Understanding and supporting individuals experiencing severely constraining situational impairments
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LONG PAPER
Understanding and supporting individuals experiencing severely constraining situational impairments Sidas Saulynas1,2 · Ravi Kuber1
© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract A special strain of situational impairment, termed “Severely Constraining Situational Impairments” (SCSI), was explored from a novel qualitative perspective. When a severely impairing event presents, the multitude and complexity of ambient agents are often overwhelming, leading to the inability to devise a solution. To classify and help design for them, interviews and participatory design-based workshops were conducted, revealing that (1) participants attempt to complete mobile transactions, even if it might place them in considerable danger, and (2) significant differences exist in the modalities and steps used to address the onset of a severely impairing event versus those of a non-severe situational impairment. Design solutions generated from the workshops indicated that users want technology to take a larger role in helping manage the added cognitive load inherent in severely impairing events. The revealed implications for design indicate that to maximize the user experience in the mobile device transaction space, designers must account for the presence of these SCSI and the unique design specifications that they require. Keywords Situational impairments · SIID · Severely constraining situational impairments · SCSI · Smartphones · Mobile interaction · Accessibility
1 Introduction and background Mobile information appliances (i.e., smartphones) have become an omnipresent means of sending and receiving information and conducting online transactions. Because mobile interactions are often conducted on the go, they are sometimes affected by the presence of “situationally induced impairments and disabilities (SIID)” [28] or, simply, situational impairments. Consider a user, for example, who wants to read a message on their smartphone outdoors as it begins to rain. Because water droplets are both masking content presented via the mobile GUI and affecting the ability to interact with the touchscreen, for the duration of this ambient event or until the user can find shelter for their device, transaction completion is delayed, canceled, or made * Ravi Kuber [email protected] Sidas Saulynas [email protected] 1
UMBC, Baltimore, MD, USA
Stevenson University, Baltimore, MD, USA
2
otherwise less than optimal. As mobile devices continue to offer more advanced functionality, performing simultaneous tasks (e.g., browsing or sending an SMS while ambulatory) becomes more attractive to fit in with users’ busy lifestyles. However, as a result, situational impairments may be faced by larger numbers of users than previously experienced. While the onset of a situational impairment may simply result in annoyance or transaction failure, encountering one in certain contexts could actually place the user and/or others in danger. Consider, for example, distracted driving (a type of inattention where attention is divert
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