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The research has explored the value of making in developing knowledge and the role of haptic cues and their design application in improving usability of products. The research has informed the design of TacMap whose primary beneficiaries are blind and partially sighted users. Resulting impact of research has been 1) a spin out company TacMap Ltd. 2) greater independence and dignity for blind and partially sighted people who through the use of `TacMap' can move more easily around interior and exterior spaces. 3) more inclusive and compliant services for businesses in relationship to the Equality Act 2010 agenda.
The case described shows that work reported in the 2008 RAE exploring the information seeking strategies of older users is currently having a direct and significant impact on government policy in respect of the broad area of digital inclusion. Impact has been influential in two primary areas: advice and guidance to policy making bodies and training needs for organisations so that design can accommodate industrial needs. Specifically there have been invited contributions and provision of expert advice to Government policy making forums and to lead on training for designing for all especially in the area of standardisation in Europe and worldwide, including under EU Mandate 376, which is in the process of establishing EU wide rules to ensure accessibility to information and communication technologies (ICT) products and services. The visible impact of these activities is the publication of several important reports and the use of the research to support the call for European Directive on the accessibility of public sector bodies' websites and the selection to work with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The case described shows that our research reporting on the limitations and challenges associated with traditional approaches to presentation and management of information search results for different types of users has led to design and implementation of non-conventional user interface technology - INVISQUE (Interactive Visual Search and Query Environment [7]). This technology has had a direct influence and usage in a range of domains including information seeking in Citizens Advice Bureaux and in the security domain both nationally (UK Ministry of Defence) and internationally (US Dept. of Homeland Security). The research has created a community of practice around the emerging field of Visual Analytics and has formed the basis of a successful FP7 project (EC grant €13.1M) bringing together a consortium of 18 industrial, internationally leading Visual Analytics researchers (e.g. PNNL, University of Konstanz, City University London), and police end-user partners, from across the UK, Europe and the US.
Kennedy's research advanced knowledge and good practice amongst web designers to enable them to include people with intellectual disabilities (ID) amongst their website audiences and thus improve web accessibility for this user group. The research:
This project has made a considerable impact on the teaching of Geometry to school pupils with visual impairment thus ultimately enhancing their teaching and learning experience and quality of life (pupils and teachers from schools in remote villages in the states of Tamil Nadu; Andhra Pradesh; and Kerala in India). The Tactile Graphic Tool (TGT) designed as part of this project is a device allowing hand exploratory movement in making tactile diagrams of graphical and geometrical constructions and then portable digital device (e.g. DigiMemo A402 or a tablet PC) is used to make these accessible as digital pictures through the interface of a computer. The benefits of the tools developed have been in assisting people with visual impairment to overcome the challenge of accessing graphic information contents in mathematics, including graphs, geometry and statistical representations. In particular, the case study's impact represents a practical demonstration of the potential of technology-assisted learning for visually impaired students and is aimed at enhancing their educational and workplace opportunities, as well as access to popular media.
Europeana is the official European Union internet portal for cultural heritage located in European heritage institutions. Based on their research on user centred evaluations of information systems and Digital Library development, Strathclyde researchers were selected to evaluate the user experience of Europeana version 1.0. A series of user studies involving 89 people in 4 countries led to design recommendations based on Strathclyde's research which were incorporated into a new Europeana user interface (Europeana v2.0) leading to significant improvements in search capability and information access for users. Consequently, the latest version of Europeana is used by almost 4 million unique visitors from 241 countries who now benefit from increased user experience
The Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR), which focuses on understanding and removing the barriers that prevent people with visual impairment accessing education, has been particularly effective in: securing legislative change for braille readers (e.g. the braille labelling of medication); influencing policy documents of NGOs involved in supporting people with visual impairment (by providing reliable and up to date statistics on employment, and the factors associated with employment); and influencing the professional training of teachers who support visually impaired pupils (by improving teacher reflection and systematic record keeping).
Glyndŵr researchers designed and developed ambient user interface devices and middleware (known as the `E-servant'), and evaluated the completed system, on an FP6 project developing near-to-market-ready prototypes of advanced kitchen appliances. Functionality included sensors in refrigerators that communicated if the door had been accidentally left open; in washing machines, RFID chips identified laundry and automatically selected correct programmes; other appliances, along with further sensors (e.g. smoke alarms) communicated their status via the E-servant to personalised user interfaces. Users could control the appliances, monitor them, and receive timely notifications. Impact relates to benefits to industrial partners and public engagement with research.
Our research studies demonstrate the efficacy of using Interactive Systems in cognitive and functional rehabilitation, including working memory, functional skills, choice reaction time, decision making and upper limb function. Stroke is the third most common disease in the UK with over 100,000 cases annually costing the UK economy £8.9 billion/year, and around 25/1000 people have mild or moderate Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in the UK. Our research has changed practice in schools, improved the employment skills of people with disabilities, informed standards, helped sustain a social enterprise, and has influenced the way practitioners across the EU conduct their own vocational training.
Our research in complex user interface design for environments where there is need to support a high cognitive overload as well the need to support variability of user interface design has led to impacts on the design of products and services in two organisations addressing the domains of crisis management software and nuclear power plant industry. In the former case, research arising from our investigations of user behaviour in complex systems has been applied by adopting our Variable Uncertainty Framework (VUF) into the software product `VSL Planner' developed by VSL Systems AB and the `XVR' product developed by E-Semble Systems. The XVR product has recently been sold to the London Fire Brigade. Related to this, our research on complex task analysis, specifically in abnormal situations resulted in a second conceptual framework that extended the Task Complexity (TACOM) methodology that has been used to inform and guide the Korean Atomic Energy Institute in their work on designing and implementing modern control rooms for atomic power stations in South Korea. The safety critical nature of these interfaces means the potential impact of this work is very high, as any failure could have catastrophic consequences.