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Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Architecture
Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Architecture
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ItemDevelopment and evaluation of a design tool for occupational therapists to facilitate co-design of assistive technology with designers(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-05-05) Lee, Su JinDevelopment of effective assistive technology (AT) for individuals for disabilities necessitates close collaboration between occupational therapists (OTs) and designers. Currently, their successful collaboration is hampered by absence of a common language; as a result, clinical insight necessary for creating effective AT are poorly integrated into the design process. This problem can be attributed, in large part, to OTs’ inability to communicate with designers in design-actionable language. For successful ATs to be developed, OTs must be able to translate their clinical understanding of task-performance deficits into task-relevant design attributes that are necessary for designers to make informed design decisions. To enhance OT’s ability to communicate their expertise to designers and, therefore, be a better co-design partner in the co-design process, the aims of this dissertation were to: 1) develop the Dyadic Transfer Performance Instrument (DTPI), a tool designed to help OTs articulate, in design-relevant terms, clinical knowledge pertinent to designing AT interventions for caregiver-assisted transfers, 2) Conduct co-design workshops to engage OTs and designers to i) identify task-related problems with transfers from a pre-recorded video; ii) generate concepts for AT solutions, with and without DTPI, for a real-life case (based on a caregiving dyad experiencing transfer performance difficulties), and 3) Evaluate the usefulness of the DTPI, as measured by the extent to which its use: 1) increases OT’s active engagement in the co-design process; 2) increases OT’s use of design-relevant terms, and 3) improves the experience of participants during the co-design process. The primary output of this dissertation is a tool that empowers OTs to be co-equals in the co-design process, a pre-requisite for co-design teams to create more informative design criteria grounded in task-relevant design characteristics. The DTPI consists of several features: 1) a tag function that allow users to analyze environmental interactions during performance at fine-gained task levels, 2) prompts that facilitate consideration of all relevant design characteristics and attributes, and 3) compilation of data to easily visualize results in a way that supports generating design insights. Analysis of the co-design workshops indicate that the DTPI helps OTs to anchor their clinical assessments in more design relevant terms, increase the efficiency at which their assessments are communicated to designers, and increase their proactive contribution in the brainstorming phase of the co-design process. This project has several short- and long-term outcomes. Most immediately, it demonstrates the feasibility of a tool-mediated co-design method to foster more effective collaboration between OTs and designers. Adoption of more effective co-design methods will, over time, result in more effective AT solutions for transfer performance for which there are persisting unmet needs. Further, more effective AT solutions will improve transfer performance, thus enabling individuals aging with disability to remain at home longer, as well as reduce the physical strain on caregivers.
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ItemDevelopment 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, LjiljaSimilar 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.
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ItemDesign 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 NicoleMaintenance 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.
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ItemDesigning for diverse users - a case study on touchscreen smartphone customization(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012-04-03) Haberman, VickiThe touchscreen smartphone platform is inherently flexible, giving it the potential to meet the needs and desires of individuals diverse in age and ability. Despite universal design research efforts providing industry with guidance to address this opportunity, current designs fall short. The disconnect stems from differing priorities in design and development and opposing approaches to defining and grouping the user population. The research presented in this dissertation aims to remove these issues from the process of discovering touchscreen smartphone design opportunities. It focuses on users' prior and desired customizations rather than ability- or market-factors. Data were collected on participants' devices' out-of-the-box, current and desired device states along with related stories about their actual and desired device modifications. Template and image analyses identified patterns in the data, which also revealed an underlying structure for organizing and presenting participants' needs and desires associated with smartphone touchscreen customizations. The needs and desires suggest opportunities for industry to shift towards universal design. The structure offers an approach to addressing the gaps between the ability-centered and market-driven approaches to the design of consumer technology.