Jean D. Hallewell Haslwanter

Participatory Practices in the Software Lifecycle

Publisher Summary Participatory design has become increasingly important over the past several decades. The goal of this chapter is to help practitioners find methods, techniques, and procedures that they can use for participatory work. For this purpose, the scope is limited to methods and techniques that are relatively well-defined as courses of action, suitable for adoption by practitioners without a great deal of additional research. The concern is to help practitioners introduce their participatory practices in conventional software lifecycles. The scope is restricted to approaches that are more than the use of a particular technology or the creation of a particular artifact or representation. This chapter begins with a brief introduction to participatory design, including some of the questions that have arisen concerning the boundaries of participatory practice. The chapter then describes a taxonomic space of participatory activities. Participatory practices may be useful at different points within the software lifecycle. The taxonomy may be used by readers to select one or more participatory practices to incorporate into software lifecycle activities.

Issues in the Development of AAL Systems: What experts think

Although the development of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) technologies is being financed to support older people, there are not many systems on the market to date. Other studies have tried to understand this by looking at user acceptance issues. However, by looking only at the user acceptance, we may miss important aspects to explain why systems went wrong in the first place. To understand this, we consulted with people directly involved in the development of AAL. In this study, input was gained from experts through workshops and an interactive poster. We present the common issues reported across various AAL development projects that experts thought were most important to success or failure of projects. We also describe some ideas from people with experience in AAL for solving some of these problems.

Why do few assistive technology systems make it to market? The case of the HandyHelper project

Assistive technologies, such as telecare monitoring applications installed in the home, are being promoted to help reduce pressure on health care systems caused by an aging population and as such promise a large market for new products. However, despite many projects undertaken by commercial companies, and despite significant investments both by the companies and by national and international funding programs in the EU, such systems are not widespread. This paper reports on a retrospective study of the development of one early system, HandyHelper. We were interested in what challenges the development team faced and why the system is no longer on the market. Qualitative research methods were applied, including document analysis and interviews of key people involved in its development. Even though the system worked technically, the input of older users was sought, and a pilot installation was run, the development was stopped. The findings from a thematic analysis point to complex issues. Some problems were avoidable, e.g., by providing more support for new users, though other problems point to inherent tensions, such as the different needs of sensor-based security features and interactive services aimed at the older users. Yet other aspects are outside of the developer’s control, such as available public funding. We summarize these findings and suggest lessons learnt for future projects.

Graph traversal-based automation of fault detection, location, and recovery on MVDC shipboard power systems

This paper describes a graph traversal-based method for automating system-wide programming of differential fault protection and generation of fault isolation steps in MVDC shipboard power systems (SPS). Automation is highly desired due to the increased complexity of isolating faults using disconnect switches rather than breakers. The method in this paper describes the derivation of a graph abstraction from the electrical system that is then used for computing a minimal but sufficient isolation sequence consisting of commands issued to breakers and switching converters.

User-centered development of a system to support assembly line worker

This industrial perspective contribution describes the development of a prototype of a mobile worker assistance system to be used in the assembly line for motors that is changing to single piece flow. A large variety of user-centered methods were chosen to cover all phases of the development. Users were included in the analysis and evaluation phases. The results show that the methods are suitable for this type of development. Extended tests with users indicate that the prototype was very acceptable, especially for people with less experience on the assembly line. Since the system was tested in a real environment for five days with a number of users, the company now feels confident investing in the development of the system.

Industrial Perspectives on Assistive Systems for Manual Assembly Tasks

Small lot sizes in modern manufacturing present new challenges for people doing manual assembly tasks. Assistance systems, including instruction systems and collaborative robots, can support the flexibility needed, while also reducing the number of errors. This session is designed to give participants a better understanding of the strengths and limitations of the different technologies with respect to the practical implementation in companies. Several new technological solutions designed for companies will be presented. In addition, participants will be given the chance to gain first-hand experience with some of the technologies presented.

Experiences with an Assistive System for Manual Assembly

Small lot sizes in modern manufacturing present new challenges for people doing complex manual assembly tasks, as every item produced may be different. Assistance systems can support people assembling different variants and reduce stress, while also reducing the number of errors. This paper reports on a qualitative study which used interviews and thematic analysis to study the experiences of one company with an innovative system designed to support workers assembling small lot sizes. The system provides photographs and instructions to people doing manual assembly of engines. The study was done after an extended pilot, and before the next release that will be rolled out to the main assembly lines. The goal of the study was to understand the needs and problems in practice in order to support people developing the next generation of these types of systems. The results highlight the importance of integrating these systems with existing systems, but also the way in which the way the information is delivered depends on the primary goal, e.g. supporting different variants, new workers or quality.

Supporting the Development of Assistive Systems for Older People: Company perspectives

Assistive technologies to support aging in place are being widely promoted due to changing demographics. Although much time and money has been invested in the development of these types of systems, to date there are not many successful systems on the market. This highly interactive industrial workshop aims to help participants gain a better understanding of the issues that companies developing these technologies face. Together participants will develop ideas of what can be done to support more success in the future.

Review of Telecare Technologies for Older People

This paper reviews technology to support aging in place. Although the populations in many countries are aging and various funding programmes have supported their development, these technologies are not yet widespread. To support people developing these systems in having more success in the future, here types of systems available and a number of systems that have been developed are described. Furthermore, some of the benefits, both potential and realized, are described.

Future Perspectives for Aging Well: AAL Tools, Products, Services

This Special Thematic Session (STS) was intended to provide a forum to discuss some major issues related to Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) services and technologies to support aging in place. The papers in the session are introduced here. These cover a broad range of topics including the development of new solutions, existing solutions and their evaluation and also issues and preferences related to specific systems. The technologies described are very diverse and include communication systems, entertainment platforms, telecare systems, wearable technologies and assistive robots. Together these contributions can support others developing these types of systems in the future. In the end, we hope this can benefit the growing number of older people by supporting safety and independence, and thus help people to age with more dignity and enjoyment.