Designing Tools Useful for People with Brain Injury: The Latest

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Designing Tools Useful for People with Brain
InjuryThe Latest Greatest

• McKay Moore Sohlberg, Ph.D.
• University of Oregon

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Sample Current Projects Involving the Development
of Tools

• Email tools
• Simple email program
• Help system
• Navigation tools
• A device to give directions
• A reminder bag

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Designing effective tools FOR people with
cognitive impairments means

• You must design the tools in partnership WITH the
  individuals who will be using the tools

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Participatory Action ResearchThe partnership
research model

• The people who stand to benefit should be
  involved at all stages of the research (defining
  the problem, the research methods, analysis etc.)
• The research should have some direct positive
  benefits to the people who are being studied
• Knowledge is more socially usable when it is
  produced together

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The Research ProcessInitial Steps

• Human Subjects Protection
• People must understand exactly what they are
  agreeing to do
• They must understand their participation is
  voluntary
• They must understand that they can withdraw
  without penalty or feeling uncomfortable at
  anytime

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The Research Development Process Initial Steps

• Focus Groups
• Surveys

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Focus Group Example
Group of Participants Descriptions Location
1 8 People living _at_ assisted facility Big city
2 10 Family, care providers Rural town
3 12 Bus drivers Mid sized town
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Research DevelopmentThe next steps

• Prototype design
• Initial pilot

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Initial Pilot Studies

• Development of
• Sample tools
• (Prototype)

• Testing out with real people in real environments

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Longitudinal Trials

• Evaluate the use of tool in real environments
  over a long period of time

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Longitudinal data from a participant using our
email tool
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The GO DeviceA Sample Research Project

• Survey Focus Group
• Prototype Development
• Pilot Testing

www.go-outside.org/
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Go DeviceSurveys Focus Groups Helped

• Identify barriers to navigating in the community
  when people have memory impairments
• Identify possible solutions
• Solicit feedback on potential device ideas

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Sample Results for Questions on Transportation
Challenges

• Fear of getting lost
• Forgetting purpose of trip
• Getting lost in community
• Getting lost in large buildings
• Expense of taxi
• Hard to ask friends for rides

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Initial research steps Navigational profiles of
real people in real environments

• Number and types of destinations traveled by one
  of the participants over a 4 month period

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Developing NavigationalWish Lists
Participants Navigational Wishes
Participant A Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, Go out more often with other people
Participant B Familys house, A volunteer job, YMCA, Movie theater, Sightseeing, Festivals
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Developed a Prototype Tool
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Prototype Tool
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Prototype Tool
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The Research Questions

• Which mode of directions will result in the most
  efficient/accurate ability to navigate in the
  community?
• Auditory (earpiece) directions
• Point of view map showing each step
• Text (written) step by step directions
• Aerial map (from above) showing each direction

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Preliminary Results

• Auditory mode of giving directions seems to be
  the most helpful

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Next steps

• Determine the best wording for directions to
  use in the auditory mode
• Hypothesis Use of Landmarks will be more helpful
  than non-landmark cues

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Next steps

• Develop tools that can be used in combination
  with the GO Device to help people navigate
• We learned that one of the main barriers was
  getting out the doorso we are working on The
  Travel Bag

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The Travel Bag
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The Travel Bag
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Research Process for the Travel Bag

• Survey/Focus Groups
• Pilot Work
• Prototype Development
• More Pilot Testing

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Plan for current pilot testing
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Your Turn!

• We need more input from those who know the best
• If you would like, find a buddy and complete the
  survey in your handout!