HomeLab Continues to Grow HomeLab Researchhomelab.gtri.gatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/... ·...

2
Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 1 July 2013 homelab.gtri.gatech.edu 404.407.7253 Thanks to enthusiastic volunteers and a dedicated HomeLab recruitment team, we reached our goal of enrolling 350 participants six months ahead of schedule! As we continue to recruit more participants, our efforts will focus on Metro Atlanta areas where we do not currently have participants enrolled. HomeLab Research In January, we conducted a study to explore older adults’ use of and attitudes about one of four activity monitor technologies (Striiv, Fitbit, Nike+ FuelBand, MyFitnessPal.com; pictured below, clockwise from top left) over a two-week period. Three of the technologies were wearable and tracked movement automatically; MyFitnessPal.com required manual activity entries. HomeLab Continues to Grow Participants were initially excited about using the activity monitoring technologies. However, two of the eight participants stopped using the technologies before the end of the two-week study. One stopped after the first day; another stopped after eight days. This pattern indicates that people do not always accept technologies unconditionally. HomeLab Participant Map =10

Transcript of HomeLab Continues to Grow HomeLab Researchhomelab.gtri.gatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/... ·...

Page 1: HomeLab Continues to Grow HomeLab Researchhomelab.gtri.gatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/... · Fitbit, Nike+ FuelBand, MyFitnessPal.com; pictured below, clockwise from top left)

Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 1July 2013

homelab.gtri.gatech.edu404.407.7253

Thanks to enthusiastic volunteers and a dedicated HomeLab recruitment team, we reached our goal of enrolling 350 participants six months ahead of schedule! As we continue to recruit more participants, our efforts will focus on Metro Atlanta areas where we do not currently have participants enrolled.

HomeLab ResearchIn January, we conducted a study to explore older adults’ use of and attitudes about one of four activity monitor technologies (Striiv, Fitbit, Nike+ FuelBand, MyFitnessPal.com; pictured below, clockwise from top left) over a two-week period. Three of the technologies were wearable and tracked movement automatically; MyFitnessPal.com required manual activity entries.

HomeLab Continues to Grow

Participants were initially excited about using the activity monitoring technologies. However, two of the eight participants stopped using the technologies before the end of the two-week study. One stopped after the first day; another stopped after eight days. This pattern indicates that people do not always accept technologies unconditionally.

HomeLab Participant Map

=10

Page 2: HomeLab Continues to Grow HomeLab Researchhomelab.gtri.gatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/... · Fitbit, Nike+ FuelBand, MyFitnessPal.com; pictured below, clockwise from top left)

Georgia Tech in the NewsAssistive robots are being developed to help patients with caregiving tasks such as providing medication reminders and assisting with housework. However, for such robots to be successfully integrated into the home, healthcare providers must first accept them. In a study conducted at Georgia Tech, the majority of professional caregivers viewed assistive robots positively as a way to improve the care they provide to patients.These findings were presented at the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Paris, France.

Get to Know Us

Carrie Bell, Research Scientist

I was born and raised in a small town in northern West Virginia where I grew up with my two sisters, one of whom is my identical twin. I graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in psychology and spent a few years doing social work. I then earned a master’s degree from the University of Idaho specializing in human factors and worked as an engineering psychologist at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland for several years. While there, I worked on helicopter cockpit redesigns that enabled pilots and their crew to perform their jobs more efficiently.

I came to GTRI four years ago and enjoy working many different projects, including HomeLab. In May, I traveled to Paris to present the findings from a survey about Facebook use that some of you might recall filling out last fall. We found that many older adults use Facebook to stay connected with family. I am very interested in how older adults use social media and how it might become more useful in the future. I plan on conducting more research in this area, so be on the lookout for upcoming studies!

At the end of the study, three of the eight participants responded that they would continue to use the technology. Those who did not intend to continue using the technology described several issues including inaccurate data collection, perceived waste of time, and discomfort while wearing the technology.

The results suggest that the activity monitoring technologies investigated do not meet older adults’ needs. Future design efforts should focus on conveying the usefulness and personal benefits of activity monitoring technologies specific to older adults.

To read the whole story visit: http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=210041