Living and Learning
To Understand Young People's Willingness to Engage with the Digitization of the Penang Peranakan Museum through Quantitative Research
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Fengcheng Wan
The digitization of cultural heritage is crucial, involving various methods that require significant investment. This study seeks to understand young people's willingness to engage with digital cultural heritage at the Nyonya Museum in Penang. Using quantitative research methods, including questionnaire and SPSS analysis, the study examines awareness, preferences, and expectations of young respondents towards digital applications such as VR tours, AR exhibits, and interactive digital games. Findings indicate a generally positive attitude towards digitization, with high mean and median values demonstrating strong support for these initiatives. Additionally, a significant portion of respondents expressed a willingness to pay for high-quality digital content, highlighting potential monetization opportunities. However, the study acknowledges the limitation of sampling, which included a small number of older respondents potentially biasing the results. Future research should employ more precise sampling methods to better capture the true attitudes of young people, ensuring a more accurate representation. These insights provide valuable guidance for developing effective digitization strategies that resonate with the aspirations of Penang's youth, fostering greater engagement and participation in heritage preservation efforts.
Understanding Neurodivergence: Literature Review Intersecting Adults with ADHD and Everyday Practices
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Akansha Aggarwal
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has recently become a popular research topic in a variety of research fields due to the impact that it has on both children and adults. However, a common misconception that ADHD does not persist in adulthood hinders potential research in this area. Furthermore, the stigmatization of neurodivergent thinking styles and practices has been overlooked in various fields of study including design research. Consequently, there are several gaps in our understanding of design practices and interventions specifically tailored for adults with ADHD. Most design research focuses on children, adolescents, or digital solutions for adults, but there are no comprehensive studies specifically on adults with ADHD. Additionally, there are gaps in understanding how multi-sensory design can help adults with ADHD. More qualitative research is needed to explore how holistic design approaches can help adults with ADHD understand their sensory experiences and reflection. The paper employs an interdisciplinary thematic analysis of relevant literature that intersects sociology, psychology, and design research. The goal of the analysis is to provide a strength- based comprehensive knowledge framework that focuses on adults with ADHD. The thematic analysis offers valuable insights by identifying and synthesizing key themes across diverse fields, enhancing our understanding of the unique challenges and strengths of adults with ADHD.
Learning Tools for Non-Speakers: Co-creating a Picture Book and Resources for Speech Therapists Working with Non-speaking Children
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sherry Freyermuth
Non-speaking children often face challenges in fully engaging with traditional learning environments, creating barriers to participation and inclusion. Hello at the Farm was developed as an inclusive read-aloud picture book that emphasizes farm animal actions rather than sounds, enabling children with diverse communication needs to actively participate. This project evolved into a comprehensive framework addressing the needs of children with disabilities by promoting accessible and meaningful engagement. Through collaboration with speech and behavioral therapists, an adapted version of the book featuring repetitive text was created to support material retention. Additional supplemental activities were designed to deepen learning in therapy sessions and educational settings. Input from caregivers, teachers, and therapists ensured the development of user-friendly and engaging resources. This co-creation process resulted in tools that enhance speech therapy outcomes, foster inclusive learning, and provide enriching experiences for all involved.
Facilitating Lifestyle Changes through Self-reflection, Personal Values and Experienced Health: A Transdisciplinary Design Methodology
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Naomi Van Stralen
Personal health technologies, such as smartwatches and mobile applications, can inform people about aspects of their health in real-time, making them a popular way to gain personal health knowledge. Such technologies are therefore relied upon to support people in lifestyle changes. However, these devices prioritize objective health indicators and do not account for or reflect the influence of people’s individual values and the context of their day-to-day life on how they experience and build their health, nor their health identity. This lack of understanding of health identity in personal health technologies can limit uptake and long-term use. To explore the integration of people’s health identity in building health and wellbeing through personal health technologies, a transdisciplinary design research methodology was developed to engage people in participatory activities that provided opportunities to reflect on experienced health, personal values and daily life. Over a three-month period, 13 participants from various demographic backgrounds participated in sequential individual sessions that used hands-on methods which led to personalized health and wellbeing goals and activities. Throughout the research, each participant experienced, applied and interacted with the research activities in different and unexpected ways that expressed how they identify with their health. Overall, the research methodology allowed for reflection on what health means for different people and brought forth insights that were highly personalized including contextual reasons for, and reflections on, health habits. This co-created knowledge can inform both the use and design of more personalized health technologies in the future.
