MyDayLight: the development of a co-design
process involving participatory design and co-
evaluation
Semi-structured Interview Analysis
Advisor: Shireen
14-05-2018
In the database, this interview can be found as:
Audio_Interview_14-05-2018_Shireen_ReflectionOnAdamsFeedback Description: This interview, that approximately takes 35 minutes, was part of the usage opportunities and appropriation phase (Phase 2) of the second iteration. In interview was requested by the researcher in order to understand better the feedback given by Adam on the prototype developed in the first iteration, to place it in context, to add information to it and to retrieve answers to questions raised by the feedback. The main topics discussed are MyDayLight evoking intrinsic motivation, the role of the supervisor in supporting this and general feedback on the prototype from the second iteration.
Conversation Course: The interview starts with discussing how Arjan had experienced the prototype, and in particular the added sound. Shireen expresses that she understands that sound can be a valuable aspect of the capturing the user’s attention. The researcher recalls a moment during the test session where he accidentally made the wrong light go on – the one without sound – and he did not notice the fact that it was brightening up, even though it was in front of him. Adam, however, did see the light go on but decided not to tell the researcher in order to proof a point he had made earlier: without additional indication aside solely a rainbow light, the user will not be triggered enough by the system to start conducting the activity that they is supposed to do after the rainbow light brightening up.
Afterwards, the researcher shows the how-wow-now matrices to Shireen to demonstrate how the interaction opportunities are captured. Shireen notices that it is not mentioned that the system could be made in such a way that it could help Gerd with flirting with a girl – a desire he had expressed in his initiation interview. Shireen did not understand that the matrices were solely for software- and hardware opportunities.
The following topic discussed was the feedback that Adam gave regarding a design opportunity that he described: to only have the rainbow light stop with showing when feedback is given to the system that it has been noticed. Shireen expresses that this is a good idea, but the researcher makes his doubts noticeable: when feedback is needed to system, then what is it that distinguishes MyDayLight from other applications such as mobile applications. Furthermore, placing this potential solution in the context of Toby who easily neglects activities: if the rainbow light doesn’t stop showing, can it not become easily negligible and lose its entire effect? Shireen expresses that this could indeed be true, but involving a supervisor in this process could ensure that the system could be used effectively. The supervisor, for example, could ensure that Toby was going to use the system the way it should be used. Maybe, whilst knowing that someone is monitoring you, Toby could use MyDayLight in the way it is supposed to be used.
Subsequently, the feedback of Adam on the design opportunities is discussed, where the researcher explicitly asks what Shireen things of the suggestions that Adam gave
regarding a compatible sound system. The researcher expresses that sound could make the system more effective without giving the user a more active role. He recalls that the system is not designed to be persuasive in a way that is noticeable by the user, but the system should push the user to do something without them really noticing it. This opens up the discussion between the researcher and Shireen regarding embodied empowerment. Shireen then mentions that a sound system could also be very useful for Toby, as she believes sound would be more effective in taking Toby out of his focus than solely a rainbow light. When the researcher asks whether or not Shireen suggests anything else to the sound system as it had been described by Arjan, she says no. She suggests that it is more than enough to realize his feedback into a new prototype and test it out again.
Shireen then introduces a new topic: personal intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. By doing this, she introduces an interesting topic that is related to maybe the fundament of embodiment. Shireen explains that the involvement of the supervisor is an important element of the user’s intrinsic motivation. The supervisor could be the person that implements
MyDayLight into the user’s world in such a way that it triggers the user to conduct certain activities in an intrinsic way. Shireen believes that it takes interventions with the use to make them see why they should try to use MyDayLight in such a way that is effectively contributing to his capability to keep at attention at- and organize activities. She also explains that this is her issue with embodied empowerment, the design perspective in which MyDayLight was designed: a system cannot steer users into a direction of attention- and organization improvement without interventions. She explains that in order to have MyDayLight
intrinsically motivate users to conduct certain activities, the users must already have been made clear why it is important in the first place to be motivated to conduct these particular activities.
Adding to this, Shireen emphasises that the researcher himself also plays an important role in making sure that the system is used properly for its purposes. The researcher, subsequently, forms the hypothesis that maybe the co-design process is essential to an effective usage of MyDayLight; potentially, if the fully-developed prototype was delivered to a user without having a co-design process prior to it, the system would maybe not have been used at all. Shireen tries to exemplify her thoughts with the desire from Gerd to flirt with a girl. Shireen mentions that he definitely intrinsically motivated to flirt with a girl, but he simply doesn’t know how to do this. Through an intervention, for example by the researcher giving tips on how to flirt, Gerd could start using the system to help him how to flirt. For example, he could use MyDayLight to plan going onto the streets to find a girl to flirt with. For the latter, he does need to know, though, how to flirt in the first place. Both Shireen and the researcher conclude that the usage of the system is connected, without doubt, to the previous conversation held with the supervisor/researcher.
The interview ends with Shireen expressing, once again, her concerns with the embodied embodiment as design perspective that needs to change the behaviour of people with autism. She believes strongly in the role of a supervisor as essential element of evoking intrinsic motivation at the user’s side. Only with the presence of a supervisor, or at least someone that is steering an intervention, the system can be used effectively.
Interesting Points: Surprisingly, this interview has not resulted in a new how-wow-now matrix as Shireen simply did not have any further input. She exemplifies once again how outspoken Adam is; he describes the suggested design opportunities in detail and he is not afraid to say what is on his mind. He also shows the capacity to reflect on the design
opportunities and argue what interaction possibilities should be possible with MyDayLight to make it also work for other people with autism.
The majority of this conversation was about the effectiveness of MyDayLight as being a supporter of embodied empowerment. Shireen clearly showed scepticism towards
MyDayLight as a device changing the behaviour of people with autism intrinsically – which is also the reason why she presents herself as an advocate of sound inclusion. Shireen, as
psychiatrist, emphasised the importance of supervision and interventions in the usage of the system. I her opinion, the supervision is what triggers the desire to change, and without such supervision, the system will not work effectively for what it is supposed to do. This prompts the researcher to take a more supervising role in the co-design process as well. If they desires to have MyDayLight being tested properly – that is, also to analyse the effectiveness of MyDayLight’s embodied empowerment – the presence of interventions and supervision is essential.