A FLEXIBLE OBJECT ORIENTATED DESIGN APPROACH FOR THE REALISATION OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY STEVEN BATTERSBY A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the Requirements of Nottingham Trent University For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy February 2013 This work is the intellectual property of the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed in the owner(s) of the Intellectual Property Rights. Abstract This thesis contributes to a growing body of research conducted by the Interactive Systems Research Group (ISRG) at Nottingham Trent University within the fields of accessibility and accessible technologies. Core to this research is the exploration of how interactive technologies can be developed and applied as platforms for education, rehabilitation and social inclusion. To this end the group has been actively evolving the User Sensitive and Inclusive Design (USID) methodology for the design, development and evaluation of accessible software and related technologies. This thesis contributes to the further development of the USID method with a focus on its application for the design of assistive technology. Video Games are increasingly being recognised as an important resource for the development and improvement of the quality of life of those with a disability and/or impairment. Creating universally accessible games and related technologies is however no simple feat. Review of literature quickly highlights that the predominant barrier to the adoption of console gaming and also video gaming in general, by those with a disability or impairment, is that of the human-machine hardware interface. Drawing on both previous studies of the ISRG and the current innovations within the video gaming arena, this body of research aims to address four main objectives to: 1. Evaluate gaming interface controllers with regard to how well they support interaction for users with disabilities and impairments. 2. Investigate the paradigm of the Natural User Interface with regard to how well it can support the development of interaction for users with disabilities and impairments. 3. Enhance the practice of User Sensitive and Inclusive Design (USID) as conducted by the Interactive Systems Research Group for the development of accessible technology. 4. Examine the methods for involvement of users with disabilities in the design process and how this could be improved (using a product design approach). The thesis demonstrates how each of the objectives has been achieved via the development of a complimentary approach to the practice of USID, Flexible Object Orientated Design. The validity of this approach is proven via the application of three design studies, each formulated to reflect the mapping of existent abilities and skills as a platform for the definition of input modality, and thus also the emerging philosophy of the Natural User Interface. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 Video Gaming and the Disabled .......................................................................................................... 1 Current State of the Art ...................................................................................................................... 2 Research Background.......................................................................................................................... 2 Assistive Technology & Design for All ................................................................................................. 4 Research Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 6 An Overview of the Thesis .................................................................................................................. 7 Chapter One: Introduction .............................................................................................................. 7 Chapter Two: Background/Literature ............................................................................................. 7 Chapter Three: Methodology and Design Approach ...................................................................... 8 Chapter Four: Applying FLOOD for Idea Generation ...................................................................... 9 Chapter Five: Applying FLOOD for the Iteration of Ideas ............................................................. 10 Chapter Six: Design Study 1 .......................................................................................................... 12 Chapter Seven: Design Study 2 ..................................................................................................... 12 Chapter Eight: Design Study 3 ....................................................................................................... 13 Chapter Nine: Discussion .............................................................................................................. 13 Chapter 10: Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2: Background and Literature Review ..................................................................................... 15 The Need for Accessible Technologies .............................................................................................. 15 The Use of Video Games ................................................................................................................... 16 Video, Computer and Console Games .............................................................................................. 17 Disability and Video Gaming ............................................................................................................. 18 Assistive Technology & Video Games ............................................................................................... 19 Gaming as State of the Art ................................................................................................................ 20 The Natural User Interface............................................................................................................ 20 Ubiquitous Computing & Calm Technology .................................................................................. 21 Pockets of Research .......................................................................................................................... 23 The Interactive Systems Research Group of Nottingham Trent University .................................. 23 Universal Design at North Carolina State University .................................................................... 34 Centre for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access Buffalo University .................................. 35 University of Cambridge ............................................................................................................... 35 University of Texas ........................................................................................................................ 36 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech .............................................. 36 Technology (HUSAT) Research Institute, Loughborough University ............................................ 36 Sensorama Lab Team Aalborg University ..................................................................................... 37 Identified Themes ......................................................................................................................... 37 User-Centred Design (UCD) .............................................................................................................. 38 The User-Centred Design Model ................................................................................................... 39 The Benefits of UCD ...................................................................................................................... 40 The Barriers to UCD ...................................................................................................................... 42 Discussion of Findings ....................................................................................................................... 42 Research Questions .......................................................................................................................... 46 Research Question 1 ..................................................................................................................... 46 Research Question 2 ..................................................................................................................... 47 Research Question 3 ..................................................................................................................... 47 Research Question 4 ..................................................................................................................... 47 A Plan for Achieving the Research Objectives .................................................................................. 48 Chapter 3: Methodology and Design Approach