Developing an Integrated Approach to Consider Individual Psychological and Physiological User Needs in Product Development Tasks (Ke:mAP)
Third party funded individual grant
Acronym: Ke:mAP
Start date : 01.11.2018
End date : 31.10.2021
Website: http://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/398054801?context=projekt&task=showDetail&id=398054801&
Project details
Short description
The need of this project arises as a
result of the diversity of technical product users. With the ageing of
our society, the amount of persons with physical impairments raises.
Therefore, mainly physical needs have been considered in the user
centered design so far. Indeed the fulfillment of subjective
(psychological) needs happens to be as important to ensure a high
quality of life for users. Nowadays products for physically impaired
people have considerable deficiencies regarding these needs.
Consequently they are often negatively stigmatizing. Despite a high
functional value in use, these products may be refused and therefore
left unused.
It is a central question, how the design of products for
physically impaired people may be like to ensure psychological
wellbeing whilst fulfilling physical suitability at the same time.
Therefore, the main objective of this research project is a
scientifically substantiated approach for an integrated consideration of
subjective user needs in the design of products for physically
handicapped people.
There has been done valuable preliminary work by
the applicant in this field. Moreover interdisciplinary knowledge in
this field generally exists. However, an integrated approach for product
design is still lacking. To achieve this, two main goals are in focus.
First, a model of product-user-interaction will help to understand the
integral elements of user’s requirements structure. Using this model,
both physiological and psychological needs will be holistically
integrated into product design considerations by purposive user
characterization and segmentation strategy. Therefore, physical hand
function and psychological attitudes-based user characterization is in
first focus to demonstrate the general applicability of the intended
approach. Second, a general methodological process scheme will support
the design of products for elderly or impaired people both in a
physiological and a psychological manner.
Scientific Abstract
The need of this project arises as a result of the diversity of technical product users. With the ageing of our society, the amount of persons with physical impairments raises. Therefore, mainly physical needs have been considered in the user centered design so far. Indeed the fulfillment of subjective (psychological) needs happens to be as important to ensure a high quality of life for users. Nowadays products for physically impaired people have considerable deficiencies regarding these needs. Consequently they are often negatively stigmatizing. Despite a high functional value in use, these products may be refused and therefore left unused.
It is a central question, how the design of products for physically impaired people may be like to ensure psychological wellbeing whilst fulfilling physical suitability at the same time. Therefore, the main objective of this research project is a scientifically substantiated approach for an integrated consideration of subjective user needs in the design of products for physically handicapped people.
There has been done valuable preliminary work by the applicant in this field. Moreover interdisciplinary knowledge in this field generally exists. However, an integrated approach for product design is still lacking. To achieve this, two main goals are in focus. First, a model of product-user-interaction will help to understand the integral elements of user’s requirements structure. Using this model, both physiological and psychological needs will be holistically integrated into product design considerations by purposive user characterization and segmentation strategy. Therefore, physical hand function and psychological attitudes-based user characterization is in first focus to demonstrate the general applicability of the intended approach. Second, a general methodological process scheme will support the design of products for elderly or impaired people both in a physiological and a psychological manner.
