Citation

Buhler C. Int. J. Ind. Ergonomics 1996; 17(2): 187-192.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Assistive technology plays an important role for independent living of people with special needs. Therefore it is a key issue to identify the problems that come up in the everyday use of assistive technology. The analysis of user requirements is one of the most important factors for effective special needs developments. The user involvement in every step of the development procedure is meaningful. Especially the experiences of long-term users are very helpful. In case of new technology prototype testing by users during the development can correct the aims by giving unexpected inputs. Although some research activities with user involvement are going on, it still needs more concern in industry and appropriate methodologies have to be established. In this paper two different examples of user involvement are described with respect to the different users' experience. As an example of emerging technologies the use of a robotic aid is investigated. In this case the analysis of user requirements is based on tests of available prototypes with users. As an example of already existing technical aids an investigation of practical user experiences with wheelchairs is described. In both cases the experiences of the users are fed back to the development to achieve real improvement. Our experiences may stimulate researchers and industrialists to initiate user involvement within their activities.