Madeline Balaam

Retraining function in people with Parkinson’s disease using the Microsoft kinect: game design and pilot testing

BackgroundComputer based gaming systems, such as the Microsoft Kinect (Kinect), can facilitate complex task practice, enhance sensory feedback and action observation in novel, relevant and motivating modes of exercise which can be difficult to achieve with standard physiotherapy for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, there is a current need for safe, feasible and effective exercise games that are appropriate for PD rehabilitation. The aims of this study were to i) develop a computer game to rehabilitate dynamic postural control for people with PD using the Kinect; and ii) pilot test the game’s safety and feasibility in a group of people with PD.MethodsA rehabilitation game aimed at training dynamic postural control was developed through an iterative process with input from a design workshop of people with PD. The game trains dynamic postural control through multi-directional reaching and stepping tasks, with increasing complexity across 12 levels of difficulty. Nine people with PD pilot tested the game for one session. Participant feedback to identify issues relating to safety and feasibility were collected using semi-structured interviews.ResultsParticipants reported that they felt safe whilst playing the game. In addition, there were no adverse events whilst playing. In general, the participants stated that they enjoyed the game and seven of the nine participants said they could imagine themselves using the game at home, especially if they felt it would improve their balance. The Flow State Scale indicated participants were immersed in the gameplay and enjoyed the experience. However, some participants reported that they found it difficult to discriminate between different types and orientations of visual objects in the game and some also had difficulty with the stepping tasks, especially when performed at the same time as the reaching tasks.ConclusionComputer-based rehabilitation games using the Kinect are safe and feasible for people with PD although intervention trials are needed to test their safety, feasibility and efficacy in the home.

Motivating mobility: designing for lived motivation in stroke rehabilitation

How to motivate and support behaviour change through design is becoming of increasing interest to the CHI community. In this paper, we present our experiences of building systems that motivate people to engage in upper limb rehabilitation exercise after stroke. We report on participatory design work with four stroke survivors to develop a holistic understanding of their motivation and rehabilitation needs, and to construct and deploy engaging interactive systems that satisfy these. We reflect on the limits of motivational theories in trying to design for the lived experience of motivation and highlight lessons learnt around: helping people articulate what motivates them; balancing work, duty, fun; supporting motivation over time; and understanding the wider social context. From these we identify design guidelines that can inform a toolkit approach to support both scalability and personalisability.

Exploring the acceptability of google glass as an everyday assistive device for people with parkinson's

We describe a qualitative study investigating the acceptability of the Google Glass eyewear computer to people with Parkinsons disease (PD). We held a workshop with 5 PD patients and 2 carers exploring perceptions of Glass. This was followed by 5-day field trials of Glass with 4 PD patients, where participants wore the device during everyday activities at home and in public. We report generally positive responses to Glass as a device to instil confidence and safety for this potentially vulnerable group. We also raise concerns related to the potential for Glass to reaffirm dependency on others and stigmatise wearers.

FeedFinder: A Location-Mapping Mobile Application for Breastfeeding Women

Breastfeeding is positively encouraged across many countries as a public health endeavour. The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of an infants life. However, women can struggle to breastfeed, and to persist with breastfeeding, for a number of reasons from technique to social acceptance. This paper reports on four phases of a design and research project, from sensitising user-engagement and user-centred design, to the development and in-the-wild deployment of a mobile phone application called FeedFinder. FeedFinder has been developed with breastfeeding women to support them in finding, reviewing and sharing public breastfeeding places with other breastfeeding women. We discuss how mobile technologies can be designed to support public health endeavours, and suggest that public health technologies are better aimed at communities and societies rather than individual.

Enhancing interactional synchrony with an ambient display

Nonverbal communication is an essential part of face-to-face social interaction, conveying information about emotion and interpersonal relationships. The rigorous sensing capabilities of pervasive technologies and the subtle nature of ambient technologies make them ideal to support the production of nonverbal communication in social interactions. In this paper we present a study using an ambient technology that supports nonverbal communication, and specifically nonverbal behaviours associated with rapport. We show that an ambient display can influence a participants nonverbal behaviour, and that participants are not aware of this change in their behaviour. We discuss these findings in terms of the design and ethical issues that it raises, and define an agenda for future work.

Syrian Refugees and Digital Health in Lebanon: Opportunities for Improving Antenatal Health

There are currently over 1.1 million Syrian refugees in need of healthcare services from an already overstretched Lebanese healthcare system. Access to antenatal care (ANC) services presents a particular challenge. We conducted focus groups with 59 refugees in rural Lebanon to identify contextual and cultural factors that can inform the design of digital technologies to support refugee ANC. Previously identified high utilization of smartphones by the refugee population offers a particular opportunity for using digital technology to support access to ANC as well as health advocacy. Our findings revealed a number of considerations that should be taken into account in the design of refugee ANC technologies, including: refugee health beliefs and experiences, literacy levels, refugee perceptions of negative attitudes of healthcare providers, and hierarchal and familial structures.

Magic land: the design and evaluation of an interactive tabletop supporting therapeutic play with children

We consider the role and design of digital technologies in play therapy settings with young children. Through an aggregation of the researcher and practitioner literature, and results of discussions with therapists and counselors, we propose a set of design requirements for digital technologies that support non-directive play within a play therapy context. We explore how to design for these complex requirements through the development and evaluation of Magic Land, a set of four play therapy applications for an interactive tabletop. Based on our experiences we recommend that designers create digital interactive toys, which create opportunities for play that would not normally be possible within the traditional play therapy environment.

Motherhood and HCI

Motherhood and mothering are fundamental aspects of life, and as a consequence, every culture has knowledge, values, practices and expectations related to the role. Technologies now have an increasing role in motherhood, altering many womens experiences of pregnancy, birth, and mothering. For HCI, such a transition opens a whole host of questions relating to areas of participatory design, social connection, data sharing, identity, memory-making, emotion work, as well as offering a new lens through which to understand notions of care and wellbeing. This workshop will bring together researchers, designers, and practitioners interested in the role of motherhood, the act of mothering, and its relation to HCI and technology. We will identify a collective research agenda related to motherhood and HCI and forge connections amongst a community of researchers to support the sharing of knowledge, resources and design approaches.

HCI and Intimate Care as an Agenda for Change in Women's Health

Designing for womens healthcare remains an underexplored area of HCI, particularly outside informational systems for maternal health. Drawing on a case study of a body disruption - urinary incontinence in women - we illustrate the experience of womens health both from the perspective of the patient and the therapist. We show how knowledge, esteem and agency play crucial roles in remedial womens care practices, as well as preventative. In describing these challenges we deliberate on possible futures of womens health that take advantage of the many advances in design and technology from across the spectrum of HCI research. We show how with some care and courage HCI has the potential to transform womens experience within this setting.

Rehabilitation centred design

Stroke is a significant cause of disability, and is predicted to become a greater burden as population demographics shift. Research suggests that the completion of rehabilitation exercises can considerably improve function in damaged limbs, yet these exercises can be both boring and frustrating for patients to complete at home. New technologies create possibilities to support rehabilitation in motivating and entertaining ways, and, in this paper, we present a case study that illustrates the work of designing such technologies for a single user. Participation in this case study has highlighted some interesting tensions between designing for rehabilitation and designing for the user.