Human-centered Design Practices Research Articles

Advancing understanding of learning experience design: refining and clarifying definitions using an eDelphi study approach

We report findings from an eDelphi study that aimed to explore 16 expert panelists’ perspectives regarding the key attributes of learning experience design (LXD) as it relates to the following: design, disciplines, methods, and theory. Findings suggest consensus was reached regarding LXD’s focus on learner-centrism and incorporating human-centered design practices to design learning environments. LXD practitioners adapt methods and theories from fields such as human–computer interaction and user experience. Implications suggest a need to develop specific methods and theories within our own field.

The Emerging Concept of the Human-Centered Organization: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature

Both practitioners and scholars are increasingly interested in the idea of the human-centered organization. This term first appeared in the late 1950s and has gained attention in the last ten years. Awareness of the need for human-centeredness grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which many organizational leaders were compelled to focus on employee health, safety, and well-being. In this paper, we review and synthesize the rather fragmented scholarly and practitioner literature on human-centered organization (HCO) to develop an integrated definition and framework. The 26 sources reviewed in depth indicate that the HCO construct is primarily utilized in two ways. First, human-centered design scholars and practitioners conceive of HCOs as employing human-centered design practices. The second discourse involves the humanistic management and culture literature, which conceives of HCOs as embodying humanistic values and cultures. After reviewing these separate discourses, we synthesize them in an integrated definition as well as framework of HCO. The framework starts from humanistic values such as dignity, well-being, and justice, which are pivotal in creating organizational practices characterized by a common good purpose, positive human experiences on the job, team structures to coordinate work, and participatory tools and approaches.

Sustainable Development for Mobile Health Apps Using the Human-Centered Design Process.

Well-documented scientific evidence indicates that mobile health (mHealth) apps can improve the quality of life, relieve symptoms, and restore health for patients. In addition to improving patients' health outcomes, mHealth apps reduce health care use and the cost burdens associated with disease management. Currently, patients and health care providers have a wide variety of choices among commercially available mHealth apps. However, due to the high resource costs and low user adoption of mHealth apps, the cost-benefit relationship remains controversial. When compared to traditional expert-driven approaches, applying human-centered design (HCD) may result in more useable, acceptable, and effective mHealth apps. In this paper, we summarize current HCD practices in mHealth development studies and make recommendations to improve the sustainability of mHealth. These recommendations include consideration of factors regarding culture norms, iterative evaluations on HCD practice, use of novelty in mHealth app, and consideration of privacy and reliability across the entire HCD process. Additionally, we suggest a sociotechnical lens toward HCD practices to promote the sustainability of mHealth apps. Future research should consider standardizing the HCD practice to help mHealth researchers and developers avoid barriers associated with inadequate HCD practices.

Do-It-Yourself, Low-Cost Pop-Up Usability Labs for Learning Experience Designers

This article introduces the concept of pop-up usability labs as a practical and cost-effective solution for conducting usability testing in real-world learning experience design (LXD) contexts. Various configurations of pop-up usability labs are presented, including budget-friendly, portable, semi-permanent, and mobile setups, along with recommendations for hardware and software requirements. The importance of selecting appropriate software packages for usability data analysis is emphasized, with suggestions for low-cost, no-cost, and open-source options for quantitative and qualitative data analyses. Pop-up usability labs offer numerous advantages, such as accommodating limited funding and reaching participants in rural areas. However, they also present challenges that require LXD professionals to become familiar with the equipment and data analysis methods. Despite these limitations, pop-up usability labs provide a viable, resource-efficient approach for LXD professionals to conduct usability testing in real-world settings, identify and address design flaws related to usability, and embrace more human-centered design practices in the development of educational and learning technology products, systems, or services.

The state of human-centered NLP technology for fact-checking

Misinformation threatens modern society by promoting distrust in science, changing narratives in public health, heightening social polarization, and disrupting democratic elections and financial markets, among a myriad of other societal harms. To address this, a growing cadre of professional fact-checkers and journalists provide high-quality investigations into purported facts. However, these largely manual efforts have struggled to match the enormous scale of the problem. In response, a growing body of Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies have been proposed for more scalable fact-checking. Despite tremendous growth in such research, however, practical adoption of NLP technologies for fact-checking still remains in its infancy today.In this work, we review the capabilities and limitations of the current NLP technologies for fact-checking. Our particular focus is to further chart the design space for how these technologies can be harnessed and refined in order to better meet the needs of human fact-checkers. To do so, we review key aspects of NLP-based fact-checking: task formulation, dataset construction, modeling, and human-centered strategies, such as explainable models and human-in-the-loop approaches. Next, we review the efficacy of applying NLP-based fact-checking tools to assist human fact-checkers. We recommend that future research include collaboration with fact-checker stakeholders early on in NLP research, as well as incorporation of human-centered design practices in model development, in order to further guide technology development for human use and practical adoption. Finally, we advocate for more research on benchmark development supporting extrinsic evaluation of human-centered fact-checking technologies.

Activity Theory as a Lens for Developing and Applying Personas and Scenarios in Learning Experience Design

Theoretically-informed design is a hallmark of the field of learning and instructional design and technology (LIDT). Designing digital environments for learning on the basis of theory can lead to theoretically pure and potentially effective learning interventions, yet theory alone is insufficient to consider the myriad of issues that emerge while a learner is engaged in digitally mediated learning. As the field of LIDT shifts towards more human-centered design practice, the phenomenon of learning experience design (LXD) has emerged as a novel, multidisciplinary focus area. LXD equips designers with a range of useful methods for explicitly considering the learner within the learning context. Two methods that we argue are particularly well-suited for this are personas and scenarios. The development of personas and scenarios can be informed by activity theory, which provides a lens for holistically considering the technology usage context and the learner’s role therein. The current article discusses the interplay of activity theory, personas, and scenarios, and illustrates how this can be potentially useful in learning experience design practice in two separate case examples. Implications are discussed.

Activity Theory as a Lens for Developing and Applying Personas and Scenarios in Learning Experience Design

Theoretically-informed design is a hallmark of the field of learning and instructional design and technology (LIDT). Designing digital environments for learning on the basis of theory can lead to theoretically pure and potentially effective learning interventions, yet theory alone is insufficient to consider the myriad of issues that emerge while a learner is engaged in digitally mediated learning. As the field of LIDT shifts towards more human-centered design practice, the phenomenon of learning experience design (LXD) has emerged as a novel, multidisciplinary focus area. LXD equips designers with a range of useful methods for explicitly considering the learner within the learning context. Two methods that we argue are particularly well-suited for this are personas and scenarios. The development of personas and scenarios can be informed by activity theory, which provides a lens for holistically considering the technology usage context and the learner’s role therein. The current article discusses the interplay of activity theory, personas, and scenarios, and illustrates how this can be potentially useful in learning experience design practice in two separate case examples. Implications are discussed.

Adaptation and performance of a mobile application for early detection of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

BackgroundDetection and management of neglected tropical diseases such as cutaneous leishmaniasis present unmet challenges stemming from their prevalence in remote, rural, resource constrained areas having limited access to health services. These challenges are frequently compounded by armed conflict or illicit extractive industries. The use of mobile health technologies has shown promise in such settings, yet data on outcomes in the field remain scarce.MethodsWe adapted a validated prediction rule for the presumptive diagnosis of CL to create a mobile application for use by community health volunteers. We used human-centered design practices and agile development for app iteration. We tested the application in three rural areas where cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic and an urban setting where patients seek medical attention in the municipality of Tumaco, Colombia. The application was assessed for usability, sensitivity and inter-rater reliability (kappa) when used by community health volunteers (CHV), health workers and a general practitioner, study physician.ResultsThe application was readily used and understood. Among 122 screened cases with cutaneous ulcers, sensitivity to detect parasitologically proven CL was >95%. The proportion of participants with parasitologically confirmed CL was high (88%), precluding evaluation of specificity, and driving a high level of crude agreement between the app and parasitological diagnosis. The chance-adjusted agreement (kappa) varied across the components of the risk score. Time to diagnosis was reduced significantly, from 8 to 4 weeks on average when CHV conducted active case detection using the application, compared to passive case detection by health facility-based personnel.ConclusionsTranslating a validated prediction rule to a mHealth technology has shown the potential to improve the capacity of community health workers and healthcare personnel to provide opportune care, and access to health services for underserved populations. These findings support the use of mHealth tools for NTD research and healthcare.

Evaluating the Usability of University Waste-Sorting Systems

Recycling is a widely adopted practice that can reduce waste in landfills and increase profits for companies, corporations, and universities, such as Clemson, that sell recyclable materials. For these materials to be sold at a competitive price, however, they must be uncontaminated. This is a considerable barrier for Clemson University because users’ knowledge and experience with recycling do not align with Clemson University’s expected recycling practices. In an effort to bridge this gap, we followed human-centered design practices to generate and test prototypes of new system signage. We found that users were more accurate and confident in their sorting behavior when interacting with the new signage. Users also perceived the new signage as more usable than the old signage. In addition to these findings, the results of this research include a user testing methodology and experimental protocol that can be implemented in other contexts where large populations sort waste.

An HIT Ecosystem Capability Maturity Model for System-Wide Implementation, Management, and Governance

Abstract Background An effective health system is dependent on the people, processes, and technology required to support its successful use. Technology, including essential health information technology (HIT) components, is not enough to successfully support quality patient care delivery. Without a strong support structure, HIT tools and data alone will fail to meet the desired goal of quality patient care that achieves health equity. Multiple factors, including governance processes, policies, and standards, are critical for the development, implementation, and consistent and effective use of clinical HIT systems and the resulting data. A comprehensive model that provided support for a holistic assessment of the HIT ecosystem could not be identified. The Facility HIT Ecosystem Capability Maturity Model (ECMM) was designed in response to this need. Objectives This project was designed to create and propose a comprehensive framework for self-assessment and support of a maturation pathway for a facility's comprehensive HIT ecosystem, including governance processes, policies, and standards. Methods Iterative methods based on agile and human-centered design practices were used to create and validate the framework and its contents. Results The ECMM and toolkit support a health care facility's clinical or technical leadership, including chief medical officers, chief information officers, and chief medical/health/nursing informatics officers, in identifying and assessing policies, processes, and capabilities surrounding HIT. This framework supports iterative evaluation and step-ladder style progression and goal setting to achieve desired capabilities, both at the local level and at the level of supporting organizations. Reviewer feedback was used to provide iterative tool improvement and refinement. Conclusion The proposed HIT maturity model toolkit showed potential as a tool to help empower health care facilities and their leadership to advance their HIT ecosystem.

Computer-Centered Humans: Why Human-AI Interaction Research Will Be Critical to Successful AI Integration in the DoD

The technology development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is proceeding at an unprecedented pace, with record breaking levels of funding to support unprecedented breakthroughs. As these technologies progress through technology readiness levels and make their way into the hands of human beings, however, the need for human-centered design practices will become more evident. This article briefly illustrates the emerging need for more human-AI interaction research in the Department of Defense to ensure an appropriate and cohesive integration strategy of AI in warfighting and defense sectors.

Embedded design: engaging students as active participants in the learning of human-centered design practices

ABSTRACTBackground and Context: in this paper, we argue that integrating Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) into K-12 computing education can present learners with opportunities to develop human-centered design skills as well as higher-order thinking skills.Objective: to address the issues related to the development of HCI forms of expertise, we introduce an approach, called embedded design, which extends cognitive apprenticeship methods.Method: we present case studies to illustrate the embedded design approach.Findings: six principles were drawn from the case studies, to inform the implementation of the embedded design approach. Three principles address learners as agents, actively participating in domain thinking processes, and three principles address facilitators as learning designers, orchestrating the co-construction of knowledge.Implications: embedded design provides concrete guidance for implementation to help learners to improve their own thinking processes and succeed in computing education fields, but more research is needed to extend what is known about these complex learning contexts.

Human Factors and Usability for Health Information Technology: Old and New Challenges.

Summary Objectives : Despite national mandates, incentives, and other programs, the design of health information technology (IT) remains problematic and usability problems continue to be reported. This paper reviews recent literature on human factors and usability of health IT, with a specific focus on research aimed at applying human factors methods and principles to improve the actual design of health IT, its use, and associated patient and clinician outcomes. Methods : We reviewed recent literature on human factors and usability problems of health IT and research on human-centered design of health IT for clinicians and patients. Results : Studies continue to show usability problems of health IT experienced by multiple groups of health care professionals (e.g., physicians and nurses) as well as patients. Recent research shows that usability is influenced by both designers (e.g., IT vendors) and implementers in health care organizations, and that the application of human-centered design practices needs to be further improved and extended. We welcome emerging research on the design of health IT for teams as team-based care is increasingly implemented throughout health care. Conclusions : Progress in the application of human factors methods and principles to the design of health IT is occurring, with important information provided on their actual impact on care processes and patient outcomes. Future research should examine the work of health IT designers and implementers, which would help to develop strategies for further embedding human factors engineering in IT design processes.

Is Organizational Design a Human-Centered Design Practice?

AbstractIn recent years design has had a renaissance in business and management research and practice. Several authors have discussed if management is a design practice and how far design ought to go to design behaviors. This article discusses, evaluates and explores organizational design as a human-centered design practice. Relevant theoretical concepts of organizational theory, design approaches and practices are discussed to evaluate gaps in management practices and potential opportunities for design practice. The study collected and analyzed data from two organizations. The researched revealed several propositions, which provide insights of the usefulness, appropriateness and value of a human-centered design practice to organizational design.

Case Study: Participatory Ergonomics in Road Construction and an Occupational Perspective of Health

Road construction comprises high-risk work activity including risks for collision, musculoskeletal disorder, and slips, trips and falls. A participatory ergonomics project was hosted after compelling field observations were made. A manual task involving roll-out of multi-laminate tape was redesigned with the fabrication of a customized trolley. A human-centered design process was engaged (The Design for Operability and Maintainability Technique) and the project outcomes were reviewed according to an Occupational Perspective of Health, a spectrum of safety through to productivity (or “doing – being – becoming – belonging”). Critical success factors of the project are described, also, to inform activity that may sustain a participatory ergonomics and human-centered design practice.

Application of Functional Resonance Analysis Method to Sustain Human-Centered Design Practice in Road Construction

The Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) involves mapping out interrelated functions to gain an understanding of how to monitor and optimize system performance. A FRAM model was applied to study the application of predictive, human-centered design review of an asphalt job truck for road construction. The model provided for a constructive means to communicate, reflect upon, and strategize methods to support ongoing human-centered design practice in the business. Practical recommendations were made with regard to resource allocation and management activity. This paper will describe the development of the model, the application, and the findings.

The Chile Miner Rescue: A Human-centred Design Reflection

ABSTRACTIn this paper, I discuss key principles and practices of humancentred design in the unusual context of the successful rescue of 33 Chilean miners in 2010. The paper begins with a review of elements and characteristics associated with human-centred design in contemporary design theory and literature. From this reflection, questions arise about the role and place of human-centred design in ‘non-design’ social contexts, dominated by technicians and engineers. Can the Chile Miner Rescue serve as an example for the value and relevance of a human-centred design approach in these domains? The paper draws on publicly available materials, published interviews and background stories to identify a range of humancentered design practices and principles which guided this rescue operation. The aim of this paper is to stimulate thoughts, discussions and research into these questions while looking into a situation in which design approaches and design problems reach beyond the familiar products and services. The deliberate focus on a current event is meant as an invitation and challenge to apply design theoretical concepts and methods to social and organizational questions. With this in mind, the Chile Miner Rescue offers an opportunity for testing the boundaries, relevance and validities of some of our design concepts.

Reflexive design thinking

Over the years we have been involved in practices of applying methods and insights of human- computer interaction (HCI) for client engagements. Specifically, we emphasize a human-centered approach employing ethnography and participatory design that we collectively refer to as human-centered design practices. Yet we have become increasingly aware of a gap between what we do in our practice and what HCI offers us by inherently delimiting outcomes to technological solutions.

Current Status and Issues of Human Centered Design Practice

Current Status and Issues of Human Centered Design Practice

Context-sensitive Approach for Interactive Systems Design: Modular Scenario-based Methods for Context Representation

As information technology becomes more ubiquitous in our work and daily life environments, understanding contexts of activities becomes critical to enhance a foundation for human-centered design practice. This research introduces a conceptual framework for defining, representing and incorporating contexts as core information for interactive systems design. Modular Scenario Composition Method was developed as a mechanism for linking descriptive field study information and analytical aspect models representing many viewpoints involved in the system development and use processes. Design Information Framework (DIF) previously developed by the author was used as a common information platform to bridge different information representation formats including scenarios and aspect models. By combining modular scenarios and aspect models representing contexts, chains of relations between contexts, their triggering factors, and their influences on user actions can explicitly be described.