About the method

Understanding the diverse and complex needs of end-users is critical to designing more inclusive and human-centered technology. For example, the needs of patients can differ based on their specific impairments, family and friends' involvement in their care, emotional support, and personality traits, among other factors (Gerteis et al., 1997). The active participation of end-users in the development process can be achieved through research approaches such as participatory design. This collaborative approach involves end-users in the design process and is built on the principles of inclusion, collaboration, co-creation, and empowerment (Sanders et al., 2008). 

At our lab, we employ the principles of participatory design and use the Double-Diamond model as the framework for structuring the research process (Melles et al., 2021; Ball, 2022). By following this model, we actively engage end-users (e.g., people who had a stroke, family members, physical and occupational therapists) and different stakeholders who will be affected by or interact with the problem that needs to be solved in the different stages of the design process and from the beginning of product or service development. 

According to this model, the design process is divided into four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver (see figure above). In the Discover phase, we gather insights from and empathize with end-users' needs. We meet end-users in their context, such as in a rehabilitation center, and conduct observations and/or interviews to understand and experience their challenges from a first-person perspective. We then converge in the Define phase to identify the problem. By using methods like Personas—fictional characters created to help people empathize with end-users needs, experiences, behaviors, and goals to guide product development (Chang, 2008)—together with end-users and different stakeholders, we reflect on the needs and formulate problems statements to address in the following phases. In the Develop phase, we brainstorm ideas with end-users and different stakeholders and define and prioritize the requirements of assistive or rehabilitative technology. In the final phase, Deliver, we usually involve end-users and different stakeholders in hands-on activities to co-create low-/high-fidelity prototypes, which are finally tested in experimental settings.

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