Improving User Experience of Assistive Technology Through Codesign and 3D Printing: A Case Study from Cancer Treatments

Conference paper

Alessia Romani*, CarolinaMaria Consonni, Marinella Levi
Communications in Computer and Information Science, Constantine Stephanidis, Margherita Antona, Stavroula Ntoa, Gavriel Salvendy, HCI International 2022 – Late Breaking Posters 24th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2022, Virtual Event, June 26 – July 1, 2022, Proceedings, Part I, Interacción, vol. 1654, Springer, 2022 Nov, pp. 450-457

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-19679-9_57

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Cite

APA Click to copy
Romani*, A., Consonni, C. M., & Levi, M. (2022). Improving User Experience of Assistive Technology Through Codesign and 3D Printing: A Case Study from Cancer Treatments. In C. Stephanidis, M. Antona, S. Ntoa, & G. Salvendy (Eds.), Interacción (Vol. 1654, pp. 450–457). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19679-9_57

Chicago/Turabian Click to copy
Romani*, Alessia, CarolinaMaria Consonni, and Marinella Levi. “Improving User Experience of Assistive Technology Through Codesign and 3D Printing: A Case Study from Cancer Treatments.” In Interacción, edited by Constantine Stephanidis, Margherita Antona, Stavroula Ntoa, and Gavriel Salvendy, 1654:450–457. Communications in Computer and Information Science. Springer, 2022.

MLA Click to copy
Romani*, Alessia, et al. “Improving User Experience of Assistive Technology Through Codesign and 3D Printing: A Case Study from Cancer Treatments.” Interacción, edited by Constantine Stephanidis et al., vol. 1654, Springer, 2022, pp. 450–57, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-19679-9_57.

BibTeX Click to copy

@inproceedings{alessia2022a,
  title = {Improving User Experience of Assistive Technology Through Codesign and 3D Printing: A Case Study from Cancer Treatments},
  year = {2022},
  month = nov,
  journal = {Interacción},
  pages = {450-457},
  publisher = {Springer},
  series = { Communications in Computer and Information Science},
  volume = {1654},
  doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-19679-9_57},
  author = {Romani*, Alessia and Consonni, CarolinaMaria and Levi, Marinella},
  editor = {Stephanidis, Constantine and Antona, Margherita and Ntoa, Stavroula and Salvendy, Gavriel},
  booktitle = { HCI International 2022 – Late Breaking Posters  24th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2022, Virtual Event, June 26 – July 1, 2022, Proceedings, Part I},
  month_numeric = {11}
}

Abstract

Stigmatization negatively affects the quality of life of people living with cancers or chronic diseases. This issue often arises from the use of assistive technology and medical devices during daily activities. These products may create barriers within the social context rather than encourage inclusiveness. This work aims to investigate the role of codesign and digital technologies, i.e., 3D printing, in improving the user experience of assistive technology. The focus is to reduce or eliminate the stigma-related issues and improve the quality of life through codesigned customizable assistive products. A codesign process was carried out within the case study of “B.EAUTYlities”, a project focused on the daily life needs of people with cancers or chronic diseases. The design experimentation resulted in the development of two customizable products to manage a central venous catheter for cancer treatments during the user’s daily routine, i.e., protecting the catheter during outdoor activities or showers. Two online open-source configurators were developed to allow users to customize their device and manufacture it with low-cost 3D printing processes. Stigma-related issues can be mitigated thanks to the users’ active role during the codesign process since their perception and feedback can be considered a key aspect to design new assistive products. Digital technologies and customization can spread accessible assistive technology, as well as open-source principles and distributed manufacturing networks. The user experience may be positively affected not only by the efficacy of these products in fulfilling their primary function but also by their customization, strengthening the emotional attachment to the products. 1

Keywords

Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) // Mass customization // 3D printing // Inclusive design // Open design // Digital fabrication

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Resources and links

📑 Full text (publisher version) 2
📝 Full text (preprint version) 3
🌐 ShapeDiver customizator of IF (Website) 4
🌐 ShapeDiver customizator of THEN (Website) 5
🛠️ OSF Repository (3D models and parametric definition) 6

Romani, A., Consonni, C.M., and Levi, M., 2022. Improving User Experience of Assistive Technology Through Codesign and 3D Printing: A Case Study from Cancer Treatments. In: Stephanidis, C., Antona, M., Ntoa, S., Salvendy G. (Eds). HCI International 2022 – Late Breaking Posters. 24th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Part I, pp. 450-457. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-19679-9_57 ↩
Romani, A., Consonni, C.M., and Levi, M., 2022. Improving User Experience of Assistive Technology Through Codesign and 3D Printing: A Case Study from Cancer Treatments. In: Stephanidis, C., Antona, M., Ntoa, S., Salvendy G. (Eds). HCI International 2022 – Late Breaking Posters. 24th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Part I, pp. 450-457. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-19679-9_57 ↩
Romani, A., Consonni, C.M., and Levi, M., 2022. Improving User Experience of Assistive Technology Through Codesign and 3D Printing: A Case Study from Cancer Treatments. Preprint. Available at Researchgate.net. Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365723273_Improving_User_Experience_of_Assistive_Technology_Through_Codesign_and_3D_Printing_A_Case_Study_from_Cancer_Treatments ↩
1. IF Pattern 01 online customization. ShapeDiver. Available at: https://www.shapediver.com/app/m/if-pattern-01
1. THEN Pattern 01 online customization. ShapeDiver. Available at: https://www.shapediver.com/app/m/thenpattern
Romani, A., 2025. Parametric 3D printable Assistive Technology Products for people dealing with cancer treatments - Grasshopper Configurators. Project repository. Available at OSF.io. DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/JHVAB ↩