Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
(Federici, et al. 2003, 2005, 2011; Federici and Borsci 2010) by using validated
measures, such the Matching Persons and Technology assessment tools (Scherer
1998) or the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology
(QUEST) (Demers et al. 2000, 2002).
• Evaluate the environment if and how eAccessibility is taken into account and how
to affect the redesign for accessibility using related guidelines, methodologies,
tools, and laws (e.g., W3C/WAI 2011). A key role of the psychotechnologist is to
influence the mainstream population to take up eAccessibility as a fundamental
human right in information society.
The multidisciplinary team—along with the user—assesses the proposed AT and seeks an
assistive solution in a specific context of use. During the observation, the psychotechnolo-
gist checks if the AT matches the user's needs during the evaluation trial (AT efficacy) and
in prospect of the AT introduction within the end-user's environment (AT effectiveness).
Moreover, the psychotechnologist supervises the reorganization of relations between user
and the assigned AT solution within the interaction environment by following a biopsy-
chosocial perspective. In this way, the psychotechnological approach allows for measuring
both postural and cognitive changes resulting from the user-assistive technology matching.
The psychotechnologist analyzes the components emerging from the person-technology,
matching the cognitive apparatus developing through the relationship between the space
and time dimensions (De Kerckhove 1990, 1995). He goes beyond the person-environment-
centered adaptation and reaches out to support a general implementation of eAccessibility
as a sociopolitical and economic issue.
To better understand the focus of the measurement and assessment process in which the
psychotechnologist is involved, it is important to clarify the distinction between the role of
the ergonomist and the role of the psychotechnologist. The cognitive ergonomist analyzes
the effects arising from the user-technology interaction and the resulting mental model
of the system (Halasz and Moran 1983), and he or she points out the necessary strategies
to evaluate all of the responses related to an artifact or to a specific interaction contest. In
particular, the ergonomist analyzes the following components of the human-technology
interaction:
• The effects of technologies on health, performance, and human behavior; and
• The implementation of working settings by taking into account the related needed
activities and the potential skills of final users to improve the productivity and
avoid both cognitive and physical load.
In this way, the main purpose of ergonomics is to evaluate and focus each implementation
and design phase on the cognitive processes (perception, attention, memory, etc.) involved
in the user-technology interaction system. As Donald Norman stated (1983), ergonomics
recognizes three typologies of mental models taking part in the user-technology interac-
tion system:
1. The user's mental model,
2. The image of the system, and
3. The conceptual model of the system.
