Exploratory prototypes for video: interpreting PD for a complexly disabled participant

Participatory Design (PD) seeks to involve the end users in all aspects of the design process. However, when working with participants with severe disabilities, communication problems can make it difficult to involve the user. In this paper we discuss an attempt to adapt PD approaches to design video tools for a man with severe physical and speech disabilities. To help us understand his requirements, we built simple exploratory prototypes that would allow him to explore the possibilities of video, and allow us to understand what his requirements are. We discuss how successfully we believe the use of these prototypes address the challenges of using a PD philosophy with James, the methodological challenges that we discovered working with James and discuss future methodological improvements.

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