PhD co-supervision

Valeria Righi

Righi, Valeria (2016). Re-thinking Human-Computer Interaction Research and Design with a Growing Ageing Population: widening contexts of technology use, changing the subject and object of design. DTIC, UPF. Excellent. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Josep Blat & Dr. Sergio Sayago. Viva-3-February. Panel: Dr. Siân Lindley (Microsoft Research Cambridge, UK), Dr. Mayo Fuster (UOC, Spain), Prof. Dr. Joan Subirats (UAB, Spain).

Abstract: This dissertation analyses, reflects on, and re-thinks the way in which Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI) research is conducted with a growing ageing population. This dissertation draws upon a 5- year research-through design study that combined ethnography and participatory design to explore the use and design of technologies aimed to enhance the social life of older people in civic contexts. The findings show a varied, proactive, dynamic and mutually shaping relationship between older people and digital technologies. This dissertation argues that this relationship challenges current ways in which older people and technologies are theorized within HCI. The results highlight the relevance of considering the communities in which older people interact in their daily lives in order to better understand their relationship with interactive technologies and design new digital artefacts that they find worthy of appropriation. By drawing upon the findings and theoretical discussions of dominant approaches in HCI research with older people, the dissertation proposes a re-formulation of fundamental aspects of thinking about and conducting HCI research and design with a growing and heterogeneous ageing population. Central to this re-formulation is to (a) widen the contexts of ICTs use by conducting more HCI research in civic contexts, (b) change the object of design, shifting the focus from defining the features of a technological artefact to fostering a mutual shaping relationship between technologies and everyday practices, and (c) re-think the subjects of design by moving from designing “for older people” to designing for “situated communities”.

Susan M. Ferreira

Ferreira, Susan M. (2015). An alternative view of ICTs use by older people in Human-Computer Interaction: similarities, digital content creation, and perceived well-being. DTIC, UPF. Excellent Cum Laude. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Josep Blat & Dr. Sergio Sayago. Viva: 4-September.  Panel: Dr. Paula Forbes (Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland), Dr. Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol (IN3-UOC, Spain), Dr. Jim Ang (University of Kent, UK)

Asbtract: Within Human-Computer Interaction, older people (60+) are often characterized as a heterogeneous group of consumers of digital content that use ICTs in a limited way due to age-related changes in functional abilities. By drawing on an ethnographical study of ICTs use by approximately 220 older people over a 5-year period in Spain and on two rapid ethnographical studies, in Denmark and Brazil, with around 180, this dissertation presents an alternative view of ICTs use by older people. The results portray older people as creative digital content creators, provide qualitative evidence of how the process of using ICTs have a positive impact on their perceived well-being and argue that their ICTs use is not so heterogeneous as one might think. This dissertation also suggests that fostering the digital inclusion of older people in developing countries such as Brazil rests upon going beyond providing them with physical / technological infrastructures.

Andrea Rosales

Rosales, Andrea  (2014). Designing wearable and playful accessories to encourage free-play amongst school-aged children: conception, participatory design and evaluation. DTIC, UPF. Excellent Cum Laude. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Josep Blat & Dr. Sergio Sayago. Viva: 3-September. Panel: Prof. Dai Griffiths (Bolton University, UK), Prof. M. Paloma Díaz (UC3M, Spain) and Dr. Narcís Parés (UPF, Spain)

Abstract: According to social studies, everyday life has reduced children’s opportunities for free-play, which, in the long term, can compromise their social and physical development. Previous HCI studies have been addressing the question of how to apply sensing and reactive technologies to encourage free-play by, for example, augmenting playgrounds and shared objects with these technologies. This dissertation explores the design process and evaluation of wearable digital accessories to encourage and facilitate free-play amongst school-aged children in alternative free-play settings. This is done in order to take advantage of free-play opportunities that arise on the move and to encourage body challenges and social experiences through individual exploration. In this context, the thesis discusses (a) three design cases of playful accessories, (b) a quantitative and qualitative evaluation to assess the ability of the accessories to encourage free-play, (c) the design process of playful experiences with the participation of children and older people (60+). This thesis also provides a set of design opportunities that can be taken into account in the research of future digitally-augmented objects to encourage free-play.