Important factors in the design of assistive technology to avoid the stigmatization of users

Some disabled users of assistive technologies (AT) have expressed concerns that their use of those AT devices brings particular attention to their disability and, in doing so, stigmatizes them in the eyes of their peers. This research studies how a wide range of design factors, influence how positively or negatively users of wearable technologies are perceived, by others. These factors are studied by asking survey respondents to estimate the degree to which they perceive disabilities in users of various products. The survey was given to 34 undergraduate Product Design students, and employed 40 pictures, each of which showed one person using a product. Some of these products were assistive technology devices, and some were not. Respondents used a five-bubble Likert scale to indicate the level of disability that they perceived in this person. Data analysis was done using SPSS software. The results showed that the gender of the respondent was not a significant factor in the respondent's estimation of the level of disability. However, the cultural background of the respondent was found to be significant in the respondent's estimates of disability for seven of the 40 pictures. The results also indicated that the size of AT, its familiarity to the mainstream population, its wearable location on the user's body, the perceived power of the user, the degree to which the AT device seemed to empower the user, the degree to which the AT device was seen as a vehicle for assertion of the user's individuality, and the successfulness of attempts to disguise the AT as some mainstream product reduced the perceived disability of the user. In contrast, symbols or stereotypes of disability, obstructing visibility of the face, an awkward complex design, a mismatch between the product's design and its context of use, and covering of the head were factors that focused attention on, and increased the perception of, the user's disability. These factors are summarized in a set of guidelines to help AT designers develop products that minimize the perceived disability and the resulting stigmatization of the user.