Design Methods

From theory to 'measurement' in complex interventions: Methodological lessons from the development of an e-health normalisation instrument

by Frances Mair

Co-authored with:  Tracy L Finch, Catherine O'Donnell, Elizabeth Murray and Carl R May

Abstract (provisional)
Background
Although empirical and theoretical understanding of processes of... more Abstract (provisional)
Background
Although empirical and theoretical understanding of processes of implementation in health care is advancing, translation of theory into structured measures that capture the complex interplay between interventions, individuals and context remain limited. This paper aimed to (1) describe the process and outcome of a project to develop a theory-based instrument for measuring implementation processes relating to e-health interventions; and (2) identify key issues and methodological challenges for advancing work in this field.

Methods
A 30-item instrument (Technology Adoption Readiness Scale (TARS)) for measuring normalisation processes in the context of e-health service interventions was developed on the basis on Normalization Process Theory (NPT). NPT focuses on how new practices become routinely embedded within social contexts. The instrument was pre-tested in two health care settings in which e-health (electronic facilitation of healthcare decision-making and practice) was used by health care professionals.

Results
The developed instrument was pre-tested in two professional samples (N = 46; N = 231). Ratings of items representing normalisation 'processes' were significantly related to staff members' perceptions of whether or not e-health had become 'routine'. Key methodological challenges are discussed in relation to: translating multi-component theoretical constructs into simple questions; developing and choosing appropriate outcome measures; conducting multiple-stakeholder assessments; instrument and question framing; and more general issues for instrument development in practice contexts.

Conclusions
To develop theory-derived measures of implementation process for progressing research in this field, four key recommendations are made relating to (1) greater attention to underlying theoretical assumptions and extent of translation work required; (2) the need for appropriate but flexible approaches to outcomes measurement; (3) representation of multiple perspectives and collaborative nature of work; and (4) emphasis on generic measurement approaches that can be flexibly tailored to particular contexts of study.

Design-led strategies for bushfire preparedness

by Yoko Akama

Co-authored by Yoko Akama, Susan Chaplin, Richard Philips, Keith Toh

Bushfire CRC research team: ‘Effective Communication: Communities and Bushfire’. RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

Paper presented at EARTH: FIRE AND RAIN
Australian & New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference, Brisbane, 16 – 18, April 2012

To date, both government and fire authorities in Victoria have deployed a variety of communication messages on... more To date, both government and fire authorities in Victoria have deployed a variety of communication messages on bushfire awareness. Yet, distributing information to a wide audience is not enough to increase people’s preparedness for bushfire. These forms of communication sustain a transmission process that reinforces the power-dynamics of control, making audiences passive. It perpetuates the disempowerment felt by communities who are not engaged in a dialogic process, further broadening the gap between ‘expert’ fire authorities and ‘non-expert’ community. This paper presents co-design methods that were used to facilitate a dialogic form of communication on bushfire preparedness with community members in the Southern Otways, Victoria. The research engaged a group of 20 residents to facilitate co-creation and communication of local knowledge of the geographical environment through visualisation. These methods show potential of bridging relationships between neighbours and the importance of social interactions that can lead to better fire preparation.

Web-Based Resources for Peer Support – Opportunities and Challenges

by Ole Smørdal

Co-authored with Anne Moen and Idunn Sem
Stud Health Technol Inform. 2009;150:302-6.

Social software and Web 2.0 provides new opportunities for participation and collaborative knowledge construction in... more Social software and Web 2.0 provides new opportunities for participation and collaborative knowledge construction in peer support and self- care to live well despite transient or permanent health problems. Opportunities include many to many interactions to share and accumulate knowledge and experiences from several perspectives. We are conducting a study to create a collaborative environment for peer support and knowledge construction related to a rare condition. The study draws from participatory design and agile approach to development; extensively using design workshops and iterative prototyping. Several workshops led to systematize perspectives of different participant groups, and provided feedback about functionalities illustrated in different mock-ups and prototypes. Here we report experiences, and focus on feedback from participants leading to special considerations in design of the web-based environment.

Ergonomic design and evaluation of surveillance systems

by Denis A. Coelho

by Denis A. Coelho and Isabel L. Nunes
in Effective Surveillance for Homeland Security: Balancing Technology and Social Issues
Published: November 15, 2012 by Chapman and Hall/CRC - 320 Pages Editor(s): Francesco Flammini; Roberto Setola; Giorgio Franceschetti
ISBN 9781439883242

As part of a state-of-the-art survey of methods and tools for surveillance and protection of citizens and critical... more As part of a state-of-the-art survey of methods and tools for surveillance and protection of citizens and critical infrastructures, this chapter presents a Human Factors and Ergonomics perspective to support the design and evaluation of surveillance systems. The chapter is composed of three main parts. Human characteristics that impinge on surveillance systems design for effective human-system coupling are reviewed, focusing especially on perception and modes of control, as well as on information processing. Performance considerations are centered on fatigue and arousal states, as well as tolerance to shift work. Human Factors and Ergonomics testing and evaluation methods are considered, including usability, while cognitive systems engineering is introduced as an approach to systems design that embeds both the user-centered design and the design of effective systems approaches. The set of concepts and methods reviewed forms a body of knowledge and techniques which ought to be considered and applied to ensure the design of effective surveillance systems and may be used to improve existing ones.

Keywords:
Human Factors
Ergonomics
User Centered Design
Vigilance
Arousal
Fatigue

GameSpace: Methods and Evaluation for Casual Mobile Multiplayer Games

by Annakaisa Kultima

Design from the Everyday: Continuously evolving, embedded exploratory prototypes

by Margot Brereton

Published and Presented at the Designing Interavtive Systems Conference in Aarhus, Denmark 2010

ACM conference. 22% acceptance rate in the long paper track.

One of the major challenges in the design of social
technologies is the evaluation of their qualities of use... more One of the major challenges in the design of social
technologies is the evaluation of their qualities of use and
how they are appropriated over time. While the field of
HCI abounds in short-term exploratory design and studies
of use, relatively little attention has focused on the
continuous development of prototypes longitudinally and
studies of their emergent use. We ground the exploration
and analysis of use in the everyday world, embracing
contingency and open-ended use, through the use of a
continuously-available exploratory prototype. Through
examining use longitudinally, clearer insight can be gained
of realistic, non-novelty usage and appropriation into
everyday use.

This paper sketches out a framework for design that puts a
premium on immediate use and evolving the design in
response to use and user feedback. While such design
practices with continuously developing systems are common
in the design of social technologies, they are little
documented. We describe our approach and reflect upon its
key characteristics, based on our experiences from two case
studies. We also present five major patterns of long-term
usage which we found useful for design.

The Unlikeability of a Cuddly Toy Interface: An Experimental Study of Preschoolers' Likeability and Usability of a 3D Game Played with a Cuddly Toy Versus a …

by Bieke Zaman

Coupling the users: The benefits of paired user testing for iDTV

by Bieke Zaman

Making choices and mixing methods. Extending the Fun Toolkit

by Bieke Zaman

Ecodesign integration in education: the utility of an existing multidisciplinary design methodology

by Jan Bergen

Innovating User Value: The Interrelations of Business Model Innovation, Design (Thinking) and the Production of Meaning – A Status-quo of the Current State of Research

by Jan Schmiedgen

Masters Thesis - 2011

We live in a hyper-competitive world, where whole industries either shift towards services or become obsolete due to... more We live in a hyper-competitive world, where whole industries either shift towards services or become obsolete due to new market entrants, technologies or even social practices. A world, where permanent interactions with customers, fast time-to-market, and the ability to innovate »right« (e.g. the right thing or value) are the key to corporate success. On that score the business sphere isn't getting tired of emphasizing the need for strategic innovation (which means »creating superior customer value«, business model innovations or even the disruption and creation of new markets).

This paper uncovers some of the often overlooked links of design (design thinking, design- driven innovation and service design) to strategic innovation through the lens of »customer value«. It will do so by ...

1) Disenchanting the big corporate rhetoric on above claims by showing that prevailing and too one-sided understandings of strategy and innovation, rather reinforce than escape old industry paradigms.

2) Examining designs still undervalued contributions to strategy-making by approaching business challenges with a user/value-centric and radical service logic.

3) Showing that every dimension of strategic innovation culminates in the concept of perceived user value and meaning, which gets reviewed in detail (dimensions, forms, proper- ties), especially with regards to constructing value propositions.

4) Arguing that the current service design and business model innovation discourses cannot be negotiated separately, as they may be good methodological complements.

So when speaking about the innovation of value for the customer, the paper argues, the above stated and seemingly separated fields intersect. Therefore their most apparent systemic connections and the facilitation of value creation by design are outlined and discussed.

Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology in education: A synthesis of qualitative evidence

by Jo Tondeur

Authors: Jo Tondeur, Johan van Braak, Guoyuan Sang, Joke Voogt, Petra Fisser, Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich; In: Computers & Education (In Press)

This study reviewed qualitative studies that focused on strategies to prepare pre-service teachers to integrate... more This study reviewed qualitative studies that focused on strategies to prepare pre-service teachers to integrate technology into their lessons. A meta-ethnography approach was utilized to locate, critically appraise, and synthesize the results of these studies. Based on an extensive search in theWeb of Science, 19 articles were included in this synthesis. The results were divided into two parts: (1) key themes explicitly related to the preparation of pre-service teachers (e.g., using teacher educators as role models, learning technology by design, scaffolding authentic technology experiences), and (2) conditions necessary at the institutional level (e.g., technology planning and leadership, co-operation within and between institutions, training staff). To present how these key themes related to each other, an overarching model was developed. By interpreting the results of the review, recommendations were discussed for pre-service teacher technology training and future research.

Methods that may stimulate creativity and their use in architectural design education

by Doris Kowaltowski

A house design assistance program for the self-building process of the region of Campinas, Brazil: Evaluation through a case study* 1

by Doris Kowaltowski

Reflexão sobre metodologias de projeto arquitetônico

by Doris Kowaltowski

An evaluation method for school building design at the preliminary phase with optimisation of aspects of environmental comfort for the school system of the State São …

by Doris Kowaltowski

Design for Sustainability (DfS): The Interface of Sustainable Production and Consumption

by Joachim H. Spangenberg

Capturing the Hyper Real: The Cinematographers Eye

by Terry Flaxton

Given on 9th December 2011 to the Bristol Vision Institute and a variation of this given at University of York, February 29th 2012

In this presentation I discuss what it is that a cinematographer sees when he or she looks into the luminous frame. I... more In this presentation I discuss what it is that a cinematographer sees when he or she looks into the luminous frame. I shall do this by pointing out that language, myth and meaning surround the idea of communicating experience, of how todays understanding of what matters in art is governed by ideas derived from a remediation of the image, that requires interpretive thinking rather than direct experience. I compare ideas from both neuro-science and myth and discuss why ideas created some three and a half thousand years ago may have greater veracity than ideas created in the last twenty years. I also show short examples of my recent works which explore these issues, created whilst on two consecutive AHRC Fellowships in the Moving Image. All works are linked in this paper for internet access

UDLAP Thesis - Master in Information Design

by Omar Sosa Tzec

Diseño de una interfaz para un cliente de mensajes instantáneos en un dispositivo móvil, tomando en cuenta un proceso... more Diseño de una interfaz para un cliente de mensajes instantáneos en un dispositivo móvil, tomando en cuenta un proceso de diseño con needfinding, postdesign, personas, diseño participativo, sketching, entre otros. Se platicó sobre una conjetura derivada a partir de un modelo basado en los modos de apelación de la retórica. La evaluación del prototipo tomó en cuenta la comunicabilidad de la ingeniería semiótica, usabilidad y una prueba simple a partir del modelo mencionado.

The use of inverse methods for the design and control of radiant sources

by hakan erturk