3132 research outputs found
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“Experiencing and Integrating:” A standardized Interactive Interface Design for Visually-impaired people in China.
Get PDFWith the rapid development of technology, smart phone has become a major platform for people to satisfy their daily demands. In China, the majority of daily activities rely on the using of smartphone. Under such trends, visually impaired people often face great challenges. Among most existing mobile applications in China, there’s lack of the effective accessible support. Thus, it is necessary for mobile applications to updates and provide opportunities for visually impaired people. This research aims to convey a demonstration of a standard mobile application interface design with inclusive functions and provide suggestions for designers and service providers to make updates to current mobile applications, using data collected from existing research, for visually impaired people in China to enhance their using experiences in daily life
microMACRO: An Exploration of Regenerative Placemaking with local communities for transformative change
Get PDFCities are at the heart of many challenges we face
today, but the solution to these problems also lies at
the heart of the cities — the people who live in them.
Conventional understanding and applications of
urban design, placemaking, and citizen engagement
tend to fall short in addressing the complex needs
of the people and the environment they live in.
This project explores the blend of the two separate
concepts of regenerative design and placemaking,
which calls for paradigm shift in underlying
narratives, to move away from linear and reductive
interventions towards a systems-based, and
foresight-embedded approach.
The research, rooted in Toronto, engages with
current perspectives of people, the places they
exist in, the problems surrounding them and
the worldviews that drive them. The gathered
insights help frame recommendations with focus
on enhancing community engagement practices
and to further define the concept of regenerative
placemaking.
The learnings gathered provide value to the realms
of community engagement, participatory design,
and collective foresight
Menopause cultural research: A comparative study of national and diasporic Chinese menopausal women's perceptions and lived experience of menopause
Get PDFThis study compares the experience of Chinese menopausal women and diasporic Chinese women's perceptions of menopause. The researcher conducted qualitative research by collecting and analyzing experiences and perceptions, comparing the differences in women's perceptions of menopause in consideration of cultural and social factors. This study recruited five national Chinese menopausal women and three diasporic Chinese menopausal women. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with menopausal women and family members. Co-design sessions were held to establish how to bring menopause to the attention of people other than the women experiencing menopause. Based on the co-design sessions, participants opted to develop an app, that includes Western and Traditional Chinese medical knowledge, experiential discussion boards, and a space to create a support network for menopausal women. This research is built upon East Asian feminist ethnography, interpretative phenomenological research and inclusive design theory
The Blind Leading the Blind: Increasing Blind & Low-Vision Participation in Interactive Design
Get PDFThere is global concern that the migration of commerce, communications, and other services to the Internet may be marginalizing blind & low-vision individuals. Current efforts to ensure interactive accessibility are commonly based in legislating WCAG 2.0 compliance, yet there is growing evidence that this approach has limited effectiveness. Research with disabled designers has asserted that better solutions to accessibility problems will come from disabled designers themselves. There is little research on blind & low-vision individuals studying or working as Interactive Designers, and the available research is mostly through related fields such as the Computer Sciences and Web Development. In order to build on this research, an exploratory study was undertaken with blind & low-vision adults who had experience and/or interest in Interactive Design education & training. Eight individuals were interviewed and asked about the barriers they had faced, and how they would envision an ideal Interactive Design education. Reported barriers included finances & funding, finding suitable training programs, post-secondary pre-requisites, institutional readiness, hardware & software tools, teacher competence, attitudes & ideology, and ‘the burden’ of needing to constantly act as advocates for themselves, and the emotional, mental, and physical toll this takes. Participants’ input was synthesized into a series of considerations aimed at Interactive Design training program administrators, teachers, and other personnel. Further research will be necessary to test the efficacy of these considerations, as well as to better discern the degree to which the reported barriers and recommendations are exclusive to or disproportionate to Interactive Design education & training
Privatization of Public Space: Exploring the Unintentionally Exclusionary Aspects of the Commute Behavior of Subway Users (Case Study: Tehran Subway)
Get PDFThis MRP presents the results of a qualitative study designed to explore the extent to which commuters’ attitudes and behaviors inadvertently foster exclusionary practices towards other riders in Tehran Subway system. Thirteen frequent users of the subway were selected as participants and asked to keep a diary documenting their observed and practiced behaviors within subway cars over the course of two weeks. The data collected was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that subway users unconsciously and implicitly assert a sense of ownership over seats and spaces within the subway cars, leading to the privatization of public spaces. The study discusses the implications of this phenomenon on the inclusiveness of subway interiors and suggests the importance of promoting indirected citizenship behaviors rather than directed citizenship behaviors. Consequently, the MRP suggests a range of design interventions, including product, environment, service, and policy recommendations, to increase awareness and engagement in indirected citizenship behaviors on public transportation
Imagining an Equitable Mental Health Ecosystem: Co-designing with Immigrant Women to Encourage Mental Health through Nature Interaction in an Urban Context
Get PDFImmigrants currently represent a quarter of the Canadian population, and this continues to increase as more people move due to social, financial, political, and environmental causes. However, this population experiences a considerable decline in their health over time upon their arrival; thus, making immigrant health a crucial public health issue. Immigrant women in specific experience a variety of stressors including employment, family support, and cultural shock regarding gender roles, which put their mental health at high risk. Therefore, mental health inequities should be tackled by putting equity and intersectionality front and center. The wide amount of literature supporting the benefits of nature interaction on mental and physical health (Birch et al., 2020; Kotera et al. 2020; Lorentzen & Viken, 2022; Shanahan et al., 2015) makes it a promising method to support the mental health of immigrant women, as well as the overwhelmed health system. Based on the complexity of the health issue identified, this design research project aimed to use a participatory approach to gather key insights from immigrant women to acquire an understanding of the needs and potential interventions to achieve accessible nature interactions for public mental health. For this study, twenty-one immigrant women from various geographical backgrounds living across the Greater Toronto Area were recruited to participate in one-on-one interviews and two co-design sessions. These activities revealed that immigrant women indeed experience positive emotions as a result of nature interactions. However, they also experience barriers like distance, time, and lack of information that keep them from engaging with nature more often. Furthermore, their participation also uncovered key areas of concern in the immigrant experience, which contribute to a high amount of daily stress, and little to no time for self-care and emotional relief. Using systems design tools during the co-design sessions served to identify the main areas of challenge for this population across the system, as well as specific values and practices that participants would like to see across system scales. The emergent character of the design research approach used, led to the development of an Equitable Mental Health Ecosystem model (see Figure 1). This model is a service design ecosystem that could facilitate equitable mental health by providing alignment to mental health providers and major funding bodies through three sets of foundational values and practices that guarantee equitable and intentional support for a diverse population. Acknowledging the mental and social burdens behind the immigrant experience, adopting the proposed model can be life-changing to those populations that for decades, have encountered barriers in their mental health-seeking journey. In conclusion, this study approaches a complex community health topic to propose a service ecosystem model that attempts to make mental health care accessible, resilient, community-driven, sustainable, and equitable
Pill Box for Adult Daily Taking Medicines
Get PDFA large number of people in China suffer from chronic diseases and need to take medication for extended periods of time. To avoid taking medication repeatedly and incorrectly, pill boxes that have been designed to support correct usage are an essential need. This paper focuses on the user experience of pill boxes, using Norman’s three-level theoretical framework of Emotional Design as a guide. The design of my own innovative pill box and app was informed this framework as well as by an analysis of my own daily experience and behavior patterns of taking medicine, and comparisons with competing products in the market to extract design pain points and considerations. The pill box is designed in the shape of a bamboo tube and contains two parts, a timer and seven boxes, which are magnetically attached to each other. When the set time comes, the indicator and buzzer will be activated and the corresponding pill box will fall down, requiring the user to take the medicines and return it to its place. Users can manage medications, set reminders, change the status of the boxes and view medication taking records on the app. This uniquely design aims to balance utility and consistency with a playful sensibility and aesthetic to reduce stigma and encourage belonging
Learning technology while providing patient care: A grounded theory study on the experiences of nurses adopting new technology
Get PDFNurses must be prepared to adopt new technology in their role at an increasingly rapid pace. Nurses are required to have the digital skills to navigate, use, troubleshoot and adapt to new technology as part of their clinical practice. Skill and comfort level using technology, as well as nurses’ perceived value of new technology varies significantly. Training fills the skill and knowledge gap between nurses and technology to enable them to use new digital tools. This study seeks to understand the relationship between nurses, technology and training and their experiences adapting to new technology in their role. Fourteen nurses working in two major hospitals in British Columbia participated in this grounded theory research study. Participants were involved in either small focus groups, one-on-one interviews, or co-design activities to generate data regarding nurses’ experiences with technology adoption.
Concurrent data analysis was conducted throughout the data collection process, using coding methods to categorize and thematically group ideas that emerged in transcripts and field notes. The findings from the focus groups and interviews emphasize the (1) variety of skills and comfort among nurses using technology, (2) need for nurses to be able to troubleshoot technology, (3) need for time to adjust to new technology, (4) desire for hands-on training and support, and (5) relationship between patient and technology. During the co-design activities, participants prioritized training methods based on the impact and effort. Participants prioritized training methods in order of hands-on practice time, quick demonstrations while on shift, online learning at home, and finally written how-to guides.
As a result, this study proposes a theory that training for new technology should include a tangible, hands-on training aid that replicates new digital tools. The training aid must be readily available for nurses to interact with to increase their confidence and capability adopting new technology into their practice
How to Expedite the Process of Circular Built Environment in Toronto: A Systemic Approach
Get PDFThis research addresses the pressing need to reduce global emissions by 55% by 2030, as determined by recent UN evaluations, in response to the rapid temperature increase over the past five decades. The Paris Agreement was ratified with the aim of reducing global warming to below 2°C over pre-industrial levels. Toronto is striving to become a circular city through the implementation of circular economy strategies and initiatives. The aim of this research project is to gain a deeper understanding of the current state of the circular-built environment in Toronto and identify the barriers and enablers to transitioning towards circular practices. The study identifies the primary stakeholders in the built environment using the Actors Map and describes their roles and transformations, highlighting the obstacles and challenges to circularity as well as mapping them against circular strategies, approaches, and best practices. The researcher also maps circular strategies against the key stakeholders, identifies trends using STEEP-V analysis and the Three Horizons (3H) approach to examine the relationships between changes and innovations required to reach desired future outcomes. The study reveals gaps in the existing system and recommends the emergence of an abundance of trends that cover the entire range of circular practices, including those that have not yet been addressed, to bridge the divide between Toronto's circular vision and current progress