Marieke Sonneveld

THE TACTUAL EXPERIENCE OF OBJECTS

Publisher Summary A child’s first tactual experiences with objects mostly involve being touched. Once children grow old enough to reach out and touch what surrounds them, their tactual experiences become active. And although children are aware that they are the active agent in kicking the ball and riding the bicycle, it is not always clear whether they are cuddling the toy or whether the toy is cuddling them; touching becomes interactive. This unavoidable reciprocity is characteristic for the sense of touch. Seeing does not imply being seen, neither does hearing imply being heard. But touching implies being touched simultaneously. Touching and being touched are integrated into one phenomenon, the tactual experience. This chapter describes the meaning of touch, based on a literature overview approaching touch from different perspectives, and discusses the five domains of tactual experience with background information for each specific domain. It provides an overview of the different domains from which tactual experiences can be described and explored. In addition, it discusses the Tactual Experience Guide, which summarizes those different domains. This guide helps people to describe their tactual experiences with objects, by offering a consistent framework of the different aspects of tactual experience (the content of the tool), and by offering a format that guides people through this experience (the design of the tool). Throughout the chapter, the descriptions of the different aspects of tactual experience are illustrated with examples derived from the Tactual Experience Guide. Furthermore, it discusses the development of product designers’ aesthetic sensitivity for the tactual experience in human-product interaction and recommendations for future research in the field of tactual aesthetics.

Robot Vacuum Cleaner Personality and Behavior

In this paper we report our study on the user experience of robot vacuum cleaner behavior. How do people want to experience this new type of cleaning appliance? Interviews were conducted to elicit a desired robot vacuum cleaner personality. With this knowledge in mind, behavior was designed for a future robot vacuum cleaner. A video prototype was used to evaluate how people experienced the behavior of this robot vacuum cleaner. The results indicate that people recognized the intended personality in the robot behavior. We recommend using a personality model as a tool for developing robot behavior.

Setting-related influences on physical inactivity of older adults in residential care settings: a review

BackgroundDespite the detrimental effects of physical inactivity for older adults, especially aged residents of residential care settings may spend much time in inactive behavior. This may be partly due to their poorer physical condition; however, there may also be other, setting-related factors that influence the amount of inactivity. The aim of this review was to review setting-related factors (including the social and physical environment) that may contribute to the amount of older adults’ physical inactivity in a wide range of residential care settings (e.g., nursing homes, assisted care facilities).MethodsFive databases were systematically searched for eligible studies, using the key words ‘inactivity’, ‘care facilities’, and ‘older adults’, including their synonyms and MeSH terms. Additional studies were selected from references used in articles included from the search. Based on specific eligibility criteria, a total of 12 studies were included. Quality of the included studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).ResultsBased on studies using different methodologies (e.g., interviews and observations), and of different quality (assessed quality range: 25-100%), we report several aspects related to the physical environment and caregivers. Factors of the physical environment that may be related to physical inactivity included, among others, the environment’s compatibility with the abilities of a resident, the presence of equipment, the accessibility, security, comfort, and aesthetics of the environment/corridors, and possibly the presence of some specific areas. Caregiver-related factors included staffing levels, the available time, and the amount and type of care being provided.ConclusionsInactivity levels in residential care settings may be reduced by improving several features of the physical environment and with the help of caregivers. Intervention studies could be performed in order to gain more insight into causal effects of improving setting-related factors on physical inactivity of aged residents.

The effects of observation of walking in a living room environment, on physical, cognitive, and quality of life related outcomes in older adults with dementia: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe number of older adults with dementia is expected to increase. Dementia is not only characterized by a decline in cognition, also other functions, for example, physical functioning change. A possible means to decrease the decline in these functions, or even improve them, could be increasing the amount of physical activity. A feasible way hereto may be activation of the mirror neuron system through action observation. This method has already been shown beneficial for the performance of actions in, for example, stroke patients. The primary aim of this study is to examine the effect of observing videos of walking people on physical activity and physical performance, in older adults with dementia. Secondary, effects on cognition and quality of life related factors will be examined.Methods/DesignA cluster randomized controlled trial is being performed, in which videos are shown to older adults with dementia (also additional eligibility criteria apply) in shared living rooms of residential care facilities. Due to the study design, living rooms instead of individual participants are randomly assigned to the experimental (videos of walking people) or control (videos of nature) condition, by means of drawing pieces of paper. The intervention has a duration of three months, and takes place on weekdays, during the day. There are four measurement occasions, in which physical activity, physical functioning, activities of daily living, cognition, the rest-activity rhythm, quality of life, and depression are assessed. Tests for participants are administered by a test administrator who is blind to the group the participant is in.DiscussionThis study examines the effect of the observation of walking people on multiple daily life functions and quality of life related factors in older adults with dementia. A strength of this study is that the intervention does not require much time and attention from caregivers or researchers. A challenge of the study is therefore to get to know for how long residents watch the videos. However, the design implies a high feasibility of the study, as well as a high applicability of the intervention into daily care.Trial registrationNTR4708. Date of registration: 31 July 2014.

Exploring design opportunities for social intimacy through everyday objects and practices

This paper describes a design-driven exploration of how social media services can be made tangible through everyday objects and practices. The exploration was focused on the gaps and opportunities of how people experience intimacy in the social media context. We refer to it as social intimacy.