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A presentation on my PhD that focuses on the use of three assistive technologies (telecare systems, robot-assisted stroke rehabilitation and ICT-supported stroke self management). This was delivered to a group of fellow students and so includes some personal reflections on my doctoral experiences. Audio will be made available soon!
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The appropriation of assistive technologies by older people and stroke survivors: a domestication
approach@markhawker
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About me
• In my third year of a studentship supported by PIPIN (Promoting Independence through Personalised INteractive technologies)
• Jointly-supervised by Dr. Bridgette Wessels (Sociological Studies) and Prof. Gail Mountain (ScHARR)
• Background in computer science and informatics, and interested in human-computer interaction.
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Presentation outline
• Contextualisation• Research questions• Current research on assistive
technologies• A domestication approach• Research design• Progress to date• Personal reflections.
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Contextualisation
• Macro– We are living in an ageing population– Assistive technologies are seen as one way in which to
address financial and human resource problems
• Meso– Households are already the place where older people
and stroke survivors would like to be– Households are becoming an important place for the
delivery of health and social care interventions
• Micro– Cognitive and physical challenges require older people
and stroke survivors to adapt and change in all areas of their everyday lives.
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Research questions
• How do older people and stroke survivors appropriate and engage with assistive technologies in their everyday lives?– In what ways is an existing technology to support
independent living integrated into the everyday lives of older people?
– To what extent can two different prototype assistive technologies designed to support the self-management of stroke be integrated into the everyday lives of users?
– How do the research findings support and extend the existing knowledge on assistive technologies?
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Current research on assistive technologies
In Current Use Telecare systems
For Future Use
Robot-assisted stroke rehabilitation
ICT-supported stroke self-management
Passive Active
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Telecare systems
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Robot-assisted stroke rehabilitation
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ICT-supported stroke self-management
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Opportunities for my thesis
• Lack of theoretical reflection across all three assistive technologies
• Gaps identified for future research• Availability of two research projects
(SCRIPT and SMART2) that are currently deploying assistive technologies into stroke survivors’ households.
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ÖSTLUND (2004: 59)
“With one foot planted in theoretical sources and the other in the results obtained from empirical research into the practice of technology and [users], the area of [assistive] technology and [users] could in all likelihood contribute important and groundbreaking knowledge.”
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A domestication approach
• Technologies need to be transformed and embedded into the culture and routines of a person’s everyday life; technologies may shape cultures and routines, too
• Concerned with the household but has been extended to other settings (e.g. work)
• Highlights several processes involved in ‘bringing technologies home’:– Appropriation– Objectification– Incorporation– Conversion.
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Situating domestication
• Other approaches to user-technology relations include:– Technological determinist– Semiotic– Social shaping
• Domestication encapsulates both production and consumption, and adopts the perspective of users from the start
• Technologies positioned as social products that have the potential to influence change but are also seen as political objects.
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Research design
• Qualitative approach to understanding the use of assistive technologies and the meanings that are assigned to them
• Telecare systems– Qualitative interviews (20 older people)
• Prototype assistive technologies– Observing installations (~5 each)– Qualitative interviews approximately four weeks after
each installation (~5 each)
• Plus, literature from the local provider of telecare systems and documentation from research project websites.
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Progress to date
• Completed 20 interviews with older people about the domestication of telecare systems
• Conducted three observations and one interview with users of a robot-assisted stroke rehabilitation system
• Awaiting ethical approval to begin researching the domestication of an ICT-enabled stroke self-management system
• In addition: analysing, reading, reflecting, writing … drinking, eating and sleeping (when possible).
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Going forward
• Continue to observe and interview stroke survivors about their use of the robot-assisted stroke rehabilitation system
• Start to observe and interview stroke survivors about their use of the ICT-enabled stroke self-management system as soon as ethical approval has been gained
• Plan and write everything up into a thesis.
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Personal reflections
• Theory and practice are related but not equivalent:– Little appreciation of issues such as access and
recruitment in text books– Data generated is messy and requires creative
interpretation and reflection– Writing is hard and requires adequate planning
• Need to remain flexible when things don’t quite go the way you planned; be opportunistic
• Your supervisors are there to help and no matter how critical they are they do this to make you a better researcher (despite how bad you may feel).
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Conclusions
• Assistive technologies are being designed and developed to ‘plug’ societal problems such as ageing populations, increasing health and social care costs and the lack of human resources
• The household is becoming an important place for the delivery of health and social care interventions
• Older people and stroke survivors are actively negotiating their use of assistive technologies, and therefore their perspective is important
• Theoretical approaches that consider the interactions between users, technology and society can help identify current and future issues related to domestication.
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QUESTIONS?
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The appropriation of assistive technologies by older people and stroke survivors: a domestication
approach@markhawker
