Fusion of horizons: Co-designing with Cambodian children who have prosthetic legs, using generative design tools

Abstract

This paper presents a field study exploring the challenges and implications of applying a participatory design process through the use of generative design tools with children using prosthetic legs in rural Cambodia in order to facilitate their involvement in the design process. First, it reviews the main research paradigms in which user research is conducted, including positivism, critical theory and interpretivism, and compares the paradigms in terms of the motives they carry for involving users in the design process. The case is then positioned in the interpretivistic research paradigm using philosophical hermeneutics as a guide. As the first application of generative design tools with children in developing countries who have special needs, the case revealed many challenges and pointed to the need to go well beyond the contextual domains typically addressed in usercentred or product-centred design today. The paper concludes by presenting the pyramid model, which designers can use to obtain an overview of the knowledge they need for developing a relevant solution, and to reflect upon how their understanding develops in this process.

How Do I matter? A Review of the Participatory Design Practice with Less Privileged Participants

“…The first participant group was children (n:15), referring to individuals under 15 years old. Inside this group, there were studies working with children with autism [31,58,64], children at risk of marginalization [2,32], and children that require prosthetics legs [38,39]. The rest of these studies referred to their participants as children [6,26,27,40,46,55,78,83].…”

Social Robots, Brain Machine Interfaces and Neuro/Cognitive Enhancers: Three Emerging Science and Technology Products through the Lens of Technology Acceptance Theories, Models and Frameworks

“…Some social robotic groups modified the UTAUT to include core measures that would fit their product, and BMI is seen to be in need of a more tailored evaluation [141][142][143]. We submit that human-centered designs [172][173][174] (or user centered design [142]) and a participatory design process [175,176], which involves co-designing with generative design tools [177], is one possible avenue that could be utilized more by researchers and engineers. The participatory design could start with a modified UTAUT with open-ended questions covering design, needs, motivation and social factor consideration.…”

Co-creation in Professional Craft Practice

“…Greenhalgh et al (2016) demonstrated the potential of co-creative research as an approach that can have a real impact in society because the research can adopt to local cultures. In orthopaedic engineering of prosthetics for children in the Cambodian countryside, the need for co-design emerged (Hussain & Sanders, 2012), and a fusion of horizons of understanding was aimed for (Gadamer, 2004).…”