to figure out what kind of interface details and positioning should be included. The ideas and concepts that were developed by our team were also presented to our co-designer so that he could be directly involved and affect our decisions and final result.
The context mapping was used to get more knowledge on the subject of disability and go in-depth into the specific disability of our user and wheelchair use. This was achieved by doing literary research on the topics described below and doing interviews with our participant. The topics are summarized on this pages and all the results of our research are put together into the context mapping report which can be found underneath the summaries. Based on this research a requirements list was constructed which is located at the bottom of this page.
Societal Trends
In order to design for disabled people it is important to get to know the general view on disabilities. The fact is that the definition of health is changing from the absence of disease to the acceptance and ability to adapt to these illnesses. These changes are made to help disabled people adapt and self-manage in a social environment. Furthermore, these changes also extend to healthcare. Instead of trying to cure these people they help and assist them. However these changes are not enough to shrink the gap between disabled and non-disabled people. For instance many building are not accessible for wheelchair users. This is also a problem that our participant experiences.
Assistive Technologies
Assistive technologies are products that support impaired individuals and help them to live independently. In order to design an effective product which improves the well-being of the user, certain precautions need to be taken. The best way to design such a product is with co-design. An issue that needs to be circumvented is the abandonment of the product, this is quite a big problem. To combat this issue, effective assessment is needed. A good process is matching person and technology assessment.
Human centred design
To create our product we will use the philosophy of human centred design. We will focus on the wants and needs of our participant and gather as much information to create the correct requirements for our product. We will keep our participant up-to-date on the development of the product. This could prove a challenge because of the travel distance, so a well thought-out plan needs to be constructed.
Disability of our user
Our participant cannot use his legs and is, hereby, forced to transport himself with a wheelchair. His disability stems from pre-natal asphyxia, which is the second cause of neuro-disability worldwide. Perinatal asphyxia is a lack of blood or oxygen during the birth process. It is known to result in not only mild brain damage and seizures but also motor deficits. This may cause a variety of social and mental problems. These issues might differ from case to case. For the project it means that it is necessary to limit the amount of functions that are included in the product, but it might also have other implication that should be taken into account.
Co-design
Co-design is the practice of designing a product alongside one or more stakeholders, also known as participants. This way of designing highlights the importance of the stake-holders’ needs and the usability of the product throughout the design process. For the co-design process physical models and prototypes are more effective than visuals because the participant could interact with them. Although physical products take more time to make than drawings, they could be very useful when meeting the participant for assessing the product. It is also vital that members of a design team should observe and reflect on what they have learned throughout the process of co-designing so they can make adequate decisions regarding the design.
Engaging with the practice
To be able to effectively work with our participant our team conducted several interviews – Five in total. During those interviews we discussed and explored several topics such as our participant’s likes, dislikes, routine, preferred styles and ideas. We also went over a couple of low-fidelity prototypes to figure out what kind of interface details and positioning should be included. The ideas and concepts that were developed by our team were also presented to our co-designer so that he could be directly involved and affect our decisions and final result.
Requirements
Functional
- The product should fit our user
- The product must have an interface that could be seen by the participant
- The product must include big icons and buttons
- The product must have the option to be attached to a wheelchair
- The product should be able to attach the bar on his bed
- The product must allow the user to control the music (skip, pause, play, previous song)
Style
- The product should fit the personal style preferences of the participant
- The product must have high contrast in the parts that are often used to operate the device
- Avoid overcomplications and over-accessorising
- Do not use more than three colours in the whole design
- The product uses mainly primary colours with black and white
Technical
- The product should be rechargeable
- The battery of the product should last at least 16 hours
- The product should have a light weight and small design and not exceed the weight of 2 kg and a volume of 200mm x 200mm x 50mm
- The product should have an AUX input (to attach earphones)
- The product should be connected to other products by using WIFI/Bluetooth
- The product should be water and dirt resistant
- The buttons should give visual/audio feedback when pressed
- The product should be easy to clean from dirt and dust
- The casing should be sturdy/withstand the fall from 2m
- The product should the user allow to:
Play and pause the music; Change to the next song or go back; Adjust the volume; Turn the device on and off
- The product should give the user information on what song is playing
Wishes
- The product could include a touchscreen
- The product could provide the user with notifications from for example emails or phone calls
- Some aspects of the design language of Ferrari could be included
- The product could provide a light for the user in the dark to find his way back home or helps him find the keyhole in the door
- The product could give the user information about the weather
Functional
- The product should fit our user
- The product must have an interface that could be seen by the participant
- The product must include big icons and buttons
- The product must have the option to be attached to a wheelchair
- The product should be able to attach the bar on his bed
- The product must allow the user to control the music (skip, pause, play, previous song)
Style
- The product should fit the personal style preferences of the participant
- The product must have high contrast in the parts that are often used to operate the device
- Avoid overcomplications and over-accessorising
- Do not use more than three colours in the whole design
- The product uses mainly primary colours with black and white
- The product should fit the personal style preferences of the participant
- The product must have high contrast in the parts that are often used to operate the device
- Avoid overcomplications and over-accessorising
- Do not use more than three colours in the whole design
- The product uses mainly primary colours with black and white
Technical
- The product should be rechargeable
- The battery of the product should last at least 16 hours
- The product should have a light weight and small design and not exceed the weight of 2 kg and a volume of 200mm x 200mm x 50mm
- The product should have an AUX input (to attach earphones)
- The product should be connected to other products by using WIFI/Bluetooth
- The product should be water and dirt resistant
- The buttons should give visual/audio feedback when pressed
- The product should be easy to clean from dirt and dust
- The casing should be sturdy/withstand the fall from 2m
- The product should the user allow to:
Play and pause the music; Change to the next song or go back; Adjust the volume; Turn the device on and off
- The product should give the user information on what song is playing
Play and pause the music; Change to the next song or go back; Adjust the volume; Turn the device on and off