Project Scope by Patrick O'Connell

Project Scope

Methods in Research and Design

Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell S3106175

Contents

noun (usu. contents) the things that are held or included in something : he unscrewed the top of the flask and drank the contents | he picked up the correspondence and scanned the contents.

Proposal

Literature Review

Plan

Tutorial Tasks

Learning Testimonial

Glossary

Annotated Bibliography

Proposal

noun 1 a plan or suggestion, esp. a formal or written one, put forward for consideration or discussion by others : a set of proposals for a major new highspeed rail link.

Project Scope - Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell

PROJECT TITLE

Inclusive design, and its application to the design of assistive devices for the elderly, within the context of a bathroom.

KEYWORDS

Material Explorations, Interaction Design, Inclusive design, Bathroom design

ABSTRACT

I always ask my Nan and her friends about why they don’t have gadgets like computers and mobile telephones, as they would make their life a little easier especially when it comes to communication and information queries. The lines “I’m just not fussed on it” and “Its too complicated” seem familiar responses from elderly people I know, but also friends who make the same investigations with their respective relatives. It would seem logical that the elderly of today have been left behind with little to no understanding of most the modern gadgets potential and function. I propose this is due to failure in a products ability to communicate to the user about its own general function and potential usage, without physical interaction. There has been many movements around the globe (Starey, 2004), (Clarkson, 2006) in the area of “inclusive design” to promote the elderly into learning and practical use of today’s technology. My plan is to apply research methods to various and surrounding aspects of this idea (history of design, attitudes towards technology, the socially perceived meaning of “Technology”) to gain better understanding. By forming separate conclusions

from these understandings I should be able to paint a larger scaled picture, of how and why this distancing has occurred between the elderly and modern gadgetry. Upon this being identified hopefully presenting methods to prevent this from happening in the future.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The reason for the exploration of bathroom would defiantly be a combination of many things, including my exposure to house magazines and their sexy lines of design, the fact the house I grew up in back in Albury sports a marble floor with recycled railway sleepers to construct the basin (hand made by my father). With nearly every house in Australia containing usually at least one bathroom (ABS, 2002), I believe that the market hasn’t yet understood nor tried to investigate the relationship between the broad range of customers, and the products they are producing for them to use. This is due to the fact that too many products in the design community lack the ability to provide “feedback” (information given to the user by a product once immediately interacted with) and “feedforward” (information given to the user by a product before the physical interaction has started) (Wensveen, 2004).

CONSIDERED HYPOTHESIS

Through conducting this “Methods: Industrial Design Course” I am expecting to find that one of the biggest problems we have as a consumer society (which falls into the topic of inclusive design), that we have in some way excluded the aging population (60+years) through our technological advancements to the stage were they are overwhelmed by the idea that they could potentially use hi-tech products, but are not Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

willing to learn because it seems “way too complicated”. This is a major concern for many reasons: 1.The older population is a very large slice of the potential consumer market that is not being targeted with most of today’s “hi-tech” design process, meaning a loss in potential revenue. 2.By not ensuring inclusive design we are not giving people outside the tech-alliterate group a chance to reap the value/benefits of modern technologies 3.Today’s middle aged are going tomorrows elderly, with the same strategy that we have seen develop in the last 20 years, technologies could develop to be considered “too complicated to use” by today’s youth in the near future. I hypothesize that at the end of my research that I should find out why especially the elderly of today have been outcast in a sense, and that a vast majority of the people excluded would have the ability to harness all of our emerging and current technologies, as long as the area of inclusive design is more apparent and more highly considered in all worldwide design methodology. Applying my conducted research to bathroom design means that I will be able to develop and hopefully implement products into the industry that are selfintuitive, and require limited to no background knowledge to operate and understand. On a larger scale means people from all walks of life, will hopefully be given the opportunity and ability to use all products and technologies on the market. 6

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

MY INVESTIGATION QUESTION

Does today’s technology in terms of interaction with our aging population, provide sufficient inherent and augmented feed forward (the ability of a product to give info to the user about its potential use before, during, and after interaction)?

WHAT WILL I DO?

First it has to be understood if the elderly are participating in these emerging technologies. Exploratory research methods will be put into place to find the crux of the problem, articles and media forms that will hopefully contain this information: • Information on aged peoples abilities/motor skills. This information should be quiet easy to find, my mother has a range of books covering this topic, plus there will be ample sources in the subject of psychology. • History of the attitudes of society towards technological advancement and events that shape them. • The psychology behind the unmanifested meaning and implications of terms such as “technology”, “hi-tech”, “electronics” and “gadget”. • Information of the industries attitudes towards design to have the elderly inclusive in their design parameters • The aging populations views/opinion on the existence and future of emerging technologies.

•Data on the elderly about their knowledge of modern technologies (e.g. computers) discovering the inherent and augmented feed forward they are aware of. • Statistics on were most of the elderly populations exposure of modern technologies comes from. From these findings that we can hopefully conclude that the reason for such a lack of elderly involvement was due to misconceptions towards what “technology” stands for and represents, it will be possible to move forward and realise that effort can now be put into finding ways to educate the target market about the benefits and possibilities of interaction technologies. The goal is to get the elderly to participate and interact with the products and technologies, so with that in mind it will then be necessary to obtain information in the following: • Products/designs that have successfully been able to incorporate the elderly and got them to use/interact with in an efficient manner • Earlier product concepts from a time in history that elderly people understand the principals due to the fact they were introduced to at an age in which they were more likely to comprehend complex rationale. (e.g. the relationship between moving hands on a steering wheel and the movement of the cars wheels of the road) •Current movements and progress towards inclusive design by university professors, lecturers and students

I will use a variety of research methods to obtain this information. Exploratory research (Vanderstoep, 2009) will be the first method I will use to find information on the topic, as I have identified the problem. Interviews will be conducted with elderly people to get their opinion on the topic and their reasoning to using/not using certain products and services. To do this I will need to improve my ability to construct questions properly and realise what are/are not good questions to ask in obtaining my research information. Case studies will be formed around existing and older products on the market to generate understanding into the relationship between the product and the feedforward the user experiences in the interaction. I will have to develop my skills in writing literature reviews. This is a skill that I am only quiet new to so it will require practice to get efficient at making sure people can tell the importance of the literature towards my topic helping find answers for my own investigation. Another form of research I will be conducting is empirical research (Vanderstoep, 2009). This is done by observing reality and trying to identify the relationships between the instrument, and the entity observed. In my case this will mean giving modern technological devices to the elderly and observing what happens. The effectiveness of the exercise will depend on my ability to form relationships between the various factors that make up the interaction, so it is also a skill I will have to put research into.

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING

There has been many investigations and research into topics that are directly related to my notion of inclusive interaction design for the elderly. The Faculty of Industrial Design Eindhoven, Netherlands, created a framework to analyze person-to-product interaction. Its focus is on how the products action and function are connected through various types of functional feedback and feedforward (inherent and augmented information). They identify the 6 main aspects of coupling for interaction design, time, location, direction, dynamics, modality and expression. The conclusion is to link all of these facets into the existing design to increase its functionality. Taking note and applying the theory behind this research will mean that people will have better experiences with the product, and encourage them to interact more efficiently and intuitively. This area of research will be very important in the notion of moulding the elderly to have positive experiences will today’s technology (Jordan 2004). Cambridge engineering design centre have made quiet impressive into disabled use of their technologies. They conducted research into the area of inclusive design with the objective to find better methods to test their products. What they planned on doing was researching the data sources on people’s physical capabilities whilst also interviewing health specialists to add realism to their toolkit. The toolkit ended up being a collection of devices the designers wore on certain parts of their body to partially disable movements/abilities. Preliminary results showed that by using the toolkits on designers whilst they were 8

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

testing their products, they were able to find more problems/issues with the focused design, which in turn meant they could then go on and develop a solution. This form of study is very relevant to my research topic as it shows that there are designers in the practice exercising the notion of inclusive design, and that with a little effort, products and services can be re-vamped to appeal to larger audiences (Clarkson 2004). IBM is announcing a joint effort with European Union (EU) partners to develop new technology that will help support active aging and prevent decline in the elderly population. Based on intelligent audio and visual processing and reasoning, the “Hermes Cognitive Care for Active Aging” project will develop a combination of home-based and mobile device-based solutions to help older people combat the natural reduction in cognitive capabilities. This includes a special focus on developing an interface that will be comfortable for technology-averse users; the project will run for 3 years. The Hermes project brings together experts ranging from speech processing; to hardware integration and user-centred design to achieve the common goal of ensuring today’s elderly are included in future technological advancements (Starey 2004). The gap in the literature is the identified importance of the notion of feedforward in giving the user an understanding of what the product does, but also what it can potentially do. I believe my research will go take one step back on the above projects and investigations. Instead of trying to practice inclusive design for the elderly, find the basic fundamentals of feedforward that will communicate to the elderly user.

BUSINESS CONSIDERATIONS

Costs of implementing additional technologies might out way the potential revenue, therefore not economically viable. As possible solutions could include installing additional devices to provide functional feedforward, the price of the adapted design might not be relative to the overall potential worth of the design. The availability of technology to provide efficient feedforward might not be possible. Manufacturers and software developers may have the technology to assist with feedforward problems, but the raw physical size of components might be to big or disrupt the configuration of the current design. There are design standards to adhere to during the project, consideration will have be taken when assessing various aspects of design to ensure no rules or regulations are broken.

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel left out of the loop. Especially in terms of the elderly, it will mean less training and implementation effort, but also higher levels of independence for the user. And speaking in terms of the product/service implemented by either others or myself, by having a product/service on the market that has appeal to a wider population, it means more potential buyers which results in more economic revenue. Using the data generated from the proposed research outlined earlier in the paper, I will be able to generate a better understanding on hopefully all necessary areas. This information will sway my decisions towards more viable solutions and also educate me to what key elements have to be addressed for my design to be successful.

MY ROLE AS A DESIGNER

My role as a designer/practitioner is to create positive experiences for all people who use products I develop, to give those who usually wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the ability to use modern technologies the chance to learn and make function of new products like the majority of out population is capable of doing, hopefully bridging gaps in technological literacy. By hopefully creating conclusions that will give me positive insight/knowledge into interaction/inclusion design, others and myself will be able to adopt and implement topics of my research into current design practices. Once this happens designs of products will be fit to interact with the user, no matter their age, gender or cultural background meaning that people Project Scope - Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell

Literature

noun 1 written works, esp. those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit : a great work of literature. • books and writings published on a particular subject : the literature on environmental epidemiology. • the writings of a country or period : early French literature. • leaflets and other printed matter used to advertise products or give advice.

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Review

noun 1 a formal assessment or examination of something with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary : a comprehensive review of defense policy | all areas of the company will come under review. • a critical appraisal of a book, play, movie, exhibition, etc., published in a newspaper or magazine. • [often in names ] a periodical publication with critical articles on current events, the arts, etc.

INTRODUCTION

Investigation into three research methods will be conducted to gain better understanding of possible ways to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from which conclusions can be formed. To test these methods, three related case studies (1 for each method) will be reviewed to develop understanding of the research method, form conclusions to their effectiveness, and also to build a level of information that well get me closer to an educated viewpoint of the proposal question. The first research method is Action/Practitioner, case study being: A Practitioner-Centered Assessment of a User-Experience Framework. The Second research method is Ethnography, the case study being: Usability Field Study of Older Adults Using Multi-Modal Home Health Monitoring Devices. And the third method being surveys, case study being: Shopping and the Elderly.

ACTION/PRACTITIONER RESEARCH

“Is generally taken by large research organisations with the aim of improving their strategies, practices and knowledge of environments in which they practice.” (Burns, 2007, Page 25) Action/practitioner research varies from that considered academic research in many ways. Where as academic research tries to find the “how”, draw to conclusions about the nature of the world, and understanding of the overall truth, action/practitioner research tries to explain “why”, why conclusions into the nature of the world would vary if conditions changed, and if the overall truth provides information that in turn informs strong decision making.

“The academic researcher is expected to contribute new knowledge to the field, whilst the action/practitioner seeks to contribute to the practical understanding of these findings” (McMillan, 2008, Page 115) The researcher must also be sensitive to how the data from findings will be used, information that is used to make valued judgements, about what is and is not effective, will generally always have political and ethical undertones (Campbell, 2007). From research conducted primarily, it is evident that much discussion has been generated to the fact that this method is less academically rigorous. This is due to most of the research containing variable figures and rarely set in stone due to trying to stick to the key theme of facilitating change.

CASE STUDY 1

A Practitioner-Centered Assessment of a User-Experience Framework (Wright, McCarthy, Meekison, 2007) To start with the paper identifies the concept of experience as “A continuous transaction between people and their environments” and then goes on to define the four key aspects that make positive experience. They are: • Anticipation • Pre-understood meaningfulness • A level of tension • A sense of fulfilment With the conditions now defined the topic and objective of the research is outlined. The case study inProject Scope - Patrick O’Connell

volved a popular online shopping site, it was chosen because participants in the study were familiar with the company, already having had shopping experiences, and because, at the time, the online store had an ideal mix of shops and services for purposes of the researchers. The aim of the study was to explore with practitioners, their use of the user-experience framework. The practitioners became involved in this research because they felt that an understanding of user experience would help them in their future work. Some of the participants were involved in devising the assessment process, and all of them were free to choose activities that were of some interest to them when assessing the framework. The research was intended to assist authors and participants refine their understanding of user experience and of the usefulness of the framework in their system. The main questions asked were: I. What kinds of insights into Internet shopping experiences would the framework draw response? II. What aspects of Internet shopping experience would it miss? III. How useful would it be as a tool for helping make sense of experience? The participants were volunteers, two men and five women aged between mid-twenties and mid-thirties. Also all had previous e-commerce experience so they would prove more likely to give constructive feedback into whether the framework would be useful. 12

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

All participants were given sights into the aims and objectives of the research so that during the process they would be able to take vital notes, once this was understood all participants were asked to choose three shopping experiences and record their own personal findings on the interaction experiences. Once this was completed there would be 3 sets of data to analyze, the initial interviews, notes taken from the participants, and the final de-briefing. The results ended up reinforcing what researchers were guessing would be positive attributes of the site, such as strong factual narration, but also highlighting topics that were not thought to be potential problems. These included problems such as people not understanding why they had to register to view the online catalogues, and poor given understanding into where the purchased goods would physically arrive. Overall the case study was very easy to interpret, due to simple wording, a deep explanation on topics, and visual aids to help demonstrate what research was conducted and how it was executed. The research method in this was effective in demonstrating ways that’s shopping experiences were more of less satisfactory. For my research it gave me insight into two very interesting topics of discussion: • That anticipation is an important factor in shaping a person’s experience. It is the relationship between a person’s expectations and their actual experience that affects the emotional quality of the interaction.

• And also that an emotional commitment to a product or design depends upon amongst other things: users perceiving themselves to be in control of the experience; finding their curiosity and playfulness.

ETHNOGRAPHY/FIELD STUDY

Is a methodological structure, to provide descriptions of human societies. “The study of social phenomena that cannot be accounted for by focusing on a single site” (Falzon, 2009, Page 17) This above quote is saying that ethnography takes a very holistic approach as it is founded on the skeleton that humans are best understood in the widest imaginable context, this includes: where they live, how they make a living, marriage customs and what language’s they speak (Hymes, 1974). Ethnography is conducted where people are naturally located; the researcher does fieldwork to observe people engaging in common routinely behaviors within their natural environment. The role of the ethnographic researcher is to understand a culture from a perspective of the members of that culture, and not from “outside-in” perspectives (Vanderstoep, 2009). This is generally difficult to do because it involves constant interaction between the researcher and the subjects, which in hand can cause uncomforting.

CASE STUDY 2

Usability Field Study of Older Adults Using Multi-Modal Home Health Monitoring Devices (Hubert, 2006) This topic relates to my proposal of elderly inclusion design and should provide in sight into how a deal with and provide sold research structure for the elderly in my own studies. “The use of telecommunications and home-based medical monitoring devices can provide an ultra high level of assistance for persons with chronic diseases. Because primarily older adults in their homes use them, frequently living alone without someone to assist in the use of the device, it is important to study the usability”. Field studies in the homes of the older adults were used to identify usability issues and to evaluate the usability challenges for new and experienced users. The first two phases (of three) included structured interviews and video recorded analysis of the participants as the basis for both quantitative and qualitative research measures. The third phase compares the usability of two different home health-monitoring devices designed to capture vital signs readings and obtain patient responses to health related questions. The Phase 1 and 2 qualitative results show high device (audio and input button) satisfaction ratings for both the experienced participants and the volunteers. Phase 3 results also show that both devices were rated with highly by the testers. The participant comments during the interview and video provide insights into several areas for the further Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

enhancement of usability for the buttons of both devices. One thing I found interesting that I will be able to implement is that the participant comments about the device challenges provided during the interviews provide much more valuable information about the usability of the home health monitoring devices, compared to the responses to the satisfaction questions. The Phase 2 results show that the satisfaction and quantitative measures (subtask time, button presses, number of errors, number of questions) are similar in the experienced test group participants and the inexperienced control group volunteers; this infers that the products are generally easy to use. The study concludes that the manufacturing of these two devices have quiet well addressed the issue of usability in the design. But also that this method of research presented opportunities for even further enhancements to the all ready existing good aspects of design. Overall I believe this is an effective method of generating valuable data, especially as comparing various people’s abilities (knowledge of the device) in a quantitative way can show you if you design is self-intuitive.

SURVEYS

This method generally involves researchers devising a series of questions (e.g. on paper, electronic means) that are then presented to participants who are in contact/interact with the product/service/environment under the study. Surveys are quiet flexible in the sense that the focus can be both qualitative (thoughts and opinions) and

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

quantitative (numbers and figures)(Ornstiein, 1998). Many advantages come from using surveys as a data mining method, these include: • Very large samples are able to be monitored, as handing out questionnaires and digital surveys is easy • Wide range of data can be collected • Relatively easy to administer, as long as the survey doesn’t take up too much of their time, the participants a correctly informed of what the survey is, why it is being conducted, and what will be done with the results, people are generally willing to help • Cheap to run, pending length of survey. The longer, more extensive the survey, the more likely the researcher will require (money, reward) to compensate the participants invested time. Possible disadvantages/concerns involved with conducting surveys: • Bias of estimates, due to participants possibly not answering some questions • Variety of answers might not accommodate the participants truly honest answer (e.g. the participant isn’t sure or is undecided, but the survey only gives the options for yes and no to the question) (Ornstiein, 1998. Groves 1989) Another key aspect that has to be considered is that the questions are presented in a way that is likely to be understood by the surveys target audience (Lepkowski, 2008).

CASE STUDY 3

Shopping and the Elderly (Dimirbilek, 2004) The article starts by telling the reader that in the majority of past manufacturing, elderly people have not being considered in the designs, which in hand imposed physical and non-physical barriers, that make the elderly fell different and disabled. The aim of the survey was to gain user understanding related to shopping activities for the elderly (mainly carrying groceries) and interpret the results for a wider range of needs and aspirations. The survey was carried out in 5 of Sydney’s biggest shopping complexes, and in the form of a questionnaire. The questions ranged from general shopping habits, the shopping process, issues with traveling, the bags, and trolleys. Firstly the researcher then identifies the target market (most common kind of shopper) that the end design will be directed towards to satisfy the needs of. This ideal user is 65 and above, females, who shop independently, and who encounter problems while trying to their groceries in the car and back home. Even though this target audience was identified, there was still an overwhelming influence on the idea that the design of the new shopping bags will not exclude any group of users. 16 participants were selected for the survey.

scrutinizing items. • Around 70% use shopping carts whilst the other 30% use a basket or put the good straight into their bags. • Most of the interviewed shop before 12 o’clock and do so several times a week, buying small amounts of groceries each time. • 50% have problems carrying heavy items • A quarter of the women surveyed had been attacked whilst shopping, this effected the way these women handled their bags, some hold bags tightly, others carry secondary wallets in their clothing. • Most participants brought their own bag to the shopping centre • Most elderly put plastic store shopping bags in their own shopping bags. From the findings the following design problems can be summarized as follows: • Bags that are too heavy can cut of blood supply to fingers • Its easier to carry the bag when the center of gravity is closer to the hands

In analysis of the finished surveys, it was discovered that:

• Emptier bags dangle too close to the ground for most elderly women

• Half of the elderly spend more than an hour shopping, spending a majority of that time

• Bags can easy bump ankles and knees whilst carrying them, irritating on the skin. Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

• Elderly ladies prefer bags that can be closed, it makes them feel safer

than consumer based products and services (Coleman, 2008).

• Elderly people do not care for commercial text on store shopping bags

In many opinions this trend of distancing between the ageing populations technical ability, and the skill level required to operate modern products, has only just start to become a recognizable issue from the standpoint of society, in the last couple of decades. The worlds already sizable elderly population is increasing dramatically in numbers and as a percentage of the worlds overall population, which al so will make it harder to define a general consensus (Herwig, 2008). This movement makes design services keyed to meeting the needs of the elderly is quickly becoming a great deal more substantial (Noakes 1985).

Once information was summarized, researchers were able to roughly sketch up 15 concepts for a shopping bag that addressed these above problems. Two of the concepts were chosen and were assessed by another group of participants that also fit into the target market. From this new survey, the concept that received more positive levels of feedback was chosen and developed into the end-working prototype. In conclusion all the developed concepts are solutions for the problems the elderly can have. This case study not only provides insights into what the elderly require to shop comfortably and effectively, but how easily existing designs in all areas can make mundane tasks very difficult for the elderly. The case study also proves the effectiveness of surveys as long as they are presented to the participants in a positive manner, and that people are happy to be involved and give constructive feedback into research that will in the end, benefit themselves.

CRITICAL REVIEW OF WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Special needs designs from the 1980’s and earlier, though well intended, was not capable of maintaining effective solutions due to limited markets, and poor production values which in turn made designs appear/feel more like hospital aids Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Society has to wonder why so few companies, to this point advertise senior-friendly design. Generally seniors don’t feel comfortable talking openly and accepting their possible deficits, so from a marketing point of view it is hard to send a message to the consumer that their product, can limit the effects of these deficits (Knigge, 2008). This need developed the area of study that we refer to as inclusive design. Inclusiveness will mould into the most important aspect to consider in a designers practice - but also those who teach design, as future consumer markets (e.g. age and disability) will be more diverse than ever (Ridsdale, 2009). The future will not be one with more products with higher intelligence, but products that make life easier (Herwig, 2008). Adopting this inclusive principal have many positives, it will help build rich markets for new

technologies, open wholly new markets for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing technologies, and defiantly lead to better designs (Neilson, 2009).

Project Scope - Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell

Plan

noun 1 a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something : the UN peace plan. â&#x20AC;˘ [with adj. ] a scheme for the regular payment of contributions toward a pension, savings account, or insurance policy : a personal pension plan. 2 (usu. plans) an intention or decision about what one is going to do : I have no plans to retire. â&#x20AC;˘ the action of putting forward such a plan or suggestion : the proposal of flexible work hours.

Project Scope - Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell

Task Refinement Of Proposal Finding Target Market Researching Methods Applying Research Methods Interviews/Surveys Observing People Problem Identifycation Market Product Research Designer Opinions Brainstorming Problems Basic Concept Sketching PMI Analysis Of Sketches Developing Choosen Concepts Defining Best Concept Initial CAD Drawings Prototype Material Research Gathering Materials Prototype Construction Testing/Evaluation Of Prototype Construction Of Secondary Prototype Testing Second Prototype Re-Evaluation Of Modified Design Presentation Report Implementation Presentation Final Report

Semester 1

Mid Semester Break

Semester 2

Project Scope - Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell

Semester 1, Week 1: Bearing in mind that the project proposal has already been written, further refinement and management will still be required to confirm that my intentions have not swayed over the break. This will involve me conducting finalising research, and ensuring that I have a strong vision to what I plan to do. Semester 1, Week 2: This week will be dedicated to defining my target market for my final design, once identified; it will be my job to do extensive research this niche. Research could include: • Following these people around observing the way, they interact with products both in their house and in public. • Taking note of their views/opinions on popular issues (e.g. religion, politics) • Statistics on how often they use their bathrooms, or what they use their bathrooms primarily for. A report of the findings will be produced at the conclusion of this investigation.

Semester 1, Week 7: Observing people interact in bathrooms on two levels: • Whilst they know I am observing, so that the user can also talk me through there though process. • Whilst they are not aware of themselves being monitored. This will be done by hiding cameras in the room, ensuring that the user goes about the regular interaction with the room/products in the room Concluded in report format

Semester 1, Week 4: Applying the best research methods found in week 3, to my project, hopefully discovering topics/issues/considerations that wouldn’t have been previously considered. Semester 1, Weeks 5&6: Constructing an interview template that can be given to the target market, and also the possible inclusion of a survey. Both of these formats used to generate a better understanding of the users relation to the area of bathroom design. Results/finding presented in report format Figure 2.0 - Interview

Semester 1, Week 8: From all research conducted up to this stage, a list of identified problems related to bathrooms and the peoples interactions with them will be created. These will be then used as the corner stones for my design intentions. From this a criterion for my proposed design success can be generated. Concluded in report format Semester 1, Weeks 9, 10 & 11: These three weeks will be used to perform extensive research and study not only on current bathroom products already on the market, but also products that have strong ties in the area of interactive/inclusive design. My report presented on this will mostly include both the positive aspects, which I could potentially incorporate into my own design, and poor aspects that I can identify to avoid.

Figure 1.0 - Target Market Identifycation

Semester 1, Week 3: Will be spent studying various research methods that have been applied successfully to any area related to my project (interaction design, bathroom, inclusive design, elderly design). Once discovering methods believed to be effective, finding ways to apply the theory to my own studies to get effective data.

Figure 3.0 - Market Research Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Figure 5.0 - Ideation Sketches

Semester 1, Weeks 12 & 13: Will be spent finding and recording documentation into what other designers are saying about the topics in my project. This information might inform me of how to approach certain design elements, or where to look for further effective information on the topic. Semester 1, Week 14: Will be spent brainstorming the identified problems from all research to this point and representing it in a scenario-based format (e.g. comiclife). This method will give better understanding to situations and their contexts so that they are more likely to produce well though solutions.

Figure 4.0 - Brainstorming

Semester 1, Weeks 15 & 16: With all research done now to this point, it will be time to start sketching basic concepts. Detail will not be an emphasis here, more likely to look at raw ideation in hopefully large quantities.

• The technologies that are used to get the product working • Components required • How the user interacts with the product • Dimensions (Of components, of the entire product, and the product in relation to its proposed environment) Mid Semester Break Week 7: Drawing up of design into CAD (most likely solid works), also some possible communication images to aid showing my intentions to others.

Mid Semester Break Week 1: PMI analysis of all sketched concepts will be conducted. This is a process that labels the positive aspects of the design (Plusses), the things that are not so good (Minuses), and the things that could potentially bring wow factor/spark conversation about the design (Interestings). From this PMI analysis the three best designs will be identified. Mid Semester Break Weeks 2 & 3: These two weeks will be spent developing the three chosen concepts (from the end of last week) into designs that have more functional detail/information, leaving no questions about how they work, how they can be produced, and how people interact with them. This is done so I can generate an idea to what design will be most feasible developing into my final outcome.

Mid Sem Break Week 8 & Semester 2, Week 1: These two weeks will be spent researching the best materials to make my first prototype. Then also investigating into the required manufacturing processes required to produce the piece. If any processes cant be done by myself of the people at the university workshop, then this will be the week were communication will be conducted to organise and schedule outsourcing. If found that a certain material or production technique has to be changed; the design might have to be altered, both in drawings and CAD model. Figure 6.0 - Crushed Aluminum Cans

Mid Semester Break Week 4, 5 & 6: Once the best-developed concept has been chosen, it will then be my job to research and map every single aspect of the design, these include: • How it is to be built • How it works

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Semester 2, Week 2: Will be spent gathering materials and planning the manufacturing steps to how I will be making the prototype. Broken down into smaller simple steps and ordered to a certain sequence will mean that I will be more likely to finish on schedule. Semester 2, Weeks 3 & 4: Construction of first prototype, most likely in the workshop or at a manufacturing company if a certain component has to be outsourced. Figure 7.0 - Prototype Construction

Semester 2, Weeks 7 & 8: Construction/manufacturing/alteration of the new updated prototype Semester 2, Week 9: Testing of this second generation prototype using the same line of attack as in weeks 5 & 6, paying special attention to solving problems that arose from these previous tests Semester 2, Weeks 10 & 11: Re-evaluation of the new modified design, hopefully the design blueprint is very close now to how the final manufactured design will be made in mass production. This includes final CAD complete. Figure 8.0 - CAD Model

Semester 2, Week 5, & 6: Testing of this first manufactured prototype, this will involve: • Using prototype in various practical scenarios to see and take notes on how it performs. • Finding out were the product needs most improvement, research into ways to possibly fix this problem • Using extreme characters (people in the smaller percentile of the population) to test the product, and receive feedback on their interactions. • Make conclusions that will mean identifying ways that the prototype will be altered to make it perform better • Making a plan for how and when the prototype will be altered in the upcoming couple of weeks

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Semester 2, Week 12, 13 & 14: Writing of the presentation report of the final product/design, this will include: • Detailed description to how the product will be manufactured and how it will be packaged. • Materials that will be used to make the product, were they will be obtained from, their properties, and their availability. • All costs involved with getting the design turned from a set of drawings, to the final packaged product on the market.

Semester 2, Week 15: Implementation presentation. This is a poster set, video, exhibition, or any other forms of communication that will convey to the public about my product the following: • What the initial problem was • Criteria for success in my design • How I went about researching and what I did • What I found • How I used what I found to generate my own ideas • What my product is • What the product does, and how it does it better than the competition (if there is any) • How people interact with it • How it will be made

Figure 9.0 - Individual Design Exhibition Work

Semester 2, Week 16: My final report will be now written, which will deeply analyse the entire design process. As I will be making constant conclusions throughout the entire project, this report will be more of an evaluation of my evaluations. Things this report might include: • Analysis of what I perceived to be problems with existing design/context and products, and how a solved these problems through my own concept/design • What areas of the project I believe I was successful at accomplishing • What areas I didn’t execute so well • An overview (possibly statistics) of how my product has performed in its proposed context/environment • Identification of cultural and ethical issues, and how I addressed them through my design process

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Tutorial

noun a period of instruction given by a university or college tutor to an individual or very small group. â&#x20AC;˘ an account or explanation of a subject, printed or on a computer screen, intended for private studyplan or suggestion : the proposal of flexible work hours.

Project Scope - Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell

Tasks

noun a piece of work to be done or undertaken.

MURRAY’S PROPOSAL: REVIEWED BY PATRICK O’CONNELL

the top of the proposal, as it is the major theme term for you assignment??

Can be found at: www.????

• Expansion on the idea of EDL acting as a filter??

Dear Murray Read your proposal (not sure were it finishes??) but you have defiantly developed a solid concept with great potential, our setups for our proposals are structurally different (not that there’s anything wrong with either of ours), I will probably adopt the style of presenting information you have used. your concept is very easy to understand and I get a very strong mental picture when I try to envisage your hopefully end result. Overview: • Very clear and proposal for a system design, easy to understand what your initial goal is. • Good that the benefits for implementing are included • Is there possibility to add a context to the overview? Possibly something like: “As we have seen the Australian and world wide market contract in the last two years the design business is not exactly flourishing, not to mention the gap growing between what is the expected skill set compared to that of a practicing professional designer, that’s where the EDL comes in…..” just to give people a little pre understanding into why • The meaning of “networked incubator” is displayed at the bottom of the proposal, would it work better at

Section 2 : • Yeah I believe your key points for the EDL to be successful are spot on • I feel that the value of the project (which is your bottom point) needs to be emphasised, if there is high value, all other characteristics will flourish. • Justification of why each of the services is offered eg “# Incubatee generated product analysis” probably needs more explanation, as I read that and think I have a rough idea about what your talking about, (then again I have spoken to you about that aspect in person) Section 3 : • Its great to see your thinking about the hierarchy setup, from what you’ve typed, I can see that it would be more effective as a diagram of some description, (people love seeing graphs and charts ☺) • By communicating potential pitfalls it shows that you are passionate about the topic, as there has been time invested in scenarios of even negative aspects, defiantly will work for you! Section 4 : • Documentation into how plan to or possibly adopt/ implement aspects of the case studies methods and research. Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

• Very thorough timeline, can image it would be very helpful to follow

DANIEL HOODS LITERATURE REVIEW: REVIEWED BY PATRICK O’CONNELL

Section 5 : • Is there supposed to be a title for section 5, it just starts with what looks like key points?? • It looks like this section is the potential to what tasks the EDL will perform?? • Or is it the design strategy you will undertake as a designer?? • Whatever it is, very specific and can see how it would ensure a quality design output

Can be found at: www.??

I don’t know if you want any other forms of feedback, I am defiantly more than happy to continue adding to this review, if you want me to look at it from another perspective, just call or email me and ill go over it again : ) Also I have many entrepreneurial business books lying around my house as my roommate is studying it at RMIT on bourke st, I can bring them into class if you want to flick through them, (we have been reading non-stop looking at texts and case studies as we plan on starting a small business over the hollidays, so I would love to ask you a couple of questions about your thoughts/beliefs) Cheers murray Patrick o

Introduction • Good description of what you plan to do • Nice identification of the problem in todays design society • I noticed you didnt present the design methodologies (frameworks) in the intro?? might help the reader understand the paper easier?? Frameworks: • With the statement referencing, only put the last name and the date in brackets, not the first name. e.g. (Hood,2009) • The same guy has a reference twice at either end of one piece of information?? maybe take one out?? • Good identification of important input components • Good explanation of non-intentional design • Quality einstien quote (thick) • Good reasoning for implementing design methodology • Good introduction to precedents (rolls very nicely)

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Precedents • Example of apple is very clear, but could possible delve into more information?? give proof and reasoning why apple chose this method?? • Good examples of intentional design • Excellent identification of the need for form in todays “superficial” culture of design Review I get the theme of what your trying to say, but its a pinch unclear, all this needs is referencing back to the above information… Conclusion • Very good evaluation of what you have written • Good analysis of what will be expected of you as a designer Overall Need to put description of each passage in the bibliography. Watch the small references, make sure they are formatted correctly. Good line of topic, very interesting ideas and methodologies about form vs function Hope this helps mate Pat O

ELLENS TUTE TASK LIT REVIEW: REVIEWED BY PATRICK O’CONNELL Can be found at: www.??? Introduction: • Very good summary that communicates Margolins thoughts and major key points First paragraph: • Probably not a need for the word “so”. • Is starting a sentence with “moreover” inferring that an argument was based in the previous sentence? Thought that was a little strange Last paragraph: • Possibly a bit more fluency in the last paragraph? I understand its hard with such a small word limit but it just seems like you’ve slapped don’t points down (especially when its pretty good info)?? Overall: • Ellen you have a very good writing style, it is fluent and very easy to follow. • Not much for me to pick you up on, as it is a very nicely constructed review • After reading the passage it is clear to me that you defiantly found the most important and effective information in the chapter to convey Margolins beliefs/Findings • Looks like an interesting book, might get a copy myself • Well done, had a look at your 2000 word lit review as well, very nice : ) Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Learning

verb 1 gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught : they’d started learning French | [with infinitive ] she is learning to play the piano | [ intrans. ] we learn from experience. • commit to memory : I’d learned too many grim poems in school. • become aware of (something) by information or from observation :

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Testimonial

noun a formal statement testifying to someone’s character and qualifications. • a public tribute to someone and to their achievements. • [often as adj. ] (in sports) a game or event held in honor of a player, who typically receives part of the income generated : the Yankees held a testimonial day for Gehrig.

At first looking at this class during the start of semester, the impression i got was that “methods” was going to be very english class oriented, covering information about how to write essays, structure sentinces properly, and effective referencing. I dont think i was far off the mark looking back, the main problem being that there was uncertainty to what we where have as deliverables by the end of the year. Where we to start the proposal and initial research into the design topic we were to take into 2010? Where we to actually execute research methods ourselves, gathering data and analysing it? Was this just an exercice to warm up for next year? All of these questions were stuck inside my head and conflicted, which in turn made the process of starting the manufacturing of my proposal difficult. I decided to bite the bullet and just start writing what i thought to be a good attack. In the end after getting the proposal draft feedback, it was clear that i was heading down the right direction (thanks to the feedback recieved, and small alterations to my proposal). From this point onwards all following tasks just seemed to make sense as the context of the courses intentions were now defined.

lead on to help the designer create “a” solution. My understanding before this was that all designers do research to solve this one problem, but the thing is no one problem, and that the best a designer can do is solve as many of them as possible. Through executing the requirements of this class not only do i believe i have gained a greater understanding of what will likely to be performed next year, but now getting a better feel for what embodies good design in general. Looking back at the last couple of years studying industrial design, it has become evident that effective time management by far (compared to all other facets), is the most important in achieving positive desired outcomes.

Cheers Pat O

The first books that i picked up really gave me a wider understanding of what would be expected in the coming 14 weeks, and it was for the first time here tht i realised that not only are research methods different in their process, but they all individually yeild a different means of data/results, which will then Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Glossary

noun an alphabetical list of terms or words found in or relating to a specific subject, text, or dialect, with explanations; a brief dictionary. â&#x20AC;˘ the action of putting forward such a plan or suggestion : the proposal of flexible work hours.

Project Scope - Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell

AUGMENTED REALITY

Augmented reality is the combination of the real world elements viewed in real physical world (both in live or delayed view) that combine with elements that are computer generated to present a combination reality. This topic can be found in most advertising campaigns to sell items such as cars on television (car is in shot, with features in text floating around), American Football telecasts (first down touch line), instruction manuals, and occasionally is applied to large scale architecture projects to simulate what the product might look like before construction starts. Generally the purpose is to provide the viewer with more assistive information so that a higher understanding can be achieved. This can be applied to the area of design both in testing the look of products in correct scale, and also providing an effective alternative to give users potential understanding of designs (arrows, highlight) areas that don’t require language. References: Feiner. S.K (2002) Augmented Reality: A New Way of Seeing. Scientific American

BOIL TIME (Created by Patrick O’Connell)

Boil time is referred to as the time it takes waiting between the initialisation of a render, and the image being completely rendered. This term is used in the context of Computer Aided Design and generally involves designers and engineers who are using computer software that takes 3 dimensional models, applies textures and materials, and presents them in the form of a image file for communication and presentation means. The origin of the name is

derived from two topics/areas: • A particular program called 3D studio max, which represents the rendering process with a kettle symbol, hence boil. • Renders are renowned for crashing computers due to their high need for memory and processing power, which in hand can frustrate users (boil over). This is an applicable term as all modern designers deal with when using 3D visualisation software, and have at some stage experienced hassle and grief whilst waiting for, and receiving finished renders. References: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-hate-waiting-forrenders/96513567820?v=info Page dedicated to the dislike of boil time.

DECEPITITION (Created by Patrick O’Connell)

Decepitition is the term given to online design competitions that are run by primarily manufacturing companies, with the deceptive goal of obtaining fresh high quality designs, without the need to employ face-to-face designers. The advantages of this (in terms of the company) being that little to no money has to be spent on prizes for entrants with the best designs, a much cheaper avenue than employing expensive contract based designers. Ways in which to tell if you are looking at an online Decepitition: • Limited information given into the competition • No Graphics (Visually boring appearance) • Previous years winning entries look like they were made in Microsoft paint • Little to no prize money Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

• Rules of competition refer to if the a design is submitted, it automatically becomes the intellectual property of the company • Competition stresses the importance along the lines of “even if you think it wont win, send it in anyway” • No email conformation once design has been submitted

facturing Process Fundamentals. SME

This is applicable to students, and advises them to be weary as many enter competitions in their spare time to practice design methodology, a small amount of time should be spent making sure competitions are legitimate

This theory is a derivative of cognitive science (situated cognition) and is most evidently apparent in the area of interaction design. EEC is idea used to describe the infinite relays of data input/output from all matter (including humans) and is envisaged through considering the universe as being one large “computer program” in which (in terms of humans), the brain is basically the hardware for which this system is installed. Understanding of this theory especially in terms design (especially interaction design) gives explanation and definition to the product in the environment, the user of the product, and all matter in the environment, and how each aspect of matter (wether external physical world, physical inner body, or neurological) will effect the interaction. From understanding this designers will be able to recognise were weak links are detracting from overall quality/effectiveness, and work towards improvement.

EMBODIED EMBEDDED COGNITION

Embodied Embedded Cognition is a theory that is built around the idea that to demonstrate “intelligent” thought/behaviour, the person must take into account the feedback/feedforward relationship of the three crucial factors, Brain, Body and Environment (world).

References: http://www.mockett.com/furniture-hardware/designcompetition Online example of a decepitition

DRAFT ANGLE

Draft Angle is a term applicable to engineering in the area of plastic moulding (injection, blow, rotational), as the amount of taper evident in casts perpendicular (90 degrees) to the part line of the mould. It is applied because on perpendicular casts, as sometimes plastics expand whilst in their moulds causing them to get stuck. Applying sufficient draft angle ensures that moulded plastics always slide out with ease. The draft angle is considered to be a very important aspect of product design, as if not implemented, could potentially lead waist in time, financial and tooling resources.

References: Brice. D.M (1996) Plastic Injection Moulding: ManuProject Scope - Patrick O’Connell

References: Beer. R.D (1990) Intelligence as adaptive behavior. Boston: Academic Press Gallagher. S (2005) How the Body Shapes the Mind. Oxford: Oxford University Press Figure 10.0 - Draft Angle

EXESTENTIAL DESIGN

Existential design is the term used to describe the design process that questions a products existence both on physical and emotional needs levels. Questioning a product’s “being” is advantageous in discovering what key elements of the design (social, function) are necessary in order to create basic skeletons of the designs essence. Used as the common structure in the field of minimalist design, this approach would defiantly be most used in the concept development stages, once the products purpose or intentions of the project/product are clearly identified. Questioning the origination and creation of a thought/idea is important in ensuring that it will have relevance in society, through applying this method, the raw purpose can be defined which can then provide motivation and direction forward for the project. References: Daigle. C (2006) Existentialist Thinkers and Ethics. McGill-Queen’s press Breisach. E (1962). Introduction to Modern Existentialism. New York

FEEDFOWARD (AUGUMENTED,INHERENT, FUNCTIONAL)

Feedfoward is the name given to the information of a product (what the product does, how it is used, and its potential) that is communicated towards the user before physical interaction has begun.

• Inherent Feedforward: The feel of performing an action (pushing a button and feeling the click) • Augmented Feedforward: labels, pictograms, spoken words • Functional Feedforward: General information to the products function This term is generally identified as a consideration in the field of interaction design. All movements that see experience as the key to good interaction design will consider feedforward as a crucial consideration; these design areas include mobile phone, touch screen information kiosks, and hand held video games. The very key in interaction design is to generate high levels of positive experience for the user, if the user enjoys the product, it will more likely sell. To do this it is vital that the user knows exactly how to operate the product, sure instruction manuals and training can be applied but they infer additional time has to be spent learning and not doing. Thus feedfoward is moulded around the product to communicate to the user how, and whereabouts the interaction will carry out, so that they can start their experience immediately. References: Wensveen. S, Djajadiningrat. J, Overbeeke. C (2004). Interaction Frogger: A Design Framework to Couple Action and Function through Feedback and Feedforward. Faculty of Industrial Design, Eindhoven. Foss. S, Foss. K (2002). Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric (3rd ed.). Waveland Press, Inc.

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

INTERACTION RELABELING

Interaction relabeling is the design method of collaborating a product/design with another to generate new concepts. This method is best used when in the stages of concept development, and used as a guide to alternative ideas that might not be thought of using conventional design practices. The two designs do not have to be related at all. For example if the designer were working on improving efficiency of an appointment manager system, trying to combine this system with the mechanics of a gun would possibly result in: • Aiming the gun at someone to schedule appointments • Opening the revolver to check upcoming appointments, or chance order of importance. The key with this method is not to apply the theory of a gun into the design, but provide an alternative view on the relation between key ideas and themes within the framework of the appointment system, which in turn hopefully results in more effective concepts. This is a significant method that can be used by all developers because it provides alternatives to initial concepts and forces discussion on topics that previously were not visible considerations. References: Djajadiningrat. J, Gaver. W.W, Frens. J.W (2000). Interaction Relabelling and Extreme Characters: Methods for Exploring Aesthetic Interactions. DIS Brooklyn New York Preece. J, Sharp. H, Rogers, Y. (2002) Interaction design : beyond human-computer interaction. New York: J. Wiley & Sons. 34

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

INTERACTION REMORSE

Interaction remorse generally refers to the level of regret felt after using a product due to a negative experience usage. There are direct correlations between this term and “Cognitive dissonance”, as most negative experiences occur because the user thinks the perceives the product is going to function one way, but then instead acts another way. This combination of perceived function and actual function causes the dissonance which the angers or frustrates the user into feeling remorse and regret for attempting to interact with the product. Interaction remorse is generally only evident in poor design (e.g. badly executed instruction manuals, poor product packaging, lack of ergonomics in design), and isn’t very common due to many professional practices employing various research and development methods to ensure it wont be evident in their respective design. This is a very important topic because if users to any extent feel it, the design will fail and will have no value both in use, and market/ sales potential. References: Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Dembski, W. (1999). Intelligent design: the bridge between science & theology. InterVarsity Press

PARALELL IMPLEMENTATION

Parallel implementation is the technique used to introduce new product into an already functioning environment. This method is applicable generally in environments that handle high amounts of data (e.g. supermarkets, banks, libraries) that are looking to replace their current systems for a more efficient

version, were data integrity is crucial and cannot be lost. Instead of just doing plain swap over of systems (Direct Implementation), the new product is run in conjunction with the old system in the environment until it is proven to be able to manage well over a period of time. Once this occurs, the old system is abolished. The advantages of this being that if the new product has problems/issues, the environment won’t suffer as the backup is the old system, so then the problem can be identified, fixed, and rereleased back into the environment. Parallel implementation is considered very highly not so much in design, but in the execution of a design. Also can be quiet expensive as two systems are running at once initially, but this is relative because parallel is considered the safest of all implementation methods.

It terms of design, is explained as the new foundation of knowledge one gains once they have experienced and interacted with a design/product/service. This is crucial especially in economically based product design. If a company releases a product onto the market, the user purchases it, then has bad experience with the product (didn’t know how to use it, it broke, did something different to what was intended by the user), the user now feels frustration and anger to the poor design of the product, which in hand will be associated back to the company. This will most likely end with this user never purchasing any of the companies products in the future. References: Giddens. A (1990) Positivism and Sociology. Heinman: London

References: Daft. R.L. (1998) Organizational Theory and Design. West: International Thompson Turban. E, Mclean. E, Wetherbe. J, (2002) Building information systems: Information Technology for management. New York: John Wiley & Sons

POSITIVISM

Positivism is the belief different from most due to the fact it doesn’t warrant metaphysical experience as a constructive component in universal truth. This philosophy primarily structured by the idea that certified knowledge is only possible through personal sensual experiences.

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Bibliography

noun a list of the books referred to in a scholarly work, usually printed as an appendix. â&#x20AC;˘ a list of the books of a specific author or publisher, or on a specific subject : a bibliography of his publications.

Project Scope - Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell

PROPOSAL Wensveen. S (2004) Interaction Frogger: A Design Framework to Couple Action and Function through Feedback and Feedforward. Conference on designing interactive systems. Vanderstoep, Johnson, S.W., Deidre, D (2009) Research Methods For Everyday Life: Blending Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Jossey and Bass Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004-2005) Household Building Statistics: Summary of Results. ABS Starey. C, Constantine. S (2004) User-Centred Interaction Paradigms for Universal Access in the Information Society. Springer: Berlin Jordan. J, Thomas. B, Weerdmeester. B (1996) Usability evaluation in industry. Taylor & Francis Ltd: London Clarkson. P.J (2006) Cambridge Engineering Design Centre: Website “http://www-edc.eng.cam.ac.uk”. Cambridge: United Kingdom

LITERATURE REVIEW Campbell, A (2007) An Ethical Approach to Practitioner Research: Dealing with Issues and Dilemmas of Action Research. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis This book goes into depth about the wide range of issues (mainly ethical) that are involved with practitioner research context. The aim of the book is to get readers to exercise ethical thinking before start-

ing research. Quiet a comprehensive chapter listing attempting to cover as many situational contexts as possible. The introduction was the most helpful part of the book, as it clearly defined the general background to what Action/Practitioner research is. Also many of the case studies throughout the book helped see the method in action. Overall this book is fairly useful to read to gain understanding of the topic. The people who would benefit most from this book would be people who are about to conduct action research in the public arena. Burns, D (2007) Systematic Action Research: A Strategy For Whole System Change This book aim is to discuss the topic of action research, apply it to everyday research examples, then show were lie opportunity to gather effective data. Another key theme is showing how applying systemic action research into organizational structures can have positive effects on the ways items are perceived and run. Not much of the information really applied to the literature reviews topic, but a good quote was found and used, as it clearly defines the method. This book would be appropriate for people high in management who are looking for ways to improve the way the business’s systems are functioning. McMillan, J.H., Wergin, J.F (2008) Understanding and Evaluating Educational Research. Merril Prentice Hall Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

This book Is more generalized than most, as its main purpose is to present the reader with as many possible research methods, for them to evaluate personally. Only had a small section of information on action/ practitioner research. One good sentence was used which identified the responsibility of a good action researcher. This book was defiantly aimed at students who are looking to conduct primary research. Wright, P., McCarthy, J., Meekison, L (2007) A Practitioner-Centered Assessment of User-Experience Framework. Idea Group Publishing This paper was the case study used for the action/ practitioner research method. It involved asking people with prior online shopping experience to test the “experience” quality of a new online shopping site. This case study was chosen as its aim and method were well documented, but the results were very astonishing, and extremely relevant to the topic of the proposal. Vanderstoep, Johnson, S.W., Deidre, D (2009) Research Methods For Everyday Life: Blending Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Jossey and Bass This book offers an innovative introduction to social research. It explores all stages of the research process and it features both quantitative and qualitative methods. Research design topics include sampling techniques, choosing a research design, determining research question that inform public opinion, and direct future studies. 38

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

This book was helpful and gave plenty of information about ethnography, but also on the other two methods in this paper. Information on what makes a good ethnologist was the most helpful, as it provided practical examples. Judging by the content, this book is aimed again a students looking to conduct research. Falzon, M.A (2009) Multi-Sited Ethnography: Theory, maxis and Locality in Contempary Research . Ashgate Publishing LTD It responds to the challenge of combining multi-sited work with the need for In-depth analysis, which allows for considered study of social environments. As only a brief explanation for ethnography was to be used, again the introduction was the best place to find this data. As stated in the book, recommended most usable by scholars of human geography, anthropology, sociology, and migration studies. Hubert, R (2006) Usability field study of older adults using multi-modal home health monitoring devices This case study looked at testing the design of health monitoring products for the elderly. A Field study was orchestrated testing the functional uses of the device by comparing experienced and new users. And contained a very comprehensive conclusion that was willing to explain the origin for all results. Most information was found in the methods and conclusion sections of the case study. This case study would be handy not only for people who want to test their product against a competitor, but also research-

ers who want to find out information, into the relationship between the elderly and modern technological devices. Ornstiein, M.D (1998) Survey Research: Current Socialology. Explains the basic fundamentals of executing survey research. The only data taken from this literature was a quote that nicely explained the flexibility of surveys. Most likely a book for students. Lepkowski, J.M (2008) Advances in Telephone Survey methodology. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc This book identifies the principals of good research design, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. The once the reader has built solid understanding, shows how these survey designs can be applied to work with telephone-based research. Mock scenarios are also used to help along the process. Best information in this book for the literature review was the section that explained the necessity of knowing how the participant will perceive the information from a specifically asked question. Very good book for those who wish to engage in “cold-calling” research. Groves, R.M (1989) Survey Errors and Survey Costs. New York: Wiley. This book is dedicated to identifying all possible ways that data mining can go wrong when constructing surveys, but also what costs they will have on the research project (money, time, participation levels, ethics). Then goes into detail on how to minimize

these possibilities. The identification of the positive and negative aspects of conducting surveys as a research method was the best information to take note off. Defiantly a good book to read for people who are conducting surveys, especially if there’s great deals of money going into the process. Demirbilek, O (2004) Shopping and the Elderly: A Universal Design Case Study. University of New South Wales This case study takes numerous samples of elderly shoppers, and asks them about their shopping experiences (in the form of a questionnaire, and in relation to their form of carry bags). The results are collected and conclusions are drawn. From these conclusions concepts solving some of the problems the elderly had are presented back for further analysis. A quiet comprehensive explanation of the entire project means readers can follow easily. The results of the research method proved it was effective by presenting the elderly with sound re-designed alternatives. This case study gives good insight into how to involve elderly participants. Herwig, O (2008) Universal Design: Solutions for Barrier Free Living. Birkhauser Presents numerous case studies of successful designs that are “universally” orientated. Mostly concentrating on ways to improve quality of life to Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

people that have minor to serious disabilities (vision and hearing impaired, obesity, and age concerns), that don’t allow them to operate/use a product as efficiently as the design intended.

users (in terms of ability). Generally information not enough “in-depth” to gain valuable information from, but does show how the right method applied to the right environment can pay dividends.

Many interviews are staged with designers, involving direct quotes, and Herwig’s summaries of what he believes are important points of discussion.

Coleman, R (2008) Design for Inclusivity: A Practical Guide to Accessible, Innovative and User-Centered design. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Ltd

Noakes, H.N (1985) Design for the Ageing. AIA Press

Design for Inclusivity is a guide to inclusive design for all types of designers, providing guidelines, real examples and information sources. Best topic in the book is the chapter that gives a brief history of inclusive design over the past forty years. A brief overview of practices, and generally lacks information.

Book gives strong indicators into what to be aware of when manufacturing both products and housing. This includes heights for shower seats and “A-Frame” basic dimensions. Large emphasis on the expansion of the elderly population to come in the next couple of decades, and how we can ensure we don’t exclude the elderly from tomorrows designs, this was good information to include. Due to vast array of dimensions and figures, most likely best read if looking to focus on ergonomics. Neilson, N (2009) Inclusive Design: Part One. Diamond Publishing Cannot Re-Locate Literature Ridsdale, E (2009) Design Council: Inclusive Design Educational Resource. http://www.designcouncil.info/ inclusivedesignresource/EleanorRidsdale/intro.html Website presents a series of miniature case study’s covering a wide range of topics that fit under the category of inclusive design. Presents a good body of information into how tomorrows society of designers have to be aware of our a widening spectrum of 40

Project Scope - Patrick O’Connell

Knigge, M (2008) Interview with Oliver Herwig in Universal Design Interview covers a wide range of topics that were included in the review, varying from why the elderly have been excluded from being targeted in marketing for so many years, to the logistics of universal design and whether it has a bright future. Hymes, D (1974) Foundations in Sociolinguistics: An Ethnographic Approach. University of Pennsylvania Press Examines the nature of verbal communication and what trends start to occur between national languages when they are compared. This book even though mentions “An Ethnographic Approach” doesn’t hold much content in the matter.

The End

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