A user centred approach to supporting people with cognitive dysfunction

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A user centred approach to supporting people
with cognitive dysfunction

• Prof. Alan Newell, MBE, FRSE,
• School of Computing
• University of Dundee
• Scotland.
• www.computing.dundee.ac.uk

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Research at Dundee University

• Newell, A.F, Gregor P, Alm N. (2006). HCI for
  older and disabled people in the Queen Mother
  Research Centre at Dundee University.
• CHI 2006 HCI Overview. Wednesday 26th 16.30

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Models of disability

• Medical Model
• Clinical setting
• Curing the sick
• Social Model
• Domestic ( day care) settings
• Supporting the person

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User Sensitive Inclusive Design

• Variety lack of representative users
• Exact characteristics of users needed
• Conflicts of interest between groups
• Communication with users a challenge
• Ethical issues

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Novel approaches

• Users as members of the design team
• Social gatherings of users designers
• Attending day centres as volunteer
• Use of Theatre
• Newell, A., Morgan, M., Carmichael, A., Gregor P.
  (2006) Theatre as an intermediary between users
  and HCI designers. CHI 2006 Experience Report.
  Tuesday 25th 11.30

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Variability of users

• Design for dynamic diversity

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Older users

• Fit older people
• Frail older people with disabilities
• Disabled People who have grown old
• Multi minor impairments

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Cognitive Overload

• Everyone
• Fighter pilot, young executive, old people
• Time pressures, drugs
• Ordinary Extra-Ordinary Human Computer
  Interaction
• Support cognitive capacity or
• Reduce cognitive load.

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Other aspects affecting cognitive performance

• Attention
• Reduced other abilities
• visio-spacial
• Hearing
• Verbal
• Language and vocabulary
• Of coping with complexity

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Aesthetics

• Disabled people
• and
• people with cognitive dysfunction
• do not necessarily
• have little or no
• aesthetic sense !

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Influence of graphic artists
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Evaluation

• Medical methods
• Large n,
• matched control groups
• double blind
• Traditional HCI
• Large n,
• Carefully controlled,
• Generic/representative results

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New evaluation techniques

• Appropriate to our research
• Valid within our context
• Do not disadvantage potentially useful systems
• Efficacy can be justified
• Desperately needed !

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Novel approaches needed

• Variability of users
• Dynamic nature of cognitive functioning
• Multiple minor disabilities
• Aesthetics
• Evaluation Techniques
• Looking forward to the
• rest of the workshop.

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