3132 research outputs found
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BUILDING TOGETHER: EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES TO CO-CREATE URBAN LIVING
Get PDFCo-creation is an opportunity to bring together the government, private sector, and community
stakeholders in order to build more enjoyable and inclusive urban spaces in which to live, work and play.
There are many cited benefits to inviting citizens and community members into the urban design
process: for local government, it can be a way to collect community needs and ideas and manage risks
more proactively; for private developers, it can allow them to tap directly into the market for new ideas;
and for community members, it can provide them with a sense of belonging, representation and
ownership by influencing the decisions that directly affect their health and wellbeing.
Despite these benefits, co-creation of urban living spaces with the community is still widely viewed as a
risky, emergent approach that in many cases is being practiced in a performative manner, or not at all.
While major cities in Europe and Asia have begun to pave the way for successful approaches to this
practice, North American cities have an opportunity to address the systemic barriers that currently limit
more inclusive and equitable co-creation.
Through both secondary and primary research, this paper maps out the current models and frameworks
of citizen co-creation in the context of urban planning, specifically focusing on the city of Toronto,
Canada. We identify the barriers and limitations that may currently prevent equitable and inclusive
participation from community stakeholders. Further, we propose a theory of change for how to address
these barriers and disrupt negative feedback cycles, while also putting forth five actionable strategic
interventions that will ideally help practitioners in the field contribute to enabling a shift towards more
equitable and inclusive community participation in the urban planning ecosystem
The Future for Frontline Retail Employees: Exploring the Intersection of Employee-driven Innovation and Technology Integration
Get PDFThis report explores the future for frontline employees in the retail sector, looking at how current trends specifically in technology integration may affect their role and how their opportunity for employee-driven innovation might be helped or
hindered. Through a literature review and semistructured interviews, the research team developed a deeper understanding of the challenges facing frontline employees. A stakeholder analysis, influence map, and casual layered analysis provided
system clarity. Through conducting a horizon scan, technology implementation was identified as a key driver of change. Existing and emerging trends added context. A 2x2 matrix and Dator’s Four Futures were then applied to create four unique possible futures focusing on the intersection of EDI, technology, and the role of frontline retail employees. These futures along with the insights developed through the secondary and primary research, inform recommendations to guide further exploration. We hope this work spurs conversations within the retail sector around how to better involve frontline employees as co-creators with unique perspectives and innovative ideas
Mission Focus: Supporting executive functions in VLEs and the design of inclusive user interfaces.
Get PDFVirtual learning environments (VLEs) use educational technologies to facilitate remote online learning in the absence of synchronous supervision and support. Most VLEs offer inclusive options for learners to access content at any time and to adapt content into a form suiting their interaction modes. They also facilitate online collaboration and peer communication. However, they do not fully consider the needs of pre-literate adolescents with developing executive functioning for engaging in asynchronous learning, resulting in barriers. Through an exploratory-cum-participatory research approach combined with a collaborative and iterative co-design process with the participants, this study explored and examined barriers to independent and asynchronous functions that pre-literate adolescent learners face when learning in a VLE, such as planning, focus, and setting and achieving goals (executive functions). Building on principles for user interface design, guidelines were developed to help enhance the design of VLEs to make them more inclusive of diverse executive functioning needs
Degrees of Freedom: Designing Information and Communication Technologies to Support Enhanced Agency for Blind and Partially Sighted Individuals Through Cross-Sensory Information Representation
Get PDFA significant change in working and learning environments has taken place in recent years, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The core of this shift is a steadily greater reliance on information and communication technologies (ICTs) to mediate representations of information. For blind and partially sighted individuals (BPSIs), this has been a difficult transition that has carried many inclusive and accessible design challenges along with it. This study is concerned with the limitations and compromises on BPSIs’ agency when relying on ICTs for equitable access to information relative to their sighted peers, and how designers of ICTs could responsibly use design recommendations aimed at supporting equal agency for these users. Actively shaping ICTs to be highly cross-sensory, interactive and navigable without a reliance on vision would be a step towards equal agency for BPSIs and making ICTs more inclusive. A research process was conducted comprised of functional usability testing of conventional ICT platforms (i.e. Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meets), semi-structured interviews focused on narrative exploration of BPSIs’ lived experiences with ICT use in working and learning environments, and longitudinal co-design workshops aimed at collaboratively building, testing and iterating on low-fidelity prototype ICTs. Through these activities, a suite of relevant themes were found, including the effectiveness of interactive information foraging, filtering for relevance, using different granularities of information depending on context, and navigation of the diagrammatic representations of ICTs using sensory-grounded language. Preliminary design recommendations for inclusive design of ICTs were informed by these outcomes, such as ensuring large quantities of information are curated interactively, providing appropriate choice selection relative to relevance to users’ goals and intentions, and holding organizations accountable for representation of BPSIs in decisions relating to ICT service provision. These outcomes suggest a promising future area of design research may have been articulated via these concerns for accessibility, management, navigation, and sensory-grounded representation of information
Selling Tiny Ideas: Spreading Awareness of Interactive Art Installations Through the Adaptation of Small Projects
Get PDFSelling Tiny Ideas is an ongoing study that explores the possibilities within transforming the prototype-like projects of artists into sellable products. The research study will record and investigate the process that a project may go through from developing the prototype to market research and conceptualising the procedure for potential amateur and emerging artists. The investigation takes into consideration the physical transformation of the object as well as the business perspectives of a common sellable product. With each project released into the world, new approaches to merchandising will be acquired, adding more pertinent information to the small but existing database. Specifically, the study will investigate interactive artworks as a catalyst for inspiration, but the knowledge acquired can pertain to artists of other categories. The creative outcome, Selling Tiny Ideas will be presented as three sellable products inspired by three different student-created interactive art installation projects. Overall, the thesis aims to explore new perspectives on adapting and merchandising existing installation-based artwork
Exploration of a culturally appropriate design for a Retirement Community for Muslims of South Asian origin
Get PDFThis research is an exploration of suitable environmental design elements for a retirement community for seniors of South Asian origin. Most geriatric, social and health sciences literature discusses the services needed and the problems of loneliness and social isolation faced by older adult immigrants. Currently, the existing models of living arrangements available for seniors in Canada are very generic and lack cultural accommodation. This research was the result of personal experiences with my parents’ situation as they arrived in Canada in the post-retirement stage of life. My family searched for suitable residential options and found a lack of them and scarcity of appropriate solutions for Muslim seniors of South Asian origin. Through my literature review I found four major problems faced by South Asian seniors which were: Loneliness and isolation, loss of independence and autonomy, lack of transportation, and lack of options to maintain health and wellness especially in the winter. The South Asian community is a very large and diverse community, although there are many features common between them all, I had to narrow down the scope of my research to discuss the problems faced by Muslim seniors of the community due to the restrictions of time and resources. I used three methods: a case study, discussion with a focus group, and interviews/meetings with other consultants/experts/stakeholders and family members. I found that as architectural design has become globalized in the past few decades, there are certain nuances that make spaces culturally suitable for the seniors. Seniors of ethnic populations are the most powerless, least influential, and the most forgotten segment. There is a lack of environmental design research on the needs of South Asian seniors in North America and this paper lays the groundwork to build on future research
Peepshow 2.0: Interactive Reflections
Get PDFPeepshow 2.0: Interactive Reflections is an interactive installation that investigates the relationship between spectators and performers within a digital media context.
This research focuses on the use of social media as a tool for women in Iran to express themselves, through digital performance, in ways that are not physically possible in public. The paper analyzes and contextualizes the current intersection of gender and technology in Iran through a contemporary analysis of cyberfeminism and gender-based segregation. As an artwork, the project examines the ways in which social media reflects a viewer’s actions back at them. Through the development of an interactive and responsive installation, Peepshow 2.0 invites viewers to engage in the creation of a feedback loop that reflects and mirrors their participation.
The development of this paper and interactive artwork serves as a means for me, an Iranian in diaspora, to explore and communicate the complex situation of social freedom for women in Iran
KNOWING THE PLAYER AND QUESTIONING THE GAME: CHALLENGING DIVERSITY AND REPRESENTATION IN VIDEO GAMES
Get PDFThe focus of this thesis was to conduct video game industry representation and diversity research and to clarify what can be done for future video game creation by understanding the players’ motivations and identities. Motivated by the impact that the video game industry has on the economy and its influence on education and mental health. The main goal was to analyze methods, approaches and trends in the development and design of video game projects, which have led to the growth of representation and diversity and provide a unique toolset addressing its main obstacles. The study was conducted based on official literature and secondary data. The secondary data is suitable for this kind of research due to its ongoing updates and the relevancy of the fast-paced industry. The online sources were official news articles, business e-journals, company annual reports, official professional critic reviews, customer surveys, and feedback. This theoretical framework allows for the precise illustration of the current state and perspective of the industry. The results present an overview of the whole video game industry, methods and approaches companies use for story and character creation, how the trends change, and its overall outlook for the future
Improving Legibility of User Interfaces for Low Vision Conditions with a Crowdsource Platform
Get PDFThe growing importance of inclusive design solutions has prompted this study
examining typography legibility and its impact on accessibility for users with low vision conditions. Focusing on factors such as typographic form, letter spacing, and font size, this research seeks to understand the unique demands of low vision individuals and how typography and user interface design can be adapted to improve legibility and accessibility. Previous research has provided insights into various aspects of typography legibility, but a comprehensive approach addressing the specific needs of low vision users has been lacking. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by deconstructing user interfaces (UI) and analyze the fundamental elements affecting legibility. By examining various UI elements and their relationship to text, this research offers personalized, integrated solutions for individuals to tailor websites to their unique needs.
The proposed platform differentiates itself from existing accessibility overlays (additional software that is intended to detect and address web accessibility issues on web sites) by emphasizing personalization based on individual preferences, leveraging crowdsourcing to create a variety of modification options. Although the proposal's primary focus is on low vision, it has the potential to assist a wide range of users with various needs. Despite some limitations and challenges faced during the project, this study provides insights into the factors contributing to the legibility of various typefaces, emphasizing the importance of customization to cater to specific needs. Future research should continue to explore these factors, further promoting a more inclusive approach to typography in diverse UI contexts