1. Stories from the GReAT
project
Participatory Design
Abi Roper
Division of Language and Communication Science
Department of Human Computer Interaction Design
City University London

2. Talk Outline
— What is Aphasia?
— Participatory Design
— The GReAT Project
— Overview
— Overcoming challenges to the typical design
process
— Lessons learnt – aphasia accessibility
— Outcomes and implications
#HCID2013

3. What is Aphasia?
— Language difficulty affecting around one
third of people who have had a stroke
— Difficulty finding words and constructing
sentences
— Difficulty understanding words and
sentences
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4. What is Aphasia?
#HCID2013
Video example

5. Aphasia - prevalence
— About 250,000 people living with aphasia in the
UK (Speakability, www.speakability.org.uk)
— Approximately 45,000 new cases each year (Office
of National Statistics, 2001)
— “Aphasia affects about one million Americans [..]
and is more common than Parkinson's Disease,
cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. More than
100,000 Americans acquire the disorder each
year. However, most people have never heard of
it.”(National Aphasia Association, USA)
#HCID2013

6. Participatory Design
“… the direct involvement of people
in the co-design of things and
technologies they use.”
(http://pdc2012.org/about.html)
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7. Methods include
• Participant talk describing what a
person is doing as they are doing it
• Role-play
• Work involving detailed written
material
• Work involving abstracted ideas
#HCID2013

8. The GReAT Project
(Gesture Recognition in Aphasia Therapy)
Aim: to develop a computer-
based gesture therapy tool using
participatory design methods
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9. Naturalistic “Camera” Gesture
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10. Tanya
Stroke:
9 years ago
Technology: Skype,
Facebook
Language: Short
sentences spoken.
Reading difficult
Tom
Stroke:
3 years ago
Technology:
some email
Language:
Single words
and phrases
Ann
Stroke:
24 years ago
Technology: no
computer or mobile
phone use
Language: Single
words spoken.
Good spoken
understanding
Martin
Stroke:
3 years ago
Technology: no
computer or
mobile phone use
Language:
One or two words
spoken.
Difficulties
understanding
Sarah
Stroke:
3 years ago
Technology: iPhone,
Wii
Language:
Short sentences
spoken. Reads
single words
Participants

11. Participants
Sam
Technical Researcher
and Software
Developer
Experience: Gesture
recognition, computer
vision, machine
learning
Julia
Human Computer
Interaction Researcher
Experience:
Innovations in
healthcare technology,
augmented
communication for
people with cerebral
palsy
Abi
Speech and
Language Researcher
Experience:
Speech and language
therapy, computer
therapy applications
in aphasia
#HCID2013

12. Methods
Participatory workshop series including 2/3
people with aphasia and 2/3 researchers
Absent
• Participant talk describing what a person is doing as
they are doing it
• Role-play
• Work involving detailed written material
• Work involving abstracted ideas
Present
• Strong focus on hands-on methods
• Multiple concrete examples
#HCID2013

13. Challenges to the typical design
process
and possible resolutions
#HCID2013

14. Session Structure
1. Introduction to scheduled activities
2. Round table gesture activity
3. Demonstration of technology
4. Trial use of technology by one consultant followed
by interview at computer
5. Tea break
6. Trial use of technology by remaining consultant(s)
#HCID2013

15. Language Difficulties
and the Design Process
Challenge
• Eliciting detailed responses to materials
Resolutions
• Careful material choice
• Adjustments to activity structure
• Additional time provision
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16. Abstraction of Information
and the Design Process
Challenge
• Comprehending and making projections
about imagined / abstract scenarios
Resolutions
• Provide multiple concrete examples
• Carry out discussions in situ
• Avoid use of highly abstracted ideas
#HCID2013

17. Information Retention & Retrieval
and the Design Process
Challenge
• Reflecting and commenting on activities from
the recent or not-so-recent past
Resolutions
• Provision of structured interview
• Recall carried out directly after activity
• Recall/commentary facilitated by
demonstration
#HCID2013

18. #HCID2013
— Video of participatory design

19. Distractions
and the Design Process
Challenge
• Maintaining
the
necessary
focus
to
access
and
feed
back
upon
ac5vi5es
Resolu-ons
• Ac5vi5es
carried
out
one
par5cipant
at
a
5me
• Background
distrac5ons
kept
to
a
minimum
• Filler/rest
ac5vi5es
provided
(tea
breaks!)
#HCID2013

20. How to overcome design process
challenges
— Time
— Demonstration / Interaction
— Concrete examples
— Simplicity
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21. Outcomes
for Participants with Aphasia
Tanya
Improved
confidence
Liked working with
a speech and
language therapist
who understood
her aphasia
Tom
Having people
with aphasia
involved in
design “was
good.”
Ann
Enjoyed the
sessions –
specifically the
gesturing and
games
Martin
Improved
confidence:
“…there, and there,
and there”
Sarah
Improved
gesturing
Sometimes
frustrating working
with those less
able to
communicate
#HCID2013

22. Outcomes
for Participants with Aphasia
All reported that they had been listened to and
their opinions taken into account
All reported that they would take part in
something similar again
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23. Lessons Learnt
Aphasia Accessibility
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24. The Prototype - GeST
OK
←
→
1. Consistency #HCID2013

25. 2. Simplicity
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26. Lessons from the GReAT project
1. Consistency
2. Simplicity
3. Rewards
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27. 4. Individual
Differences
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28. 5. Poten5al
of
Gaming
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29. Lessons from the GReAT project
1. Consistency
2. Simplicity
3. Rewards
4. Individual Differences
5. Potential of ‘Gaming’
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30. Outcomes
from the GReAT project
Therapy tool has since been used with 10
people in their homes
Establishment of further projects involving
people with aphasia in the review and
development of technological applications
#HCID2013

31. Implications
Possible to include people with aphasia in a
participatory design model
The choice to do so informs both choice of
methods and ultimate design
Critically, the process empowers the user
group
#HCID2013

32. Thank You
Website:
www.soi.city.ac.uk/great
Vimeo:
www.vimeo.com/aphasiatech
Email:
Abi.Roper.1@city.ac.uk
#HCID2013