Bringing BCI Controlled Devices to End-Users: A User Centred Approach and Evaluation

In the past 20 years research on BCI has been increasing almost exponentially. While a great deal of experimentation was dedicated to offline analysis for improving signal detection and translation, online studies with the target population have been less common. More recently the potential user of a BCI came more into the focus of BCI development and user-centred approaches were adopted [1]. For potential end-users the most important requirements are functionality, independent use and easiness of use [2]. In an evaluation study with severely disabled end-users in which a BCI controlled by event-related potential was used for text entry and internet surfing reliability and learnability were rated high while speed and aesthetic design were only moderate. Obstacles for use in daily life were low speed, time needed to set up the system, handling of the complicated software and the demanding strain that accompanies EEG recordings. The same results were obtained when evaluating a painting application with end-users. Currently home-use of brain painting by an exemplary locked-in patient is remotely supervised and constantly evaluated. Satisfaction with the device strongly depends on its functioning and again effectiveness, reliability and easiness of use were identified as most important factors.