Output details

Developing Visualisation Software for Rehabilitation: Investigating the Requirements of Patients, Therapists and the Rehabilitation Process

What are the design considerations for software which visualises motion capture data during a rehabilitation session so that it meets the needs of stroke survivors and rehabilitation professionals? Using qualitative methods, two focus group discussions were conducted with a convenience sample of stroke survivors who had received stroke rehabilitation in Scotland during the last five years, and a group of neuro-rehabilitation professionals involved in stroke care. The focus groups were held in the pre-trial design phase in order to understand the specific needs and experiences of key stakeholders involved in stroke rehabilitation prior to the visualisation software being evaluated in five different Randomised Clinical trials (RCTs). Both groups were asked questions on the broad themes of maintaining motivation, and understanding of rehabilitation goals and progress. These themes were firstly discussed based on their experiences of standard rehabilitation, followed by a discussion to provide feedback on the prototype visualisations, based on these themes. The findings from the research led to a significant shift in the design of the visualisation software based on a new understanding of the specific needs of stroke patients and professionals involved in stroke rehabilitation. The user engagement process has continued through the research and is being used before, during and after the RCTs. The envisage project is a three and a half year multidisciplinary research project funded by the Medical Research Council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing programme (Grant No. G0900583). The work is a continuation of previous research council funded projects: EPSRC EQUAL funded 'Visualisation of biomechanical parameters for product design' (Grant No. GR/R26856/01) and ESRC New Dynamics of Ageing 'Envision' project (Grant no. RES-352-25-0005). In 2011, the work received the Nexxus Innovation award (West of Scotland).

Authorship: Macdonald led the design-research and Loudon led development of the software tool and visualizations.