AHFE Open AccessHuman Factors in Communication of Design
Editors: Amic G. Ho
Topics: Communication of Design
Publication Date: 2022
ISBN: 978-1-958651-25-4
DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1002028
Articles
Self-initiated practices in the urban community of Balteiro: Design challenges in a post-pandemic setting
This project aims to identify, document, interpret and disseminate current self-regulated community practices in social housing neighborhoods in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, in 2021. The main, specific case study is the neighborhood of Balteiro. We present methodologies and the first outcomes of the ethnographic work developed at Balteiro, namely an analysis of the origins, dynamics, needs and current challenges in face of post-pandemic scenarios in the present and future of two local initiatives: Associação Recreativa Clube Balteiro Jovem (ARCBJ) and (School Workshop of cartoning and sewing (Escola Oficina); additionally, it presents a first set of hypotheses on how Design may contribute to the resonance of these initiatives in other, equivalent similar social contexts.We argue that COVID-19 pandemic regulations, as well as their economic consequences, have had a significant impact on the nature and viability of the aforementioned practices: as a consequence of social distancing and a phobia of the collective, long periods of lockdown and a radical emptying of public space, prior models of creative communal practice will need re-assessing and re-invention.In turn, the proposal to document and disseminate these practices through Design aims to strengthen the mechanisms of empathy and social solidarity among citizens. The research intends to branch out into intuitive, practical and structural issues: preliminary work has been carried out with the Vila Nova de Gaia City Council and the aforementioned residents' associations ARCBJ and Escola Oficina. Emic data is being collected through methods of direct and indirect observation, including ethnographic interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. Audiovisual and photographic content will be collected towards a bank of resources for further scrutiny and employment in exploratory approaches. The research is therefore aimed at providing strategic outcomes, future replication, contextual adaptation and upscaling to national and international contexts. Inner dynamics in these neighborhoods have always tended to be suspicious of external presence and influence, often relying on self-initiated community practices: sports, recreational and cultural activities and professional training in crafts, examples of successful autonomous processes of civic development throughout the years. This contrasts with the broader socio-cultural context of Portugal, where the norm points towards a reliance on institutional tutelage.This traditional reliance has become an issue in the current scenario of a global pandemic: citizens have witnessed the evidence that former socio-cultural practices may come to struggle in current and emerging scenarios. As such, there is an inevitability in enquiring on the nature, purpose, viability and impact of self-initiated community activities in a post-COVID scenario. Furthermore: can we mediate this socio-cultural reconfiguration on a local scale, towards a broader, networked process of regeneration?
Nuno Martins, Daniel Brandão, Eliana Penedos-Santiago, Heitor Alvelos, Cláudia Lima, Susana Barreto, Ana Clara Roberti
Open Access
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Conference Proceedings
Communication of sustainability through the wine label design: an experimental study
The wine culture itself is a very old and complex system that includes nature, territory, culture, tradition and human factor. The main mean of communication between the wine consumer and the producer himself is the wine label. It was in the 17th Century that, for the first time, a wine producer called decided to specify the origin of his wine on the bottle. Nevertheless, the wine label became a fundamental element of wine only in the end of 19th century during the industrial revolution, when a real consumes market was born.Nowadays we must take into consideration the fact that different countries produce wine for different markets, bringing different symbology and cultural meaning to their labels. After underlining how the wine packaging can convey cultural and symbolical meanings, it is then easy to agree that it is also possible to communicate the importance of ecological sustainability through a bottle of wine. Some elements of the packaging may explicitly refer to ecological sustainability, such as the BIO (biological) certificates that a cellar can obtain by respecting some specific standards. In this case the producer will apply this mark to the bottle in order to assure the consumer on the sustainability of the wine he is about to drink.In other cases, the communication of ecological sustainability can be more subtle and can be found in different components of the bottle: the cork, the label, the glass itself. The materials choice is in fact extremely important, because it can communicate a lot about the producer’s point of view.Nevertheless, what most probably will catch the eye of the consumer is the label. The label is like a white canvass and there the producer has the chance to convey all of his credo in ways that can be more or less explicit. The symbology plays a fundamental role in the labels’ design, and many are the already established visual codes which are used.Eco-labels are meant to minimise the information gap that might exist between the producers of eco-products and the consumers. This can be pursued by providing information about a product's environmentally responsible attributes.Generally, attributes such as social and environmental performance are aspects of a product that consumers can hardly identify. An important help often come from eco-labels, which can induce informed purchasing choices by environmentally responsible consumers.The purpose of this study is to investigate how the wine packaging design can be improved in order to enhance the ecological message and to increasingly involve the final consumer.The main objective of this research is to examine the role of wine packaging in making sustainable choices and investigate what is the impact of using sustainable materials in the wine packaging. In particular, within the framework of this research, it will be interesting to investigate if the label design, and sustainability-related elements on it, can have a major influence on the consumer’s choice making.The target group of the experiment is represented by wine shops and supermarkets customers of legal drinking age (21+). The participants declared to buy wine one or more times in a week.An on-line questionnaire was designed in order to explore the perception of consumers toward awareness of sustainability. The second phase of the experiment is to understand the consumers’ wine choices applying a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE). DCEs allow researchers to catch consumers’ stated preferences from hypothetical choice situations using a combination of product attributes. In order to choose the attributes for the discrete choice experiment, a qualitative analysis was conducted together with the focus groups. Analysing the outcomes, it was possible to point out 5 main attributes. The economical aspect plays an important role when purchasing a wine bottle, for this reason, at least 2 bottles from the same group classification but belonging to different price ranges should be used in the experiment. For the experiment a total amount of 10 bottles is used on the DCE and then analysed.This experiment helps to understand and analyse the critical elements that condition the choice making process and understand how to educate wine consumers to sustainability, simply through the label design.Many actions can be taken, starting from the information that a label provides and the tools that should be used in order to more efficiently convey the message to the final consumer.
Anna Firsova, Tao Xi
Open Access
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Conference Proceedings
Text vs. Images: Understanding emotional expressions on social media during COVID-19 pandemic
Due to the global spread of COVID-19, people all around the world have been forced to change the way they communicate and interact with others. Keeping social distance and wearing masks helps prevent the spread of coronavirus, and also makes online social platforms increase in demand in an unprecedented way (Flynn, 2008). Prolonged social isolation during COVID-19 is likely to have negative effects on mental health and communication on an individual. Researchers have found evidence for caused and elevated anxiety disorders such as somatization, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorders and depression amongst individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic (Meikle, 2016). Numerous studies have found that people only show their “good side” and positive emotions on social media. How does social media reveal our anxiety disorders during Covid? Do emotions expressed in pictures match with its text content on social media? In this research, 500 most recent selfies from individual accounts between December 1st and 10th in 2021 from age ranges 13 to 55 years old were downloaded for the study. The study used IBM Watson tone analyzer and Sky-Biometry as tools for linguistic analysis and emotion detection. In addition, the research compared imagery and text content in social media as a function of emotional expression and methods.Keywords: Emotional Expressions, Communication, Social Media, COVID-19, Photography Posts, Text, Instagram, Social Network, Attention Theory, Mental Health
Qiuwen Li
Open Access
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Using Diagrams to Explain Brand Concepts and Implement Visual Identities
Most companies subcontract consultants or companies specialised in Design and Branding. In this context, most of the Visual Identity (re)design projects of the brand/corporate end up being developed externally to the companies.The Design and Branding consultant or company usually plays a role in the stages of request, research, concept, strategy, tactics and, tending to disappear during the operationalization or implementation.A brand Visual Identity project implies the participation of several external specialists who intervene in the implementation of tasks and components that must be integrated. In the same sense, it requires the participation and awareness of the company's employees, so that they are active participants in the effective communication of the brand, always ensuring its consistency over time.The operationalization steps of a brand/corporate Visual Identity are crucial for its success, regarding the adequate implementation in terms of graphic quality and coherence, but also in the perspective of brand management, which requires good brand-business integration and the monitoring and correction of actions that impact on people's understanding and experience with the brand.It is recognized the relevance of diagrams in improving the understanding, the accessibility, and the enjoyment of complex information.In this study, we intend to understand how diagrams allow explaining complex concepts in the Brand Design universe, namely business structures, organizations, or methods, with several levels of importance or sequence, with main cores and right or possible declinations or dependencies. The methodology of the study focuses on case studies of explanatory type and literature review.The results consist in identifying the most relevant and useful characteristics of diagrams in the visualisation of information, particularly to explain concepts and assist in the implementation of a brand/corporate Visual Identity.
Rogério Ribeiro, Daniel Raposo, Rita Almendra, João Neves
Open Access
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Extraction of Key Factors to Determining the Acceptability of Diet Therapy Based on Syndrome Differentiation of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Purpose: Extract key factors to determining the acceptability of diet therapy based on syndrome differentiation of Traditional Chinese Medicine for middle-aged and elderly people and propose some suggestions to improve their acceptance of it. Method: Thirteen main influencing factors are selected from literature survey and interviews. Semi-structured interview are conducted with Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory questionnaires to evaluate factors’ interrelationship. Results: The understandability and the memorability of medicinal food’s knowledge, the type of medicinal food and the popularity of medicinal food’s knowledge are key influencing factors. Suggestions: Pre-research of people’s taste preferences is important and necessary; the identity of propagandist and the source of propaganda content should be transparent and the organization of publicity activities should be normalized; concise and multi-sensory propagation mode should be adopted; “Medicinal Virtue Association” can be used to reduce the difficulty of memorizing knowledge.
Yansong Luo, Chunrong Liu, Kong Fan Qiang
Open Access
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Design a Visual Communication Platform for curators and artists to curate an exhibition remotely
Art is an expression of emotion; art exhibitions bring artists' creations and perceptions to the visitors. International art exhibitions present diverse and high-quality artistic creations through the curator's elaborate exhibition planning, and the connection between artworks and visitors is established to allow visitors to admire and understand; on the contrary, it also challenges the digital communication tools for curators and artists when conducting co-curation remotely. This study utilizes interviews and field study to collect pain points and ultimately provides guidelines and crucial functions for curators and artists to design a visual communication platform during international curation collaboration.
Yi Pei Wu, Chien-Hsu Chen
Open Access
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Exploring the Concept of Design Thinker in Western and Chinese Contexts
This research is a comparison study of the concept ‘design thinker’ in western and Chinese contexts. Qualitative research methodology was used. A western database with 105 selected papers and a Chinese database with 25 selected papers have been reviewed. 14 categories of 179 concepts from the western database and 11 categories of 31 concepts from the Chinese database have been collected. Three philosophies have been found: the concepts in the western context; the concepts in the Chinese context; the differences and similarities between these two concepts. The findings of this research can be used to understand ‘design thinker’ better and improve the teaching to nurture design thinkers.Keywords: design thinker, western concept of design thinker, Chinese concept of design thinker, comparison of western and Chinese concept
Yating Li, Henry Ma
Open Access
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Disruptive Innovations in cinematic storytelling from 2D to 3D
Long before the digital revolution, communication theorist Marshall McLuhan has taught us about how the different forms of media can shape content with his famous book Medium is the Message [1]. Over the past several decades, the theory has certainly stood the test of time. New media technologies have advanced so rapidly that many news form of content creation and expression have been made possible. New tools have offered new and diverse forms of storytelling. Nevertheless, new ways can never completely replace old ways; they just evolve and build upon the conventional practices. Do some of the new digital tools simply offer new way of doing the old thing with better technology or are they completely change the old way entirely? This paper aims to examines these issues from a historical perspective on a few past innovation disruptions that seemed to send destructive shockwave to how things were in the beginning but brought new heights in the long run. This paper discusses historical and ongoing examples of innovation disruptions in cinematic storytelling in hopes of shedding light on the dynamic relation between art and technology. How have innovation disruptions changed the form and content of cinematic storytelling from 2D to 3D?
David Yip
Open Access
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Between passive viewing and active choosing in storytelling
Since the dawn of the Internet, abundance of content and information is constantly being created and shared at the speed of light across different media. Media technologies have given us almost unlimited access to choose and interact with vast amount of content and information. We seem to be in active control in choosing what information we want to see and interact with on the internet. Ironically, with all this interactive freedom, most of us still prefer to watch their favorite TV programs or films passively on interactive media platforms. New technologies such as streaming TV have provided many new platforms to present passive content but to what extent how these new technologies have affected the form and shape of content remains a question. Simply by looking at the ratio of programs for traditional passive viewing vs. programs with interactive content, the audience has spoken by choosing to watch conventional content passively. Interacting with content is more than just choosing what pre-made content to watch, for that we always have our remote control. Interacting with content is about having our own say or control about the outcome or direction of a story [1, 2]. Unlike what many media theories have predicted many years ago, interactive narrative has not become mainstream and would never replace conventional form of storytelling. Nevertheless, as more content is being delivered on mobile or personal computer in addition to the big screen, more interactive content will be made available in the foreseeable future. Many popular 4As video games have already mixed conventional storytelling elements with some interactive gaming functions in recent years [3]. This paper focuses on the concepts of choice and decision-making in storytelling and how interactive functions could be blended in with the narrative. Decision-making has always been an important part of storytelling, in which it’s the storyteller who make decisions for the characters and for the audience. A good story may still be best uninterrupted and told by the storytellers who know about the crafts of storytelling [4, 5]. Typical audience still enjoy watching adventure chosen for them rather than to choose their own adventure. This paper discusses the role of interactivity and the concept of choice-making in interactive storytelling.
David Yip
Open Access
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New pedagogical practices of co-creation applied to Design.
With the creation in 1999 of a European Space for Higher Education, there was a change in the teaching paradigm, from a passive model based on the acquisition of knowledge, to an active model based on the development of competences. But the current social, environmental and technological challenges have changed teaching-learning methods and processes in a relatively short period of time, providing new pedagogical practices, where collaboration with other disciplines and actors enhance creativity, innovation and research in design.This article is the result of two experimental international pedagogical projects and pedagogical contents taught in the Project Management and Ergonomics curricular units, at the Master in Graphic Design from the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco and of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, Portugal.This work has as main objective to identify new pedagogical practices of co-creation and agile methodologies applied in the development of Design projects in an academic environment, as well as to identify methodologies and models of collaboration and co-design, characterized by interdisciplinary dialogue in a collaborative context, considering alternative educational practices in teaching-learning of design.
João Neves, Daniel Raposo, Nuno Martins, Daniel Brandão
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Design and Art: An Important Contribution for the Design Studies
This paper explores the boundaries between disciplines and professional practices: between Design and Art. The collaboration between Artist and the Designer can introduce innovation and development for new design products. Associations with fine arts can be beneficial for the emerging design product. This approach implies a revision of the field of design study and a redefinition of goals, introducing the study of art, a concept that better describes the daily environment of students and which reoriented design practice towards social and cultural awareness. Within design studies, fine arts continueto be one of the least-examined areas that deserve serious attention, and the research methods and interpretive techniques used by design studies can serve as appropriate models. This paper proposes a model of design research used to structure projects in design education, exploring the boundaries between disciplines and professional practices, with relevant connections between design practice and the fine arts. This paper will utilize examples from a university design program to illustrate a model of design research, with an emphasis on artistic methods. The model will be critiqued as a structure for projects in design education and practice, where the fine arts have an important contribution.
Theresa Lobo
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Promoting Elderly Residents' Quality of Life: Design Consideration for Bathing Experiences in the Nursing Home
Bathing elderly residents with assistance is a daily service provided in the Nursing Home (NH). However, it has been widely discussed that assisting bathing is one of the most challenging tasks in caregivers’ service process, and bathing experiences are closely related to the residents’ Quality of Life (QoL). Based on the findings from previous ergonomic studies, elderly residents’ agitated behaviors in the bathing process like repetitious vocalizations, used to communicate or express elderly residents’ unmet needs, are the primary cause of stress for caregivers. Thus, this study proposes design considerations for bathing activities in NHs under the theoretical models of QoL and needs, and it also assumes appropriate design for products and services can minimize the elderly’s agitated behaviors by addressing their unmet needs, which may help improve user experience and release care workers’ workload.
Yunhe Du, Brian Yu Hin Lee, Kin Wai Michael Siu
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A Collaborative Co-creation Design Approach to Intergenerational Integration among Communities
In this study, we develop an intervention to promote communities’ social innovation activities. We apply the methodology and theory of co-creation and take an intergenerational perspective. Our aim is to promote communication, encourage role switching, build trusting relationships, and change the inherited perceptions of elderly groups and other generations. The ultimate goal is intergenerational integration (I-I), and we offer suggestions on how the challenges of ageing populations can be addressed and how “all-age communities” can be developed in the future. The model developed in this study using the co-creation design methodology, including the stages of concept development, evaluation, prototype iteration, and practice implementation, can promote I-I in communities and the innovation activities of intergenerational groups.
Jianbin Wu, Kin Wai Michael Siu, Linghao Zhang
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Sustainable Development Index System: New design method about cultural and creative product
Cultural and creative products has provided important support for the cultural and creative industry. Based on the three basic principles of Sustainable Development Theory - fairness, continuity and commonality, this article uses focus groups and analytic hierarchy process to construct the product design basic element, cultural element and value element. The indicators of these elements include 15 design indicators. Using these indicators can guide the design of cultural and creative products to achieve common, coordinated, fair, efficient, and multi-dimensional development, Focusing on relevant design indicators, we finished some projects about Chinese Jiangnan cultural series products and waste glass products etc., which verified the effectiveness of the corresponding indicators.
Jinwu Xiang, Miao Zhang, Rong Chen, Huajie Wang
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Information Analogies Between Digital Communication and Communication of Design
Drawing on Shannon's information theory, this study begins with an analogy between the basic elements and processes of information communication in the fields of digital communication and design. By comparing the similarities and differences between the elements involved in the two communication processes and the improved approaches in the field of digital communication, we propose the use of Stigmergy to study the perception and behavior of information between groups of users in a virtual social environment and to explain the process of information communication in design. Formalizing this process can provide the model of information communication in design under the context of virtual socialization, and improve the efficiency of design information communication among a wide range of users to maximize the value of design.
Zhuoyue Diao, Yueqi Liu, Pu Meng, Xin Meng, Liqun Zhang, Xiaodong Li
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Playful Public Design by Children
The design of public space and facilities in a country park aims to serve a wide scope of people with diverse needs and interests. Research on human factors should include users of different ages and capabilities. Children are often a forgotten category of users for collecting views and preferences in public design. Their voices and ideas are seldom heard and heeded. It is crucial to involve children in the design process to optimise outdoor recreational and educational experience in a country park. Playful Public Design by Children is a design research project which involved 1,023 children aged 3 to 18. They were guided to use a human factors (or ergonomics) approach to identify and solve problems in the real-life setting of Shing Mun Country Park in Hong Kong. The design research, spanning from 2019 to 2020, was conceived and co-led by a public design lab of a university and a group of art and design studios for children and teenagers. This paper reports an investigation of children’s perception of, observations on and concerns about the country park and the values underlying these concerns. Different phases engaged children in site research and visual-based design projects. For clarity and more in-depth discussion, this paper focuses specifically on children aged 8 -12. The projects allowed children to participate in observing the inadequacies of current park features such as space and facilities design. Research findings reveal children’s ability to embrace complexity in different design situations as they adopted the role as researcher, designer and change-maker. The common problem-solving strategies among their proposed design ideas reflect their concern for fun, fulfilment, adventure, action and harmony of different users (animals included) in the shared outdoor environment. Their proposed design solutions go beyond existing park design that covers only functional and physical aspects. Children’s perspective addresses other human factors such as psychological, emotional and social needs of different users resulting in an array of whimsical designs, such as zoomorphic gazebos, tree houses and observation towers for star-gazing, bird-watching, daydreaming and quiet reading. The significance of the research project is in the pedagogical practice that reveals children’s inherent creativity, design ability and potential as contributing citizens. The project changes urban children’s perception of nature, design and problem-solving strategies, and parents’ perception of design education in children’s creative development. Through the lens of children, designers can find a more well-rounded view inclusive of different human factors that can optimise users' interaction with the country park environment.
Kin Wai Michael Siu, Kwok Yin Angelina Lo, Yi Lin Wong, Chi Hang Lo
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Portugália publishing house and designer João da Câmara Leme
In the history of Portuguese graphic design, the editorial design assumes an important role, especially through the covers – an object to which designers and visual artists were most often called to act. In this context, the Portugália publishing house stood out as a reference in the 50s, 60s, and 70s of the twentieth century and, concomitantly, the designer João da Câmara Leme, as he was primarily responsible for the design of the covers of this publisher. This article describes the path of the Portugália publishing house and João da Câmara Leme through a literature review. And through the collection and analysis of examples of covers he designed for Portugália, we seek to identify the main characteristics of his work.
Elisabete Rolo, Rafaela Costa
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Revitalizing The National Folk Play: The Tiger Hunting Folk Play
“Kratua Thaeng Suea” is a story of hunting the tigers that trespass into town. It is a Thai traditional folk play which has been passed down from generation to generation for more than 200 years. However, this folk play is rapidly fading away from the Thai society due to the change of aesthetic preference which caused its unpopularity. Nowadays, there are only two troupes left in Bangkok which recently one of them decided to discontinue their show because of COVID-19 situation. How to preserve this intangible cultural heritage and combine it with modern aesthetics for transmission is an urgent issue. This study combines literature research and field trip methods in order to identify some of the problems faced in the dissemination of it. The research results show that, in order to renew this folk play that complement the new aesthetic preference, all related elements of this play such as its story, costumes, music, and performance need to be modernized. The new play will combine “Street Culture” such as street art, street fashion, street music, and street performance into the play with a new storyline which is twisted from the story of a tiger hunter to be rescuing the tigers instead. All of this could draw some attention from the society and thus achieve the goal of sustainable inheritance and preservation of this folk play. The new concept of “Kratua Thaeng Suea” is the combination between the old and the new which does not only reflect the beauty of cultural dynamic or build up the sense of ecological awareness in the form of “Soft Power”, but also provides a “Cultural Revitalizing model” which could be an alternative model to inherit the culture.
Sarawuth Pintong
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The importance of design and digital media for the promotion and sustainability of cultural and religious tourism
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and applications (apps) for tourists are key tools for sustainability of World Cultural Heritage Sites (WCHS). Their integration into tourism marketing strategies poses challenges regarding the satisfaction of the expectations of the target stakeholders. This paper adopts an exploratory approach, to understand the relation between cultural tourism and ICT and how digital technologies must be considered in the context of creating more sustainable, accessible destinations with innovative experiences that promote cultural heritage. The results reveal that ICT are essential tools for tourists and positively influence tourists’ final perception of the travel experience. The development of mobile applications must consider the expectations of senior tourists, who constitute a relevant generation for cultural tourism and are of special interest for the sustainability of WCHS.
Nuno Martins, Sergio Dominique Ferreira, Rita Perdiz, Susana Barreto, Cláudia Lima, Eliana Penedos-Santiago
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Ethnographic Study of Living Alone Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment in Hong Kong: A Pilot Study
1. IntroductionA report by the United Nations has revealed the number of older adults in the world is projected to reach 1.4 billion by 2030, and this number is expected to increase to 2.1 billion by 2050. This development will place enormous pressure on current healthcare and social protection systems. If life expectancy continues to rise while fertility constantly declines over many years. the ageing of the population will continue to throughout the world. The gigantic numbers of elderly people will place significant pressure on current systems of social protection and global health care. By 2024, it is expected to have nearly 400,000 people over the age of 80 in Hong Kong —a 24.8% increase over the figure recorded in 2014. 2. Problem StatementLike in other Asian cities, the population of Hong Kong exhibits a continuous ageing trend.The change in the population structure will need an improved housing policy and health care system and infrastructure in order to tackle these resulting social problems. The more older adults are living in the city, the greater the numbers of people who are living with dementia. 3. Older Adults Living with Mild Cognitive ImpairmentDementia is characterised by the loss of mental abilities,and by further degeneration over time.This condition is not inevitable, as the hallmark symptoms of cognitive deterioration are not considered to be a normal part of ageing. It is a typical biomedical disease that might appear when the brain is affected by some specific diseases, such as a series of small strokes damage the brain and cause confusion, speech problems and progressive loss of memory and cognition. This gradual decline in cognitive functions causes people to need extra support for daily living. A person who is having slightly problems with planning, reasoning and also remembering may be classified as having mild cognitive impairment (MCI). 4. Universal DesignUD (universal design) is classified as the practice of making things in ways that involve almost no extra cost, but offer attractive yet functional styles that are fulfilling all people, regardless of each individual’s ability or disability. UD addresses the complete span of functionality through making each element and space accessible to its deepest extent by careful planning at all different stages of a project. 5. Participant Observation An interpretive approach is adopted as a research paradigm for understanding the meanings that human beings attach to their experiences. For this study, a centre manager of the well-established Yan Oi Tong Elderly Community Centre recruited three older adults to participate for nine months. These people were living with MCI in a rural district. Prior to this study, these three elders engaged in a participative design workshop that was organised by the same researcher. The workshop had two sessions, and explored the participants’ latent needs concerning home decoration and product design for public housing.Observational visits were conducted with each participant every two weeks for a nine-month period. The participants are referred to as CH, CP and SK, and they were aged between 79 and 85 years old.6. DiscussionTheme 1: Fear of being alone.The participants described their experiences of facing loneliness. Although they felt that their memories were getting worse, they could still express how loneliness was one of the most difficult challenges that they had to face day-by-day. SK said that ‘I want to do my preferred activities,and don’t want to stay at home all the time!’ Theme 2: Recognition of incompetence.The older persons suffering from MCI believed that they were, to varying degrees, incompetent in dealing with day-to-day activities. As CP explained, ‘I have become useless and cannot remember things recently…’ Theme 3: Lack of neighbourhood spirit. For older people living alone in public housing, neighbours become the most reliable people after their families. Older participants reported that they commonly displaced their house keys due to their gradual memory loss. They had to make duplicate front door keys, and gave them to neighbours who they trusted.To deal with such problems, a product design or system could be pre-installed in housing facilities that would enable better communication or connection between neighbours, and allow older residents to become closer to others.7. ConclusionThis ethnographic study has investigated the latent, unfulfilled needs of older persons living with MCI. Building rapport with these older participants was an important step at the beginning of the study.This finding of “Fear of being alone”, “Lack of neighbourhood spirit”also revealed that regular visits by community centre staff and local social workers should be organised to provide older community members and stakeholders with more attention regarding their day-to-day activities and their relations to society as a whole in order to eliminate “Recognition of incompetence”.
Alex Pui-Yuk King, Kin Wai Michael Siu
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Exploring Visual Design Strategies for Gender Diversity Representation through a Design Game Workshop
Everyday objects are usually visually designed to imply that they belong to men or women. They are, thereby, tools for people to represent their gender identities. However, even though gendered design is a common topic in academic research, the representation of gender diversity remains relatively marginal. This study aims to organize people's life experiences with different gender identities to explore visual design strategies that change the original gender implication of everyday objects, thus representing gender diversity and promoting social inclusion of sexual minorities. To do so, a participatory design game workshop has been created and conducted. Three game characters with diverse gender identities were developed, and design materials that implied gender binary or diversity were provided, such as everyday objects and visual elements. During the workshop, six participants imagined themselves as admirers of the game characters and used the prepared materials to design gifts for them that fit their gender identities. The results of the workshop show that the gender implication of objects can be changed through reorganizing visual elements of color, shape, decoration, and cultural symbols. In addition, cisgender heterosexual participants preferred to represent diverse gender identities through innovative arrangements of gender-stereotypical visual elements, while participants that belong to sexual minorities preferred to adopt personalized design strategies to "de-genderize" everyday objects. This variation may be caused by the tendency of cisgender heterosexual people to confirm their gender identity through gender stereotypes, while sexual minority people escape the binary gender system through individualized representation. Therefore, the study concludes that design process representing gender diversity not only needs critique and innovation, but that de-genderdizing strategies cultivated by sexual minorities from their practices are also essential design resources.
Xinyin Bao, Wen Tao Zhu
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The influence of the visualization modality on consumer perception: A case study on household products
Recent advances in visualization technologies have changed how products are presented to consumers. Sophisticated digital media modalities are gradually replacing traditional formats, but certain product features are difficult to evaluate, which may result in significant perceptual differences. In this paper, we report the results of a within-subjects study in which a group of 40 volunteers evaluated three different designs of a common household product (i.e. a coffee maker) presented in three different visual media: photographs, a non-immersive virtual environment, and an augmented reality experience. Our results show that the presentation medium has a significant effect on product evaluation, and that the semantic scales in Jordan’s socio-logical pleasure category are the most affected by the change of medium.
Almudena Palacios, Francesc Ochando, Jorge Camba, Manuel Contero
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Conference Proceedings
An Analysis of Influencer Marketing Effectiveness in Luxury Brands using Eye tracking Technology
In this paper, we examine the advertising impact of influencers on the promotion of a luxury fashion item and the effect of the presentation style. More specifically, we focus on the application of eye-tracking technologies to analyze how consumers respond to different presentation strategies used by influencers when promoting a product in a photograph.We report the results of an experimental study in which a group of participants were exposed to a set of static visual stimuli (i.e. photographs) related to new product launches by luxury fashion brands in the form of promotions by social media influencers. Individual responses were evaluated based on the participant’s ability to recall information from the stimuli as well as their recorded gaze points and fixations, which were tracked to identify areas in which the viewer had a particular interest at a specific time during exposure.Our results revealed that consumers tend to be impacted more heavily and recall a luxury item more easily when the product is promoted by influencers who appear not to be looking directly at the camera in the pictures (i.e. not making eye contact with the viewer). The percentage of individuals who correctly identified the luxury item with this type of stimulus was 87.5% as opposed to 46.25% when the influencer was looking directly at the camera. In addition to the influencers' visual contact, two other aspects were evaluated: the impact of the influencers' popularity and the aesthetic characteristics of the photographs used as stimuli.Our study confirms the effectiveness of the marketing strategies pioneered by some of the most recognized luxury fashion brands and delivered by influencers, particularly if the influencer does not establish visual contact with the target audience. This type of communication enables a more targeted type of advertising which moves from the exclusivity of promoting luxury fashion brands in certain events and marketing campaigns by celebrities to influencers that can reach large audiences on social networks.
Pilar Contero López, Jorge Camba, Manuel Contero
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings
Exploring quantitative indicators for monitoring resilient team cognition
Many human factors researchers have explored the cognitive and behavioral factors that affect team performance through behavioral and verbal protocol analyses. These studies primarily used qualitative analyses of observable behaviors and utterances, which makes it difficult to capture the dynamic and resilient team cooperation process directly. Therefore, it is necessary to develop quantitative indicators or measures to assess dynamic processes in team behavior and communication. Once such appropriate indicators or measures are developed, we can compare the performance of different teams quantitatively and find the features of team cognition that support good performance. In the study of complex problem solving, several studies calculated the entropies of utterances from the results of a qualitative analysis of team communication to detect phase changes in complex problem solving (Wiltshire and Butner, 2017). In addition to entropy, this study calculates the Kullback–Leibler divergence (KL) of utterances in segments for the entire team process to identify dynamic features and irregular segments in team communication. We applied the information theory to quantify the features of utterances in segments for the entire team process to find dynamic features and irregular segments in team communication. We analyzed the utterance data of a three-person team working on a task that required dynamic role assignment and collaboration. We first analyzed the turn-taking and communication contents and then visualized them using recurrence plots to visually find sequential patterns. We then calculated the Kullback–Leibler divergence (KL) and plotted it with sliding windows to analyze the dynamic features in team communication. The results showed that the bias of the content increased with disturbances, which suggests that the proposed indices can be used to capture speech distortions caused by external disturbances.
Saki Namura, Taro Kanno, Kazuo Furuta, Yingting Chen, Daichi Mitsuhashi
Open Access
Article
Conference Proceedings