Design Patterns for Inclusive Collaboration (DePIC)

Our interaction with the world around us relies on perception which exploits combinations of the senses we have available to us. Enabling people to use combinations of senses becomes critical in situations where people who have different senses available to them interact with each other. These differences can arise because of temporary or permanent sensory impairment, or due to the technology they are using. However, very little research has examined how people combine and map information from one sense to another, particularly for individuals with sensory impairments, and then used such mappings to inform the design of technology to make collaboration easier. The aim of this multi-disciplinary project is to develop new ways for people to interact with each other using different combinations of senses. This will reduce barriers to collaboration caused by sensory impairment, and improve social and workplace inclusion by optimising the use of available senses. We will combine empirical studies of mappings between senses with participatory design techniques to develop new ideas for inclusive design grounded in Cognitive Psychology. We will capture these design ideas and mappings in the form of Design Patterns and demonstrate their usefulness through the development of interactive systems to support assisted work, living, and leisure.

Potential beneficiaries of this project outside the research community include anyone who could benefit from reducing barriers to collaboration due to sensory impairment. Examples from various sectors are given below.

Wider public:
* Visually impaired individuals, through reduced barriers to work, living, and leisure.
* Sighted individuals, through raising awareness of barriers to collaboration, ways to reduce these barriers, and increased opportunities for collaboration.
* Teachers in schools with visually impaired students, through increasing opportunities for collaborative learning.

Commercial private sector:
* Commercial companies in general, through increased inclusion of skilled workers.
* Accessible software developers, through examples of best practice in cross-modal design, and access to the open-source platform for development.
* Assistive hardware developers, through identification of new hardware requirements and new areas for assistive hardware development.
* Telehealth providers through examples of best practice in cross-modal collaboration design.
* HCI, Interaction Design, and Accessible Design practitioners, through Design Patterns and examples of best practice to inform their accessible design practice.
* New company development through possible spin-out consulting on cross-modal interaction and the open-source platform.

Policy-makers, charities, and governmental agencies:
* Charities such as the British Computer Association of the Blind, and Royal National Institute of Blind People, and policy-makers through examples of best practice in support for inclusive collaboration.
* Government agencies through the establishment of the UK as an international leader in the field of accessible systems.

Public sector, and others:
* Healthcare workers working with visually impaired patients through support for shared interaction with medical data.
* Visually impaired healthcare workers through being able to access and collaborate with medical data
* Museums and galleries, through examples of best practice in cross-modal design particularly for interactive exhibits and guides.

Researchers employed on the project:
* Improved skills in accessible software development and study methodologies, which may be transferable e.g. the commercial private sector on completion of the project.
* Improved public engagement skills through exhibitions and outreach work.

Others undertaking direct interaction with the project:
* Participants in Participatory Design, study participants, and steering committee, through exposure to new assistive interfaces, and contribution to design direction and refinement.