SUPPORTING CAREGIVER OF APHASIC PATIENT IN HOME REHABILITATION: DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF TALKWITHME

Abstract

This thesis takes a design research approach to advance the knowledge in designing caregiver support system in aphasia by (1) identifying caregiver needs and (2) proposing and evaluating design solutions. An in-depth interview study was conducted to identify three categories of caregiver needs in training for Melodic Intonation Therapy. To propose and evaluate solutions to the identified needs, two design approaches were used. In the first approach, the thesis develops an interactive system to address specific needs of trained caregivers. This system exemplifies how multimodal media can aid caregiving. Two experimental studies showed that the system has better usability when there is phrase customization, flexibility in learning pace and pairing of digital medium and multisensory support. In the second approach, the thesis surveys existing technologies to propose a design solution for various caregiver needs. A focus group with caregivers showed support for 7 out of the 11 proposed solutions.