Ikuko Gyobu

Participatory design using scenarios in different cultures

In this paper we have examined the effects of scenarios from a participatory design and cross-cultural perspective. The Scenario Exchange Project was an international workshop using scenarios. The participants were university students from Japan and Taiwan. The impetus behind this project was the practical demand for designers to correctly understand different cultures and design products and services. We confirmed that scenarios are effective techniques for bolstering participatory design. Furthermore, we have recognized that we must create new methods for describing the lifestyle and cultural background of personas.

Dynamic Lighting Sign System for Way-Finding by People with Low Vision

We developed and proposed a dynamic lighting sign (DLS for short) system for people with poor vision to use to find their way. The DLS system uses a chain of lighting units with LED to indicate the way and is controlled by means of a PC. We implemented the DLS system for helping people to find their way and evaluated it in terms of light-flashing time, spatial interval and colour. We also carried out an experiment to evaluate its effectiveness in helping people find their way.