A user centred approach to supporting people with cognitive

dysfunction

Prof. Alan Newell, MBE, FRSE,

School of ComputingUniversity of DundeeScotland.

www.computing.dundee.ac.uk

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

Models of disability

• Medical Model– Clinical setting – “Curing the sick”

• Social Model– Domestic (& day care) settings– Supporting the person

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

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

Variability of users

Design for dynamic diversity

Older users

• Fit older people

• Frail older people with disabilities

• Disabled People who have grown old

Multi minor impairments

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.

Other aspects affecting cognitive performance

• Attention

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

Aesthetics

Disabled people

and

people with cognitive dysfunction

do not necessarily

have little or no

aesthetic sense !

Influence of graphic artists

Evaluation

• Medical methods– Large “n”, – matched control groups– double blind

• Traditional HCI– Large “n”,– Carefully controlled,– Generic/representative results

New evaluation techniques• Appropriate to our research

• Valid within our context

• Do not disadvantage potentially useful systems

• Efficacy can be justified

Desperately needed !

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.