Representing User Activity and Product Function for Universal Design

Author(s):  
Vincent Kostovich ◽  
Daniel A. McAdams ◽  
Seung Ki Moon

This paper presents a product analysis framework to improve universal design research and practice. Seventeen percent of the US population has some form of a disability. Nevertheless, many companies are unfamiliar with approaches to achieving universal design. A key element of the framework is the combination of activity diagrams and functional models. The framework is applied in the analysis of 20 pairs of products that satisfy a common high level need but differ with one product intended for fully able users and the other intended for persons with some disability or reduced functioning. Discoveries based on the analysis include the observation that differences in typical and universal products can be categorized functionally, morphologically, or parametrically different than typical products. Additionally, simple products appear to be made more accessible through parametric changes whereas more complex products require functional additions and changes.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ananya Nandy ◽  
Kosa Goucher-Lambert

Abstract Function drives many early design considerations in product development. Therefore, finding functionally similar examples is important when searching for sources of inspiration or evaluating designs against existing technology. However, it is difficult to capture what people consider to be functionally similar and therefore, if measures that compare function directly from the products themselves are meaningful. In this work, we compare human evaluations of similarity to computationally determined values, shedding light on how quantitative measures align with human perceptions of functional similarity. Human perception of functional similarity is considered at two levels of abstraction: (1) the high-level purpose of a product, and (2) a detailed view of how the product works. Human evaluations of similarity are quantified by crowdsourcing 1360 triplet ratings at each functional abstraction, and then compared to similarity that is computed between functional models. We demonstrate how different levels of abstraction and the fuzzy line between what is considered “similar” and “similar enough” may impact how these similarity measures are utilized, finding that different measures better align with human evaluations along each dimension. The results inform how product similarity can be leveraged by designers. Therefore, applications lie in creativity support tools, such as those used for design-by-analogy, or future computational methods in design that incorporate product function in addition to form.


AI and Ethics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ali Chaudhry ◽  
Emre Kazim

AbstractIn the past few decades, technology has completely transformed the world around us. Indeed, experts believe that the next big digital transformation in how we live, communicate, work, trade and learn will be driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) [83]. This paper presents a high-level industrial and academic overview of AI in Education (AIEd). It presents the focus of latest research in AIEd on reducing teachers’ workload, contextualized learning for students, revolutionizing assessments and developments in intelligent tutoring systems. It also discusses the ethical dimension of AIEd and the potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the future of AIEd’s research and practice. The intended readership of this article is policy makers and institutional leaders who are looking for an introductory state of play in AIEd.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Shaojie Lai ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Jiangze Du ◽  
Shuwen Pi

This article examines the propensity to pay dividends in the U.S banking sector during 1973–2014. Although the propensity to pay dividends has been declining over the 52 years of our sample period, banks are consistently more likely to pay dividends than non-financial firms. Using the coefficients from logit models estimated early in the sample period to forecast the percentage of dividend payers in each subsequent year, we conclude that there has been a decline in the likelihood of paying dividends in the banking sector. However, the decline started from a very high level as compared to that of the non-banking sectors. In addition, the variables taken from the non-financial firm literature do not explain the difference between the actual and expected percentage of dividend payers in the banking sector. We also conduct exploratory analyses with bank-specific variables. Although newly included variables are significantly related to the likelihood of paying dividends, they do not explain the declining propensity to pay dividends in the banking sector.


Significance The two sides have suspended tariffs arising from their dispute over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing, are working on an international deal on corporate taxation and have established a high-level council to discuss issues at the nexus of security, technology and trade. Impacts A major aim of closer transatlantic cooperation is better coordination of policies with respect to China. Closer transatlantic cooperation over China might soften US opposition to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. It will be difficult for the US government to pass legislation concerning trade given the Democrats' precarious majority in both houses.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yılmaz Köylü

Abstract This article details how introductory linguistics courses can increase student engagement and learning through a project-based approach, whereby the students first study the subfields of linguistics with a view to complete the main project of the course, namely to construct a novel language. I provide information from a semester-long course with specific project-based activities teachers could utilize in their classes. I also thoroughly examine the constructed language projects based on 33 student submissions in an introductory linguistics course in the US. The analysis indicates a high level of engagement and creativity by the students in creating a distinct orthography, phonetic, morphological, and syntactic rules and semantic properties for their constructed languages. The results from a 20-item questionnaire and student exit interviews indicate that the project-based approach adopted in the completion of their constructed languages proved effective in (a) improving student motivation and engagement; (b) helping students apply the knowledge of the material to carry out linguistic analysis; (c) enhancing students’ language learning skills; (d) encouraging them to study additional foreign languages; and finally (e) promoting linguistic diversity. Hence, as an innovative and effective method still in its infancy, project-based learning should be more widely implemented in linguistics instruction.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Budi Herminto ◽  
Risa Setia Ismandani

AbstractWater represent compound which is the necessary for all living. Consumption behaviorirrigate society not yet altogether goodness, society consume water when feel thirsty anddo not so pay attention drinking water and amount matching with requirement. Purpose ofthe study to determine the relationship between the knowledge level about fluid bodyrequirement with pattern consume drinking water at student in Academy of Nursing PantiKosala Surakarta.The subject was used as population in the study was all the first year students. The totalpopulation were 139 students, and the sample were 103 students. The samplingtechnique was simple random sampling.This research method represent analytic research with design research of corelasional toknow relationship between knowledge level about fluid body requirement with patternconsume drinking water of student.The results was the high level of knowledge about the fluid body requirment were 74(72%), moderate level of knowledge about the fluid body requirment were 29 (28%), whilethe behavior of consuming appropiate water were 69 (67%), and the behavior ofconsuming inappropiate water were 34 (33%) with a p-value 0.003 <0.05 significant 95%.There was a significant relationship between the knowledge level about fluid bodyrequirement with pattern consume drinking water at student in Academy of Nursing PantiKosala Surakarta.Keywords: knowlegde level, fluid body requirement, pattern consume drinking water.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishanth Weerakkody ◽  
Mohamad Osmani ◽  
Paul Waller ◽  
Nitham Hindi ◽  
Rajab Al-Esmail

<p>Continued professional development (CPD) has been at the centre of capacity building in most successful organisations in western countries over the past few decades. Specialised professions in fields such as Accounting, Finance and ICT, to name but a few, are continuously evolving, which is necessitating certain standards to be followed through registration and certification by a designated authority (e.g. ACCA). Whilst most developed countries such as the UK and the US have well established frameworks for CPD for these professions, several developing nations, including Qatar (the chosen context for this article) are only just beginning to adopt these frameworks into their local contexts. However, the unique socio-cultural settings in such countries require these frameworks to be appropriately modified before they are adopted within the respective national context. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of CPD in Qatar through comparing the UK as a benchmark and drawing corresponding and contrasting observations to formulate a roadmap towards developing a high level framework.</p>


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