Series
Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Architecture

Permanent Link
https://hdl.handle.net/1853/73247
Series Type
Degree Series
Description
Associated Organization(s)
Associated Organization(s)
Organizational Unit

Filters
2017 - 2018 2
2
2
2
2
Reset filters

Settings
search.filters.applied.f.advisor: Sanford, Jon × End date: 2019 × Start date: 2017 × search.filters.applied.f.isOrgUnitOfPublicationTitle: School of Industrial Design ×

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Development and validation of the universal design mobile interface guidelines through a mHealth application for individuals aging with multiple sclerosis
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-07-30) Kascak, Ljilja
    Similar to people who experience normal aging, mobile technologies provide great potential to support people aging with disability. However, there is a dearth of prior research on the needs and abilities of this user population. A large number of people with disabilities acquired in early or middle life are living longer. These individuals are experiencing the effects of aging earlier than others. Additionally, individuals aging with disabilities experience a combination of pre-existing impairments and age-related limitations, which often leads to a newly acquired age-related functional losses, comorbidities, and secondary age-related conditions. Although younger adults with disabilities may compensate for their impairments through the use of technologies, devices, and techniques, newly developed age-related limitations can reduce the effectiveness of these alternative approaches and reduce the quality of life (QOL). Mobile technology provides great potential to help individuals aging with disabilities to meet their needs. Nevertheless, there is a need for further research to solve the problems with access, usability, and utility to better understand the individualized preferences and support the needs of this unique population. Moreover, this imposes the need for personalized technologies that assist people aging with disabilities to adapt to the challenges of later life and to improve their QOL. Several design strategies are used to address the usability issues of desktop and mobile interfaces that are relevant for an aging population. Four of the most commonly applied strategies include Universal Design, Design for Aging, Universal Usability, and Guidelines for handheld mobile device interface design. Analysis of the guidelines suggested that none of the four strategies alone were sufficiently comprehensive and inclusive enough to meet the range and diversity of usability needs of older adults including those aging with disabilities within the environment of mobile interfaces. The purpose of this research project was to develop a comprehensive integrative universal design strategy, the Universal Design Mobile Interface Guidelines (UDMIG) for people aging with and without disabilities. The mobile health (mHealth) self-management holistic application that meets the health and wellness needs of individuals aging with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and provides personalized and customizable support, MS Assistant, was designed and evaluated. The UDMIG were validated through their application to the design of the mHealth app.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Design for behavior change: Evaluating the effect of motivational design strategies to support physical activity among older adults
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2017-10-26) Harrington, Christina Nicole
    Maintenance of health and physical well-being contribute to the overall quality of life for individuals as they age. Despite the known benefits of maintaining routine levels of physical activity, many adults aged 65 and older do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity. There has been an emergence of interactive health-related technologies in the form of mobile applications and exergame systems that encourage physical activity and other health-related behaviors through monitoring, tracking, and displaying real-time information based on a user’s actions. Many of these technologies employ principles of design for behavior change in their approach to encourage a specific behavior outcome. Although there is potential for mobile health technologies to encourage physical activity, these technologies often see low and inconsistent usage rates or quick abandonment due to lack of motivational affordance and poor design consideration. This area has yet to be studied in depth for the older adult population specifically. This dissertation research defines and evaluates inclusive motivational strategies that can be implemented in the design of mobile health technologies targeting physical activity behaviors among older adults. Through qualitative interviews, psychological constructs of physical activity were explored and analyzed for relevant motivating factors that would encourage physical activity engagement. As a result, six motivational design strategies were proposed based on identified motivators such as social influence and goal support, which have been established as effective strategies in behavioral programs. In a semi-longitudinal study, these strategies were examined for effectiveness and user acceptance by deploying mobile fitness apps that implemented these individual strategies. Thirty-nine older adults were assigned a mobile fitness app to engage with for a 10-week period where their physical activity, app usage, and attitudes towards mobile health and fitness apps were assessed. Findings from this study indicate that social influence showed trends of improving participants physical activity behaviors from baseline, but was less accepted as a motivational design strategy in its current implementation. Goal support was found to be a more desired motivational design strategy. Additionally, participants expressed the desire for a more holistic approach to health and activity tracking, incorporating such metrics as sleep, hydration, and pain management. These findings informed a set of design criteria and guidelines for effective health and fitness technologies that are not only motivationally framed but that leverage universal and inclusive design principles. The design of a potential health tracking app was designed as an immediate outcome of this dissertation research.