Crucial design issues for special access technology; a Delphi study.

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Product Design

Background:

• Assistive technology (AT) development often lacks direct input from professional users.
• Customizable AT products require efficient methods for incorporating user feedback.
• Optimizing product flexibility and reducing costs are key challenges in AT development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a method for involving professional AT users in the design process of customizable products.
• To leverage user participation and mass customization principles for improved AT.
• To address the need for reduced product costs and enhanced product flexibility in AT.

Main Methods:

• An adaptable six-question Delphi study was employed to achieve consensus among AT professionals.
• The Delphi study focused on design issues within the special access technology (SAT) domain.
• A modified morphological matrix was used to structure the application of study results to product design.

Main Results:

• Fourteen AT professionals from Ireland and the UK participated in the study.
• Consensus was reached on SAT malfunction prevalence, causes, client characteristics, user needs, desirable traits, and clinician frustrations.
• The study identified critical areas for innovation and improvement in SAT.

Conclusions:

• The study highlighted complexities in successful SAT adoption and identified various problems.
• The Delphi approach facilitated differentiated insights and conceptualization of design solutions.
• The method effectively captured and applied professional users' knowledge for customizable AT design.