Affective Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) are systems that measure signals from the peripheral an... more Affective Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) are systems that measure signals from the peripheral and central nervous system, extract features related to affective states of the user, and use these features to adapt human-computer interaction (HCI). Affective BCIs provide new perspectives on the applicability of BCIs. Affective BCIs may serve as assessment tools and adaptive systems for HCI for the general population and may prove to be especially interesting for people with severe motor impairment. In this context, affective BCIs will enable simultaneous expression of affect and content, thus providing more quality of life for the patient and the caregiver. In the present paper, we will present psychophysiological markers for affective BCIs, and discuss their usability in the day to day life of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Page 1. ʻSenior Momentsʼ: Loss and Context Stefan P. Carmien Fatronik-Tecnalia Foundation San Seb... more Page 1. ʻSenior Momentsʼ: Loss and Context Stefan P. Carmien Fatronik-Tecnalia Foundation San Sebastian, Spain (+34) 943 005500 [email protected] Francesca I. Cavallaro Fatronik-Tecnalia Foundation San Sebastian ...
Computers have dramatically changed the social landscape and living practices in the 21st century... more Computers have dramatically changed the social landscape and living practices in the 21st century. Most of those changes have empowered typically abled adults, while it is only in the last few years that platforms and frameworks have been developed to extend support to those with diminished cognitive capacity. In this paper we discuses the use of scaffolding and distributed intelligence in assistive technology design. Four examples are presented, in domains from education to cognitive orthotics. We discuss the technology of such applications and the problems that technology designers must be aware of. Finally, we specify how these support frameworks fit into overall efforts toward a culture that supports cognitive health.
Individuals with cognitive disabilities are often unable to live on their own because of deficien... more Individuals with cognitive disabilities are often unable to live on their own because of deficiencies in memory, attention, and executive functionalities, leading to an inability to consistently perform daily tasks. Computationally enhanced prompting systems can provide a necessary bridge to independent living. High levels of assistive technology abandonment are driven, in part, by poor user interfaces for the configuration of these devices. MAPS (Memory Aiding Prompting System) provides a simple effective prompting system with an interface for caregivers designed to effect high rates of integration into daily life.
Our research team has investigated "computing off the desktop" in two different directions: the d... more Our research team has investigated "computing off the desktop" in two different directions: the design, development, and assessment of (1) large computational spaces allowing people to access, contribute, and interact with information to support collaborative work among people in shared physical locations; (2) socio-technical environments supported by personalized, portable devices and wireless communication supporting people as they move around in the world; and (3) smart physical objects communicating with computational environments, allowing for context-aware information delivery.
Providing instructions via handheld prompters holds much promise for supporting independence for ... more Providing instructions via handheld prompters holds much promise for supporting independence for persons with cognitive disabilities. Because users of these tools are paired -caregivers who make scripts and a person with cognitive disabilities who uses them -designing such a system presents unique meta-design problems. The problems of changing content and configuration on a handheld computer, as needs and abilities change of the users with cognitive disabilities, produce a critical need for end-user programming tools. This paper describes the design and testing of the MAPS (Memory Aiding Prompting System) system, consisting of a handheld prompter and a multimedia editing tool for script creation, storage, and modification. The unique meta-design challenges of supporting end-user programming of context-responsive systems, and its broader implications, are presented.
This chapter describes different script types that are involved when a person X is accomplishing ... more This chapter describes different script types that are involved when a person X is accomplishing a particular task Y. We refer to concepts and ideas from distributed cognition theories. It is assumed that individuals are holding internal scripts that guide them in the way they process tasks they are faced with, and these internal scripts are standing in a complex relationship to the external scripts provided by an artifact or by other persons. Three factors are regarded as crucial in order to describe the accomplishment of a task, namely (a) the actual activity, (b) knowledge underlying the activity, and (c) the executive function, a (meta-)cognitive instance that is setting the goals for the task and controls the system’s task accomplishment. For each of these three main factors, several sub-categories are introduced, on which two script approaches are compared. The first approach represents the socio-technical environment Memory Aiding Prompting System (MAPS) designed to support individuals with cognitive disabilities in accomplishing everyday tasks with a focus on “tools for living”. The second approach, the so-called collaborative argumentation script, represents a computer-supported collaborative inquiry learning environment to facilitate students’ collaborative argumentation with a focus on “tools for learning”. Implications of the comparison for the design of external scripts are derived and directions for future research are discussed.
Our research team has investigated "computing off the desktop" in two different directions: the d... more Our research team has investigated "computing off the desktop" in two different directions: the design, development, and assessment of (1) large computational spaces allowing people to access, contribute, and interact with information to support collaborative work among people in shared physical locations; (2) socio-technical environments supported by personalized, portable devices and wireless communication supporting people as they move around in the world; and (3) smart physical objects communicating with computational environments, allowing for context-aware information delivery.
This chapter describes different script types that are involved when a person X is accomplishing ... more This chapter describes different script types that are involved when a person X is accomplishing a particular task Y. We refer to concepts and ideas from distributed cognition theories. It is assumed that individuals are holding internal scripts that guide them in the way they process tasks they are faced with, and these internal scripts are standing in a complex relationship to the external scripts provided by an artifact or by other persons. Three factors are regarded as crucial in order to describe the accomplishment of a task, namely (a) the actual activity, (b) knowledge underlying the activity, and (c) the executive function, a (meta-)cognitive instance that is setting the goals for the task and controls the system's task accomplishment. For each of these three main factors, several sub-categories are introduced, on which two script approaches are compared. The first approach represents the socio-technical environment Memory Aiding Prompting System (MAPS) designed to support individuals with cognitive disabilities in accomplishing everyday tasks with a focus on "tools for living". The second approach, the so-called collaborative argumentation script, represents a computer-supported collaborative inquiry learning environment to facilitate students' collaborative argumentation with a focus on "tools for learning". Implications of the comparison for the design of external scripts are derived and directions for future research are discussed.
This paper interweaves the notions of distributed intelligence and scaffolding with fading in dis... more This paper interweaves the notions of distributed intelligence and scaffolding with fading in discussing the nature of the modes of use of artifacts as tools, particularly computational artifacts. We introduce the notions of tools for living and tools for learning as parts of a framework for evaluating how artifacts are used and as broad guidelines for the design of artifacts. The tools concept is then studied in the context of the Memory Aiding Prompting System (MAPS) for supporting persons with cognitive disabilities in daily living tasks. Finally, the paper investigates the cultural implications of the use of both kinds of artifacts.
A significant fraction of persons with cognitive disabilities are potentially able to live more i... more A significant fraction of persons with cognitive disabilities are potentially able to live more independently with the use of powerful tools embedded in their social environment. The Memory Aiding Prompting System (MAPS) provides an environment in which caregivers can create scripts that can be used by people with cognitive disabilities ("clients") to support them in carrying out tasks that they would not be able to achieve by themselves. To account for the great diversity among clients, MAPS was developed as a metadesign environment, empowering the caregivers to develop personalized prompting systems for the specific needs of individual clients. This paper is focused on the lessons learned addressing adoption, learning, use, and abandonment of sociotechnical environments fitting the unique needs of people with cognitive disabilities.
Content adaptation systems rely on standards-based modeling of user needs and preferences, render... more Content adaptation systems rely on standards-based modeling of user needs and preferences, rendering platforms, assistive technologies and other relevant aspects of the overall delivery context. Despite their differing domains, these models overlap largely in respect of their digital representation and handling. We present hereby our work on a generic model framework exhibiting a novel set of features developed to tackle commonly found requirements in the area of user and delivery context modeling.
There are very few sources of information about industry needs in regard to the required Design f... more There are very few sources of information about industry needs in regard to the required Design for All knowledge and skills for designers and engineers. A common finding of many studies, besides technical feasibility and commercial viability, is the lack of awareness among suppliers and users on DfA. In this paper, some of the results of a series of workshops organized by Fraunhofer FIT under the scope of some EU-financed projects will be presented. We claim the need to create common guidelines on teaching DfA, which should not be limited to curriculum at universities but also for training employees within the companies. The guidelines should contain topics like: what to teach, whom to teach, how to teach and where to teach.
ACM Transactions on Computer-human Interaction, 2005
Public transportation systems are among the most ubiquitous and complex large-scale systems found... more Public transportation systems are among the most ubiquitous and complex large-scale systems found in modern society. For those unable to drive such as people with cognitive disabilities, these systems are essential gateways for participation in community activities, socialization, and independence. To understand the magnitude and scope of this national problem, we highlight deficiencies identified in an international study by the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council and present specific cognitive barriers identified in empirical studies of transportation systems in several U.S. cities.
How the type of representation (icons, photos of objects in context, photos of objects in isolati... more How the type of representation (icons, photos of objects in context, photos of objects in isolation) displayed on a hand-held computer affected recognition performance in young adults with cognitive disabilities was examined. Participants were required to match an object displayed on the computer to one of three pictures projected onto a screen. We tested the opinion widely held by occupational therapists and special education professionals that there is an inverse relationship between cognitive ability and the required fidelity of a representation for a successful match between a representation and an external object. Despite their widespread use in most learning tools developed for persons with cognitive disabilities, our results suggest that icons are poor substitutes for realistic representations. #
Errors, in particular human errors, play an important role in many aspects of human life, from da... more Errors, in particular human errors, play an important role in many aspects of human life, from day-to-day activities to extraordinary situations. This paper describes the theoretical background in the context of Distributed Cognition and the practical design process of an error trapping and mitigation system for supporting seniors' (including disabled seniors) use of public transportation.
Affective Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) are systems that measure signals from the peripheral an... more Affective Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) are systems that measure signals from the peripheral and central nervous system, extract features related to affective states of the user, and use these features to adapt human-computer interaction (HCI). Affective BCIs provide new perspectives on the applicability of BCIs. Affective BCIs may serve as assessment tools and adaptive systems for HCI for the general population and may prove to be especially interesting for people with severe motor impairment. In this context, affective BCIs will enable simultaneous expression of affect and content, thus providing more quality of life for the patient and the caregiver. In the present paper, we will present psychophysiological markers for affective BCIs, and discuss their usability in the day to day life of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Page 1. ʻSenior Momentsʼ: Loss and Context Stefan P. Carmien Fatronik-Tecnalia Foundation San Seb... more Page 1. ʻSenior Momentsʼ: Loss and Context Stefan P. Carmien Fatronik-Tecnalia Foundation San Sebastian, Spain (+34) 943 005500 [email protected] Francesca I. Cavallaro Fatronik-Tecnalia Foundation San Sebastian ...
Computers have dramatically changed the social landscape and living practices in the 21st century... more Computers have dramatically changed the social landscape and living practices in the 21st century. Most of those changes have empowered typically abled adults, while it is only in the last few years that platforms and frameworks have been developed to extend support to those with diminished cognitive capacity. In this paper we discuses the use of scaffolding and distributed intelligence in assistive technology design. Four examples are presented, in domains from education to cognitive orthotics. We discuss the technology of such applications and the problems that technology designers must be aware of. Finally, we specify how these support frameworks fit into overall efforts toward a culture that supports cognitive health.
Individuals with cognitive disabilities are often unable to live on their own because of deficien... more Individuals with cognitive disabilities are often unable to live on their own because of deficiencies in memory, attention, and executive functionalities, leading to an inability to consistently perform daily tasks. Computationally enhanced prompting systems can provide a necessary bridge to independent living. High levels of assistive technology abandonment are driven, in part, by poor user interfaces for the configuration of these devices. MAPS (Memory Aiding Prompting System) provides a simple effective prompting system with an interface for caregivers designed to effect high rates of integration into daily life.
Our research team has investigated "computing off the desktop" in two different directions: the d... more Our research team has investigated "computing off the desktop" in two different directions: the design, development, and assessment of (1) large computational spaces allowing people to access, contribute, and interact with information to support collaborative work among people in shared physical locations; (2) socio-technical environments supported by personalized, portable devices and wireless communication supporting people as they move around in the world; and (3) smart physical objects communicating with computational environments, allowing for context-aware information delivery.
Providing instructions via handheld prompters holds much promise for supporting independence for ... more Providing instructions via handheld prompters holds much promise for supporting independence for persons with cognitive disabilities. Because users of these tools are paired -caregivers who make scripts and a person with cognitive disabilities who uses them -designing such a system presents unique meta-design problems. The problems of changing content and configuration on a handheld computer, as needs and abilities change of the users with cognitive disabilities, produce a critical need for end-user programming tools. This paper describes the design and testing of the MAPS (Memory Aiding Prompting System) system, consisting of a handheld prompter and a multimedia editing tool for script creation, storage, and modification. The unique meta-design challenges of supporting end-user programming of context-responsive systems, and its broader implications, are presented.
This chapter describes different script types that are involved when a person X is accomplishing ... more This chapter describes different script types that are involved when a person X is accomplishing a particular task Y. We refer to concepts and ideas from distributed cognition theories. It is assumed that individuals are holding internal scripts that guide them in the way they process tasks they are faced with, and these internal scripts are standing in a complex relationship to the external scripts provided by an artifact or by other persons. Three factors are regarded as crucial in order to describe the accomplishment of a task, namely (a) the actual activity, (b) knowledge underlying the activity, and (c) the executive function, a (meta-)cognitive instance that is setting the goals for the task and controls the system’s task accomplishment. For each of these three main factors, several sub-categories are introduced, on which two script approaches are compared. The first approach represents the socio-technical environment Memory Aiding Prompting System (MAPS) designed to support individuals with cognitive disabilities in accomplishing everyday tasks with a focus on “tools for living”. The second approach, the so-called collaborative argumentation script, represents a computer-supported collaborative inquiry learning environment to facilitate students’ collaborative argumentation with a focus on “tools for learning”. Implications of the comparison for the design of external scripts are derived and directions for future research are discussed.
Our research team has investigated "computing off the desktop" in two different directions: the d... more Our research team has investigated "computing off the desktop" in two different directions: the design, development, and assessment of (1) large computational spaces allowing people to access, contribute, and interact with information to support collaborative work among people in shared physical locations; (2) socio-technical environments supported by personalized, portable devices and wireless communication supporting people as they move around in the world; and (3) smart physical objects communicating with computational environments, allowing for context-aware information delivery.
This chapter describes different script types that are involved when a person X is accomplishing ... more This chapter describes different script types that are involved when a person X is accomplishing a particular task Y. We refer to concepts and ideas from distributed cognition theories. It is assumed that individuals are holding internal scripts that guide them in the way they process tasks they are faced with, and these internal scripts are standing in a complex relationship to the external scripts provided by an artifact or by other persons. Three factors are regarded as crucial in order to describe the accomplishment of a task, namely (a) the actual activity, (b) knowledge underlying the activity, and (c) the executive function, a (meta-)cognitive instance that is setting the goals for the task and controls the system's task accomplishment. For each of these three main factors, several sub-categories are introduced, on which two script approaches are compared. The first approach represents the socio-technical environment Memory Aiding Prompting System (MAPS) designed to support individuals with cognitive disabilities in accomplishing everyday tasks with a focus on "tools for living". The second approach, the so-called collaborative argumentation script, represents a computer-supported collaborative inquiry learning environment to facilitate students' collaborative argumentation with a focus on "tools for learning". Implications of the comparison for the design of external scripts are derived and directions for future research are discussed.
This paper interweaves the notions of distributed intelligence and scaffolding with fading in dis... more This paper interweaves the notions of distributed intelligence and scaffolding with fading in discussing the nature of the modes of use of artifacts as tools, particularly computational artifacts. We introduce the notions of tools for living and tools for learning as parts of a framework for evaluating how artifacts are used and as broad guidelines for the design of artifacts. The tools concept is then studied in the context of the Memory Aiding Prompting System (MAPS) for supporting persons with cognitive disabilities in daily living tasks. Finally, the paper investigates the cultural implications of the use of both kinds of artifacts.
A significant fraction of persons with cognitive disabilities are potentially able to live more i... more A significant fraction of persons with cognitive disabilities are potentially able to live more independently with the use of powerful tools embedded in their social environment. The Memory Aiding Prompting System (MAPS) provides an environment in which caregivers can create scripts that can be used by people with cognitive disabilities ("clients") to support them in carrying out tasks that they would not be able to achieve by themselves. To account for the great diversity among clients, MAPS was developed as a metadesign environment, empowering the caregivers to develop personalized prompting systems for the specific needs of individual clients. This paper is focused on the lessons learned addressing adoption, learning, use, and abandonment of sociotechnical environments fitting the unique needs of people with cognitive disabilities.
Content adaptation systems rely on standards-based modeling of user needs and preferences, render... more Content adaptation systems rely on standards-based modeling of user needs and preferences, rendering platforms, assistive technologies and other relevant aspects of the overall delivery context. Despite their differing domains, these models overlap largely in respect of their digital representation and handling. We present hereby our work on a generic model framework exhibiting a novel set of features developed to tackle commonly found requirements in the area of user and delivery context modeling.
There are very few sources of information about industry needs in regard to the required Design f... more There are very few sources of information about industry needs in regard to the required Design for All knowledge and skills for designers and engineers. A common finding of many studies, besides technical feasibility and commercial viability, is the lack of awareness among suppliers and users on DfA. In this paper, some of the results of a series of workshops organized by Fraunhofer FIT under the scope of some EU-financed projects will be presented. We claim the need to create common guidelines on teaching DfA, which should not be limited to curriculum at universities but also for training employees within the companies. The guidelines should contain topics like: what to teach, whom to teach, how to teach and where to teach.
ACM Transactions on Computer-human Interaction, 2005
Public transportation systems are among the most ubiquitous and complex large-scale systems found... more Public transportation systems are among the most ubiquitous and complex large-scale systems found in modern society. For those unable to drive such as people with cognitive disabilities, these systems are essential gateways for participation in community activities, socialization, and independence. To understand the magnitude and scope of this national problem, we highlight deficiencies identified in an international study by the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council and present specific cognitive barriers identified in empirical studies of transportation systems in several U.S. cities.
How the type of representation (icons, photos of objects in context, photos of objects in isolati... more How the type of representation (icons, photos of objects in context, photos of objects in isolation) displayed on a hand-held computer affected recognition performance in young adults with cognitive disabilities was examined. Participants were required to match an object displayed on the computer to one of three pictures projected onto a screen. We tested the opinion widely held by occupational therapists and special education professionals that there is an inverse relationship between cognitive ability and the required fidelity of a representation for a successful match between a representation and an external object. Despite their widespread use in most learning tools developed for persons with cognitive disabilities, our results suggest that icons are poor substitutes for realistic representations. #
Errors, in particular human errors, play an important role in many aspects of human life, from da... more Errors, in particular human errors, play an important role in many aspects of human life, from day-to-day activities to extraordinary situations. This paper describes the theoretical background in the context of Distributed Cognition and the practical design process of an error trapping and mitigation system for supporting seniors' (including disabled seniors) use of public transportation.
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Papers by Stefan Carmien