Woodrow W. Winchester

Use of attitude congruence to identify safety interventions for small residential builders

The construction industry has experienced high numbers of occupational injuries and fatalities over the years. To address this issue, differences in safety attitudes and behaviours were explored among construction workers, first‐line supervisors, and project managers in small residential construction companies with respect to recommendations for safety interventions. A triangulation design consisting of observation (shadowing), subjective quantitative (questionnaire), and subjective qualitative (interview) methods was used to obtain different but complementary data on the same safety challenges. Shadowing was utilized to explore onsite safety problems and/or risky behaviours resulting from safety attitudinal discrepancies among the three groups. Questionnaires were administered to identify salient themes for the observed practices. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted to explore the causes of the observed safety problems. Results revealed that first‐line supervisors did not enforce safety rules strictly or consistently, and that significant differences in safety attitudes and risk perceptions were observed among the three groups. Results also support a tendency among subcontractors to practise risky behaviours, even though they generally articulated a desire to avoid injuries. The recommended interventions include holding regular safety meetings between managers and workers, implementing informal training to supplement formal training, and closely examining and reviewing the appropriateness of health and safety policies.

Mobile learning for just-in-time applications

This document will attempt to evaluate the potential of a mobile learning and training system for use in a Just-In-Time (JIT) environment. The literature review covers existing mobile communications technology and learning systems, an overview of JIT training, and the characteristics of a JIT environment are covered before investigating a framework for implementing a JIT mobile learning system (JITML) using existing mobile learning and educational theories. Finally, the design challenges and further research and design of JITML are discussed.

An integrative approach to requirements analysis: How task models support requirements reuse in a user-centric design framework

Many software systems fail to address their intended purpose because of a lack of user involvement and requirements deficiencies. This paper discusses the elaboration of a requirements-analysis process that integrates a critical-parameter-based approach to task modeling within a user-centric design framework. On one hand, adapting task models to capture requirements bridges the gap between scenarios and critical parameters which benefits design from the standpoint of user involvement and accurate requirements. On the other hand, using task models as a reusable component leverages requirements reuse which benefits design by increasing quality while simultaneously reducing development costs and time-to-market. First, we present the establishment of both a user-centric and reuse-centric requirements process along with its implementation within an integrated design tool suite. Secondly, we report the design, procedures, and findings of two user studies aimed at assessing the feasibility for novice designers to conduct the process as well as evaluating the resulting benefits upon requirements-analysis deliverables, requirements quality, and requirements reuse.

Sticker Charts: A Method for Improving Adherence to Treatment of Chronic Diseases in Children

Abstract:  Poor adherence is a common problem and may be an underlying cause of poor clinical outcomes. In pediatric populations, positive reinforcement techniques such as sticker charts may increase motivation to adhere to treatment regimens. To review the use of sticker charts to improve adherence in children with chronic disease, Medline and PsycINFO searches were conducted using the key words “positive reinforcement OR behavior therapy” and “adherence OR patient compliance” and “child.” Randomized controlled retrospective cohort or single‐subject‐design studies were selected. Studies reporting adherence to the medical treatment of chronic disease in children using positive reinforcement techniques were included in the analysis. The systematic search was supplemented by identifying additional studies identified through the reference lists and authors of the initial articles found. Positive reinforcement techniques such as sticker charts increase adherence to medical treatment regimens. In several studies, this effect was maintained for months after the initial intervention. Better adherence correlated with better clinical outcomes in some, but not all, studies. Few studies examining the use of sticker charts were identified. Although single‐subject‐design studies are useful in establishing the effect of a behavioral intervention, larger randomized controlled trials would help determine the precise efficacy of sticker chart interventions. Adherence to medical treatments in children can be increased using sticker charts or other positive reinforcement techniques. This may be an effective means to encourage children with atopic dermatitis to apply their medications and improve clinical outcomes.

Android application development to promote physical activity in adolescents

Adolescents in todays society are becoming increasingly less active, contributing to a rising obesity rate. With this epidemic as motivation, and the use of smart phones by youth as opportunity, a suite of Android Applications was developed to promote physical activity among this population.

The Use of Partner-Seeking Computer-Mediated Communication Applications by Young Men that Have Sex with Men (Ymsm): Uncovering Human-Computer Interaction (Hci) Design Opportunities in Hiv Prevention

HIV/AIDS incidence among young men who have sex with men (YMSM), both in the United States and globally, remains a public health priority. Using Activity Theory as a framework, and YMSM as a target population, we examine the intricate three-way relationship between safer sex (i.e., condom) negotiation, HIV status disclosure behaviors, and the use of computer-mediated communication applications as a means of seeking sexual partners, particularly casual partners (e.g., one night stands, hookups). We offer a human-computer interaction (HCI) research framework that could uncover more impactful design opportunities for HIV prevention.

Mobile technologies for promoting health and wellness among african american youth

This paper describes an effort to address life-threatening diseases and health conditions through engaging use of mobile devices. The design targeted children ages 7-11, with a goal of becoming aware of the nutritional value of foods that they eat on a regular basis. The implementation efforts resulted in Health Attack, a matching and memory game that seeks to raise the knowledgelevel of participants about the foods that they eat. The evaluation of Health Attack, conducted through a demo and questionnaire administered to K-12 teachers, suggests that this type of game would be engaging for younger audiences as a first step in raising health awareness.

Using Storytelling to Elicit Design Guidance for Medical Devices

Medical device designers must understand the complex context of use within a health care environment to ensure product usability. Designers must overcome domain-specific obstacles during usability research, such as patient privacy standards, which prevent designers from observing practitioners in context. In this project, we investigated storytelling as an alternative elicitation method for medical device requirements when direct observations are limited or not possible. While gathering requirements for an infusion pump, we compared the types of information elicited by focus groups, interviews, and storytelling sessions. Several advantages and implications for the use of storytelling in usability research are discussed.

Leveraging Card-Based Collaborative Activities as Culturally Situated Design Tools

This paper describes two examples of virtual card games serving as Culturally Situated Design Tools (CSDTs) for young people. CSDTs have promise in helping people to learn by connecting principles from computing with aspects of their heritage or gender. The development and deployment of card games on two cutting-edge platforms (mobile devices and multitouch tables) revealed novel ways to display information to users and important lessons for deploying them to young people.

Patients User Experiences with Technologies in Health Service Industry

The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify usability problems encountered by patients, as passive users, during the interpretation of technologies that are used during patient care by clinicians and nurses. Participants were asked to interpret key artifacts in the health information technology display and determine potential outcomes. The results from this study indicate that the majority of participants were not able to accurately interpret information from the display, which may have implications for patients’ health care experiences and decision-making. Patients’ perceptions of technologies used while seeking and receiving health services can be explored using human-computer interaction methods, theories, and design tools.