Dependability in the home

Guy Dewsbury
Computing Dept, Lancaster University

Computer systems and Pirates

Have they anything in common?

Whats in this presentation?

1) a discussion on Dependability 2) a discussion on domestic dependability 3) Assistive Technology (AT) and dependability 4) dependability and telecare systems 5) an exploration of person-centred design and dependability

Individual and Social Origins of Neurosis

Erich Fromm (1944)
The history of science is a history of erroneous statements. Yet these erroneous statements which mark the progress of thought have a particular quality: they are productive. And they are not just errors either; they are statements, the truth of which is veiled by misconceptions, is clothed in erroneous and inadequate concepts. They are rational visions which contain the seed of truth, which matures and blossoms in the continuous effort of mankind to arrive at objectively valid knowledge about man (sic) and nature. Many profound insights about man (sic) and society have first found expression in myths and fairy tales, others in metaphysical speculations, others in scientific assumptions which have proven to be incorrect after one or two generations.

Task 1
What do you consider the main elements of person centred design are? Can you see any links to dependability issues?
If so what are they?

Extending Laprie's Model

Jean-Claude Laprie et al developed the widely held model of dependability that led to the dependability tree

Dependability
Dependability is defined as that property of a computer system such

that reliance can justifiably be placed on the service it delivers. The service delivered by a system is its behaviour as it is perceptible by its user(s); a user is another system (human or physical) which interacts with the former (JCLaprie, 1995).

The main focus of the model was:

Faults, errors and failures (which include human mistakes)

...

fault

activ atio n

error

p ro p a g a tio n

failure

cau s atio n

fault

...

SO WHAT..?
Laprie's model makes a convincing case in relation to software development and organisational structured systems. The home is different in a number of ways. Within the home practises and activities are not standardised or ordered.
Where do we go now?

The difference between an organisation and the home:

Consider the common usage of :

The telephone The fridge The washing machine The computer The video
All items are used differently but people in their home. The manufacturer has no say in what we do with them. They can recommend certain activities but that is all.

Assistive Technology
Assistive technology can be defined as information and communication technology that has been designed to enable and improve access to a range of services for disabled users. Assistive Technology (AT) is used to support people by enabling them to undertake tasks they might not otherwise be able to do. AT also enables users to be monitored and alerts to be sent should an event occur that warrants such alerts.

Task 2
How many different forms of assistive

technology can you can think of?

How many of these incorporate some

form of computerised system?

Why look at AT?

Users of AT rely on the technology to support their everyday lives. The technology becomes part of the users everyday experience. The system must support the users totally in some cases. There are clear dependability issues to be addressed here.

Designing AT solutions
From our research in Carnforth, Penrith, Barrow in Furness, Dundee and Aberdeen, we have determined that the design of AT systems is based on understanding dependability in terms of the activity patterns and processes of the people who are being designed for.

Designing AT solutions
Lapries model does not take into account these patterns of use. For Laprie, a fault, error or failure can be human derived, but this does not question the system design which might be at fault. If a system is appropriate for the user then user mistakes should be minimal if not avoided altogether.

Context
When domestic technology goes awry it is often more invasive than office technology; not only do we expect our homes to provide a haven of calm and security, but breakdowns in domestic technology can actually prevent us from meeting our basic needs. (Rode J, Toye E, &
Blackwell A (2004) The Fuzzy Felt Ethnography- understanding the programming patterns of domestic appliances, In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Appliance Design, 2004. pp. 10-22) 10-22

More Context
Developing useful and applicable guidelines for
systems design is a thorny issue, as it requires a balance to be struck between the need for the emergence of general principles and the importance of detailing everyday situated practice. If we are to provide more general design principles techniques need to be uncovered that allow the results of ethnographic studies to be married with more general statements of design. (Hughes et al, 2001)

What types of AT are we talking about?

Any system that supports a person to have a better quality of life in their home. Hence we are talking about:
Assistive computer system Call systems Smart Homes Telecare system

Any supportive Networked systems

Our domestic model of dependability

The Dependability Attributes

The Attributes:
Are interdependent Are categorised as such for convenience not in reality Overlap and interconnect Are difficult to reclassify

Lets consider some of the attributes involved in the system design process
Design of the system must take into account the current and foreseeable environment

Network technology

Stairwell

An adapted hob

A door opener

Emergency pull cord

A bit tied up at the minute

A sitting room

Can you spot the devices? Who say technology was aesthetically pleasing?

Better design?
But the camera does not work Looking at the instructions can you work out how to get in?

Dependability in Telecare
Telecare systems are networked systems that provide information on a person, in relation to medical conditions and personal activities. A key feature of new telecare systems is the ability to produce alerts from analysing normal activity (Lifestyle ( Monitoring system) and determining when there is a deviation from the norm.

Active and passive monitoring

Telecare systems rely more on active monitoring than passive monitoring and this can be the problem with the systems. Telecare systems are also becoming expansive and overengineered, giving the person five devices when one would do. Trading dependability for redundancy

Some comments of the evaluation of the LMS

"The evaluation of the Lifestyle Monitoring system highlighted a number of actual and potential benefits, which make a strong case for the implementation of lifestyle monitoring and similar technologies within the range of community care services available to older people. While the field trial was relatively limited in scope, the generally positive feedback from users of the system was clear:
the system is generally acceptable to older people, it increases the care choices available to people, it enhances people's feelings of safety and security in the home, reducing their fears and apprehensions, such as falling or becoming ill or unconscious, it supports and enhances the carer's role.

Now for some fun

In the following clips you will be shown interviews with people using various Assistive/telecare systems. Using your knowledge, consider what domestic dependability issues might need to be considered for each installation.

You might find this useful

Telecare systems Case 1: Flood detector

C:\Tunstall video\Flood.wmv

Telecare Systems Case 2: A person with dementia

C:\Tunstall video\Tunstall dementia daughter_VCD_PAL.wmv

Telecare Systems Case 3: Fall detector

C:\Tunstall video\Tunstall falls Mrs_E_256k.wmv

Telecare Systems Case 4: Epilepsy

C:\Tunstall video\Tunstall epilepsy MrT2_256k.wmv

Telecare Systems Case 4: video monitoring

C:\Media\videomonitoring.mov

Dependability and Telecare

Clearly for a telecare installation to be successful, systems must meet the needs and expectations of the people who use the systems. Systems need to be tailored to the individual needs and activity patterns of the user and work in the way the user expects them to work

Some dependability issues with technology in the home

What makes a good system? Who decides what information should leave the house? What is going to happen to the information leaving the home?
will is be responded to?
By whom?

Dependability and design

For a system to be appropriate and meet needs, the person must be the starting point of the design and the focus throughout. Technology should support not take over or disempower the user. Minimising error now can mean minimising system failures derived from unintentional human factors.

The CATCH
A compendium of assistive technology checklists for the home Person-centred design which is built on a dependability framework

What is CATCH?
CATCH is a set of checklists that allow a person to question the dependability of a system that they might be considering for a person. It allows the checklist user to determine which attributes and properties are most important and question how the person will react to a system installation.

Choosing AT is usually the responsibility of Examples from the Checklists

The General Design Principles

professionals, who have little knowledge of current technology systems; few resources;little time allocated; and small amounts of money to spend on R&D.

CATCHing up
CATCH is a qualitative checklist made up of three main parts: Location-space form Main technology assessment questions Assessing a system: what to look for and what to avoid checklist CATCH is currently being evaluated with older people and their carers BUT YOU CAN HELP IN THIS

Location-space form
This checklist allows the user to consider

aspects of design in relation to their expected and desired use of spaces in their home. The checklist allows the user to plot the location of devices in the home and highlight/attach dependability criteria to the device, and thereby focus attention on areas of concern.

Main technology assessment questions

This brief one page checklist is designed

to allow the user to consider what type of interventions would be most beneficial. The checklist should produce a number of key questions that can assist the user to concentrate on areas of concern where decisions are required. These questions also allow the user to focus on alternatives to high technology solutions

Assessing a system
This extended series of questions is

designed to allow the user to determine what technology to look for and what technology to avoid. The questions follow the same order as the elements in the model of domestic dependability This allows the diagram of the domestic dependability to act as a useful visual aid.

Assessing a system 2

This checklist also provides a thematic/contextualising question for each element as well as questions relating to the socio-technical system as well as questions relating to the user themselves. These questions draw together the sociotechnical aspects of the system. This is followed by a number of weblinks that the user might find useful

This checklist also provides a thematic / contextualising question for each element as well as questions relating to the sociotechnical system as well as questions relating to the user themselves. These questions draw together the sociotechnical aspects of the system.

Design principles
The CATCH booklet contains a set of 20 design principles on the important things to consider when specifying AT solutions. These are broken down into four sections:
Design

principles The Building The Person The Technology/System

These are available @

http://www.smartthinking.ukideas.com/Design Guidelines.html

Some references to have a look at:

CATCH http://www.smartthinking.ukideas.com/CATCH.html For telecare see the www.ices.gov.uk For

ICES site

dependability issues and person centred design issues there is really only one place to look ......

Now don't be shy..

have your questions... I cannot guarantee that I can answer them, but I will try.

Lets

Ask

Guy!

Did you work out why computers and pirates are connected?
Pirates are forced to adapt to their impairments just as people are required to adapt to their environments. If we design things well we should be better than pirates allowing the technology to integrate seamlessly. If we fail.. Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of Vodka!