Fifteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge & Society

Abstract

Meeting the design and usability needs of other cultures requires an understanding of the contexts where materials are used (Norman, 2002; Garrett, 2010). From a healthcare perspective, this requires an understanding of the contexts in which patients use medical technologies and materials (Meloncon, 2015; St.Amant, 2015). The challenge involves identifying variables affecting how such materials are used in different settings to help guide the design processes used to develop different health and medical technologies. A modified version of the cognitive science concepts of scripts and prototypes can help to address such situations. This proposed presentation would examine how cognitive concepts of scripts and prototypes can guide the process of developing usable health and medical technologies for different cultural audiences. In so doing, the presenters would: Overview what scripts and prototypes are and how they can help individuals understand contexts where health and medical materials are used; Explain how scripts and prototypes can guide the design of materials to enhance use by different audiences; Discuss how the application of these ideas can assist with the translation and localization of health and medical materials for patients from other cultures. Through this approach, attendees with gain a familiarity with scripts and prototypes and learn how to use them to understand and address the contexts in which patients use health and medical technologies.