Designing Accessible Technology

Rapid and unprecedented population ageing poses a serious social and economic challenge across the developed world. Shifts in dependency ratios point to escalating welfare and pensions costs which require radical and imaginative responses from Government and industry. Key to this is a healthy population able and willing to work longer before retirement and who can be independent for as long as possible afterwards as well as bringing disabled people into mainstream life and employment.
This book was stimulated by the 3rd CWUAAT workshop (the CWUAAT workshops have a general focus on product and solution development). It was held in Cambridge, UK in April 2006. Contributions from leading researchers focused on:
- design issues for a more inclusive world;
- enabling computer access and the development of new technologies;
- assistive technology and rehabilitation robotics; and,
- understanding users and involving them in design.

List of contents

Design Issues for a More Inclusive World.- The Inclusive Challenge: A Multidisciplinary Educational Approach.- Universal Design in Japanese Technological Industries.- Encouraging Inclusive Design Through Standardisation.- Factors Involved in Industry's Response to Inclusive Design.- Providing Strategic User Information for Designers: Methods and Initial Findings.- Design for Inclusion.- Designers' Use of the Artefact in Human-centred Design.- Enabling Computer Access and the Development of New Technologies.- Introducing COGAIN - Communication by Gaze Interaction.- Older Users' Requirements for Interactive Television.- InclusiveCAD: A Software Resource for Designers.- Towards an Interactive System Eliciting Narrative Comprehension in Children with Autism: A Longitudinal Study.- Assistive Technology and Rehabilitation Robotics.- Collaborative Visual-servoing of the MANUS Manipulator.- User-centred Approach to the Design and Evaluation of a Stair-climbing Aid.- The SMART Project: A User Led Approach to Developing Applications for Domiciliary Stroke Rehabilitation.- Non-speech Operated Emulation of Keyboard.- Dysarthric Speech Measures for Use in Evidence-based Speech Therapy.- Non-formal Therapy and Learning Potentials Through Human Gesture Synchronised to Robotic Gesture.- Understanding Users and Involving Them in the Design Process.- Inclusive Design Evaluation and the Capability-demand Relationship.- Investigating the Role of Experience in the Use of Consumer Products.- Software Co-design with Older People.- Creating User Centred Creative Design Tools for the Packaging Industry Using Video Ethnographic Research Techniques.- Differing Perspectives on Telecare: An Attitudinal Survey of Older People, Professional Care Workers and Informal Carers.- Away from Home(Public) Toilet Design: Identifying User Wants, Needs and Aspirations.- Involving People with Dementia in the Development of a Discussion Forum: A Community-centred Approach.

About the author

Dr Patrick M. Langdon is Senior Researcher in the Cambridge University Engineering Department Engineering Design Centre, Lead Researcher in Inclusive Design and Consortium Manager of the Inclusive Design 3 project. His Cognitive Science PhD examined the psychological reality of certain artificial intelligence based theories of computer vision. In collaboration with Professor P.J. Clarkson; Director of the EDC, Professor P. Robinson, of the Computer Lab and Professor S. Godsill, of the Signal Processing Group, he has recently investigated the effect of haptic force feedback on motion-impairments. His research concerns cognitive models of interaction in inclusive design, and the use of haptic feedback to assist motion control. He has pursued a number of research directions in the last 10 years. These include: (1) the properties and design of haptic interfaces for use in computer displays for the movement disabled; (2) the representation and formulation of statistical data on disability, for use in inclusive design; (3) integration of software development and empirical methodology for good design research practice; (4) structure of data for capability assessment; (5) comparative studies of clustering methods for design knowledge exploration; (6) cognitive scales for capability assessment; (7) methods for ethnographic and observational studies of aerospace; and (8) developing scales for product-capability interaction assessment in design. He is editor of a number of books in the fields of inclusive design, universal accessibility and assistive technology and has been involved in the organisation of many international workshops in engineering design; has recently published journal and conference papers in ergonomics, HCI and engineering design and given seminars at the IMechE. He is currently working in the areas of modelling learning, movement and cognition for inclusive design and computer assistance for motion impaired interface use. He is External Examiner for the Kings College London and Guy s Hospital Intercollegiate MSc in Assistive Technology.

Summary

Rapid and unprecedented population ageing poses a serious social and economic challenge across the developed world. Shifts in dependency ratios point to escalating welfare and pensions costs which require radical and imaginative responses from Government and industry. Key to this is a healthy population able and willing to work longer before retirement and who can be independent for as long as possible afterwards as well as bringing disabled people into mainstream life and employment.

This book was stimulated by the 3rd CWUAAT workshop (the CWUAAT workshops have a general focus on product and solution development). It was held in Cambridge, UK in April 2006. Contributions from leading researchers focused on:

- design issues for a more inclusive world;

- enabling computer access and the development of new technologies;

- assistive technology and rehabilitation robotics; and,

- understanding users and involving them in design.

Product details

• Assisted by: P John Clarkson (Editor), P. J. Clarkson (Editor), P. John Clarkson (Editor), Langdon (Editor), P Langdon (Editor), P. Langdon (Editor), Patrick M. Langdon (Editor), Patrick Martin Langdon (Editor), P Robinson (Editor), P. Robinson (Editor), Peter Robinson (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 11.04.2006
• EAN: 9781846283642
• ISBN: 978-1-84628-364-2
• No. of pages: 250
• Weight: 558 g
• Illustrations: XIV, 250 p.
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Technology; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Social structure research