Incorporating user experience when developing assistive technology : the case of the I-Cane

This is a study of the way user experiences can be of help when developing assistive technology for blind and visually impaired. In this thesis I concentrate on mobility and orientation aids. As an example of a current development I use the I-Cane, which is under development in the Netherlands by the I-Cane Foundation. I focus on three empirical topics: visibility in society and social identity as blind, mobility and orientation in an environment and the issue of putting trust in an assistive technology. These three are a big part of the experiences blind and visually impaired have when travelling with an assistive technology, and seems to be of importance when choosing which aid to use. To analyze these topics I use three different theories: Don Ihde’s descriptions of human-technology relationship, Silverstone and Hirch’s concepts of domestication and consumption of technologies and Goffman’s theory on stigmatization. The empirical data is based on eight interviews with blind and visually impaired and their experiences with different assistive technologies. I chose to base this study on potential users experiences because they are the people that knows best what makes an assistive technology successful or not. They have experience with different kind of aids, and have important knowledge that should be used when developing new assistive technology. My analysis shows that independence, security and confidence are some of the most important elements that an assistive technology can give to its blind and visually impaired user. An aid that makes this possible will help the users in a large degree to overcome the challenges their disability causes them, and enable them to live a life of their own choosing