Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5
Need- and Task-Based Design
and Evaluation
Albert M. Cook, Jan Miller Polgar, and Nigel J. Livingston
Abstract
Unfortunately, device abandonment (by clients or caregivers) is a
pervasive problem in the provision of assistive technology. This is not nec-
essarily the result of poor design of the technology, but rather a failure to
account for other factors or determinants. This issue can be successfully ad-
dressed by employing the human activity assistive technology (HAAT) model
when considering potential solutions for clients. The model conceptualizes the
consumer, their activities, environment, and assistive technology as an inte-
grated system in which changing one element affects all other elements in the
system. The model can be applied in the design, selection, and evaluation of
technology for use by an individual, or as a conceptual model for exploring
the influence of assistive technology on participation in daily activities. In
this chapter, examples and explanations are given for both “successful” and
“failed” technologies with specific reference to the HAAT model.
5.1 Introduction
Well-intentioned but poorly designed assistive technology (AT) is a pervasive
problem, and a contributing factor to device abandonment. By focusing on
specific needs and specific tasks, AT design can be made much more ecient,
and evaluation much more effective.
