Week 5 — Research Protocol & Participatory Design
Week of 10/5–10/9
Our Research Methods
This week, we ideated various concepts for research probes and conducted preliminary interviews with two people, both of whom are almost fully blind.
For class on Wednesday, we came up with some ideas for design probes. We focused on tactile experiences such as gardening and stringing beads, to account for people with low vision. However, we struggled with doing research with a true purpose behind it. After realizing that we were creating probes based on empty reasoning, we went back to square one and narrowed down our focus to find a real purpose for interacting with our participants and doing research.
- Tactile Creative Activities Brainstorm
Even when ideating our ways of doing participatory design, we as a team were able to conduct preliminary interviews with 2 people with visual impairments. Jenny Wood is a member of the Lions Club, which is a volunteer organization that frequently partners with organizations for the blind. The same lions club that connected us to Jenny Wood got us in contact with Dr. Rakesh who is part of Envision, which is a vision rehabilitation center. From both interviews, I realized that independence is a huge concept in their life and something that is preferred. Jenny mentioned how when she goes to doctor appointments, she doesn’t like going with her husband because health practitioners would only talk to her husband not take her seriously. On the other hand, Dr. Rakesh gave us a lot of insight on research methods and how to conduct research with those with visual impairments or blindness. He emphasized that doing research with people with visual impairments is very different from those with blindness. This made us realize that we need to narrow down our scope: either focus on those with some vision or people with complete blindness. Further details about narrowing our focus is described in the next paragraphs.
To check out the Preliminary Interviews click the links below!
Narrowing Our Focus
Based on our interviews, we decided that there was a more narrow problem space that we could dig into. After speaking with 2 interviewees, we saw an opportunity to focus more closely on elderly patients who are experiencing vision loss. Based on the interviews, we learned that there are several assistive technologies that help low vision and blind people with visual tasks. However, we identified the pain point that some senior citizens face a digital gap. Older individuals may not have access to assistive technology, education on how to use it, or they may even reject it completely.
Ultimately, our research and interviews led us to realize that aging is a universal process but one that is extremely personal. As people age, concepts of social connectedness evolve, dependency on other people increases, and health becomes a bigger concern. We still think that there is opportunity in the waiting room space to address aging and social connectedness, because a design intervention in that space could act as a conversation starter about aging, relationships, and health.
Participatory Design Probe
In order to move forward with our project, we found that our research would benefit from hearing personal stories and understanding emotions. For our participatory design probe, we decided to create a storytelling metaphor activity to allow participants to express their emotions, fears, and hopes about growing older and experiencing visual impairments. Our target audience will be senior citizens and we will be using the information gathered from this activity to help us understand how aging affects social connectedness and health literacy.
Metaphor Activity
- Inspired by the Imaginaries Lab’s New Metaphors Cards and memory card matching games.
- Based on one of our interviews, we learned that visual impairments are diverse which results in diverse mental models. A sighted individual may perceive an object completely differently than someone who is losing their vision because of the different ways they have interacted with that object. For that reason, we found that the use of metaphors could be a powerful tool to express emotions and thoughts in an abstract way. We also framed this activity to be similar to a memory card matching game, because they are frequently used by senior citizens to stimulate their minds and increase memory skills.
- For our activity, we came up with six overarching concepts that we wanted to gain insight about. (Growing old, Family relationships, Mental health, Peace, Waiting, Being alone) In addition, we collected a diverse set of photo cards that represent actions and nouns. Each participant will choose a photo card that they think could be a metaphor for each concept card. We tried to keep the photo cards as neutral and broad as possible so that participants can create metaphors that are open to their interpretation. Participants are encouraged to think aloud and tell stories as they complete the activity. In addition, participants may engage their caretakers in the activity so that they can compare the metaphors they created.
- Due to the challenge of working remotely, we have designed this probe to be digital and sent over email. If participants have access to a printer, they can print out the cards and complete the activity physically. In addition, auditory instructions are available for participants who cannot read the cards/see the pictures because we will be conducting the activity over the phone or via Zoom.
Employing the Probe
This weekend, we connected with 2 participants who agreed to try out our activity! Here is a bit about them:
P1 & P2 are senior citizens who live together. They both wear corrective lenses and are noticing that their vision is slowly getting worse as they age. They recently moved from Los Angeles to Dallas for their retirement and to move closer to family (siblings), but their children live outside the US. They have been in the process of finding healthcare facilities and doctors in their new city that they trust.
(Link to full quotes from the activity)
“Family relationships are balancing rocks. As I became an adult, I realized that everyone in my family lives individual lives. I want things to go my way but I have to respect everyone in my family and balance my life with theirs.”
“Growing old is like fall (autumn). Fall is a beautiful season but leaves turn brown and fall from trees. Sometimes I feel like a falling leaf as I get older because I feel myself decaying and have to leave my comfort zone (tree).”
After speaking with P1 and P2, it was interesting to hear about their thoughts about aging and how it relates to social connectedness and health. Getting older seemed to be a positive experience for them, but many topics surrounding familial relationships brought up complex emotions. Especially from a cultural perspective, both participants immigrated to the United States early in their adulthood which has shaped their perspectives on their relationships with their kids and family members. Both of their cultures are family oriented and it is common for family members to act as caregivers for their elderly parents. However, both participants expressed that as much as they want to feel connected to their kids, they realize that they all have individual lives that must be respected. Moving forward, we hope to gain insights from more people and hear their thoughts about getting older. What are their relationships like and how will they change over time? What are meaningful interventions to address social connectedness for the aging population and how does that impact their perception and understanding of health?
For the upcoming week, we have 2 more participants to test our activity with. Based on each session, we plan to map out our findings to analyze them and identify patterns.
