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Development of Uniform Standards for Cognitive Technologies

Advancement of Cognitive Technologies

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Project Summary

Project Goals

Project Benefits

RERC-ACT

Funding
 

Project Summary

Technology, whether it is in a computer or a toaster, holds great promise to improve the lives of people with cognitive disabilities. The set of standards being developed by this project will encourage design for varying cognitive needs; the development of an Ease-of-Use Rating System will allow for informed consumer choices.

Many consumer products or specific features within them serve as memory aids, organizers, and facilitators of social life. Our lives are full of cognitive aids, though many are not intentionally designed for people with cognitive impairments. Identifying the specific features needed by those who have the most challenges with learning, memory and meaning will improve design for everybody.

What products will we work with?

·         Assistive technologies such as screen readers

·         Consumer technologies such as cell phones, laptops, and digital music players

·         Internet resources such as email, social networking, and popular sites

·         Household appliances such as stoves and smoke alarms

 

Whom do we specifically seek to help with these standards and ratings?

·         People who have cognitive impairments or disabilities, such as:

·         People who are at different developmental stages:

·         People who have difficulty communicating or who speak a different language

Project Goals

This project will:

• develop uniform standards for cognitive technologies, and

• develop an Ease-of-Use Rating System for products of value to people with cognitive disabilities and their caregivers.

What are Standards?

Standards define design features for a product. Universal design for differing physical abilities is, for example, made possible by standards for buildings, street curbs, and web pages. Basic groundwork is needed to identify design issues that have implications for people with cognitive disabilities. This work is a component of this project. We plan to identify these features, draft technical standards for designers and manufacturers, and promote their adoption.

What is the Ease-of-Use Rating System?

The Ease-of-Use Rating System will identify key product features and rate their level of complexity.

The ratings for cell phones, for example, might grade the number of available commands. A simple phone that calls a small number of pre-programmed numbers might receive an “A” rating. A top-selling smart phone loaded with numerous applications might receive a “C” or “D” rating for this feature.

Additional ratings on cell phones could address the number of application layers, the number of program modes, the types of icons, the text size in the display, the display contrast, and the button size. The Ease-of-Use Rating System could also be applied to a specific cell phone application.

Benefits of Standards and an Ease-of-Use Rating System for Cognitive Technologies

Identifying features needed by people with cognitive disabilities will help manufacturers design for a larger market. Other benefits include:

• improved design for all people,

• a better match between product and person,

• increased use of helpful technologies,

• the ability to use affordable consumer products as assistive technology, and

• greater independence for people with cognitive impairments.

RERC-ACT

The Development of Uniform Standards for Cognitive Technologies project is part of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for the Advancement of Cognitive Technologies (RERC-ACT) awarded to the University of Colorado Denver. For more information on the RERC-ACT, please visit <<http://www.rerc-act.org/>>

Funding

Development of Uniform Standards for Cognitive Technologies is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research under the US Department of Education, Grant #H133E090003 and the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities.