08.07.2014 Rome

PIA – Personal IADL Assistant:Results of the Focus Groups and Usability Tests

Eva Schulze

Berlin Institute for Social Research

08.07.2014 Rome

Agenda

1. PIA in a nutshell

2. Focus Groups

3. Prototype

4. Usability Test

5. Conclusions

08.07.2014 Rome

PIA in a nutshell

08.07.2014 Rome

PIA Personal IADL Assistant

• Aim: Providing video instructions on a tablet app to support the elderly (with/without dementia) in doing instrumental activities of daily living

• Easily recalling of the videos with the help of NFC (Near Field Communication) Tags

• Project duration: 01.03.2013 – 28.02.2015

• In cooperation with UK, Norway, Spain

• PIA is an AAL JP project from Call 5

08.07.2014 Rome

Anna erzählt ihrer Familie, dass die Wärmepumpe kaputtist. Es ist immer zu kaltBei ihr zu Hause.

PIA Netzwerk

Tim uploads the video with the help of the PIA system. Anna can now watch it on her tablet. Tim also shares the video with other users on the PIA platform.

PIA Portal

Annas PIA Tablet

Anna tells her family that her heat pump is broken. It’s always cold at home.

The family has heard this before. The heat pump works very well. They decide to record an video and to use the PIA platform.

Tim, Anna’s son, records a video with the help of his smartphone. He explains the usage of the heatpump. He buys sensors and attaches them to the heat pump.

PIA Personal IADL Assistant

08.07.2014 Rome

PIA Personal IADL Assistant

08.07.2014 Rome

PIA Personal IADL Assistant

08.07.2014 Rome

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PIA Personal IADL Assistant

08.07.2014 Rome

Focus groups

08.07.2014 Rome

Carried out in Germany, Norway and UK during January – February 2014 to

• ascertain people’s views on mock-ups of the PIA system and its planned functionality,

• check out current design assumptions and

• obtain further information about potential users.

Participants were

• 15 professional carer: 7 female, 8 male, average age 60

• 30 older people: 15 female, 15 male; average age 73

Methodology

PIA – Focus groups

08.07.2014 Rome

Results

General impressions

• Most like the idea of PIA, understand the overall aim

• Potential users: singles, widowed people, people who struggle with common manuals …

• Useful for all areas around the home, things never done before/not used very often …

• PIA as a good alternative to common manuals, as cognitive encouragement, chance to increase independence

• PIA might increase stimulation, health, fitness, coping strategies

PIA – Focus groups

08.07.2014 Rome

Technology

• Screen – good quality of pictures (UK, DE), simple/boring (NO Car), enlarged font size (NO OP), most preferred screen size: 10″

• Audio – sound needs to be (a lot) louder

• Tags – simple enough (OP), not easy to remember where and what for (Car)

• Number of tablets – one tablet is enough

• Battery - reminder if battery is running low

PIA – Focus groupsResults

08.07.2014 Rome

Problems foreseen

• People with severe dementia might not be able to use PIA

• Who provides videos?

• How can be ensured that videos are of good quality?

• How can technical barriers be overcome?

• How can tablets easily be charged?

• Need for training and standard processes

• Difficult to hear, understand and implement instructions simultaneously

PIA – Focus groupsResults

08.07.2014 Rome

Suggestions to make PIA more helpful

• Providing an overview (library) of available videos

• Changing screen colour according to topics

• Too many things on the screen, symbols should not be shown permanently

• Larger symbols

• Videos– simple language, familiar faces, not just showing hands, stoppable between each step, remote upload, searchable via voice control …

PIA – Focus groupsResults

08.07.2014 Rome

Suggestions to make PIA more helpful

• Search-/home-/emergency-button

• Easy to call technical support

• Recording features, reminders, shopping lists

• Adaptable to individual preferences, different kind of user manuals

• Connectable to TV

• Support usage of common apps

PIA – Focus groupsResults

08.07.2014 Rome

Market

• Future usage: quite mixed, some would use/buy PIA, others not

• Price: opinions vary highly, depend on

• what needs to be bought (tablet or app),

• which services are included (updates, access to all videos …) and

• whether person already owns a tablet or not

PIA – Focus groupsResults

08.07.2014 Rome

Prototype

08.07.2014 Rome

PIA - Prototype

08.07.2014 Rome

Usability tests

08.07.2014 Rome

Carried out in Germany, Norway and UK during January – February 2014 to

• analyze the usability of the first PIA - prototype

• identify problems and obstacles

• collect suggestions for improvement

Participants were

• 6 formal/informal carer: 7 female, 8 male, average age 60

• 6 older people: 15 female, 15 male; average age 73

Methodology

PIA – Usability tests

08.07.2014 Rome

• Questionnaires: demographic data, affinity for technology

• Tasks

• Carer: recording video instructions (making tee, setting an alarm), link them to tags

• End user: execute the recorded tasks

• System usability scale

• Interviews

Procedure

PIA – Usability tests

08.07.2014 Rome

App is considered a useful tool, this is especially true of the carers, a period of adjustment or training is needed for the end users to use the system effectively.

Difficulties – End user

• manipulating the controls on the pad to reverse or pause the video (these are small and if the end users doesn’t have the dexterity needed virtuallyimpossible),

• issues around scanning the tags

• variations in the ability of the end users to see and hear the videos, for some the volume was not adequately for others this was not a problem

• problems in listening, watching and executing the tasks simultaneously

Results

PIA – Usability tests

08.07.2014 Rome

App is considered a useful tool, this is especially true of the carers, a period of adjustment or training is needed for the end users to use the system effectively.

Difficulties – Carer

• some forgot to start the recording (touching the red button)

• saving the video instead of deleting it (symbols are too small, not easy toidentify)

• forgot to open “link tag” before holding tag against tablet

• difficulties in choosing the right video before holding tag against tablet

• finding sensor at the back of the tablet

Results

PIA – Usability tests

08.07.2014 Rome

Contact

Dr. Eva Schulze

BIS – Berlin Institute for Social Research

Brandenburgische Str. 16

10707 Berlin

Tel: 030 / 310 009 0

E-Mail: e.schulze@bis-berlin.de

www.bis-berlin.de

http://www.pia-project.org/