Bruce CampbellGeneral Manager – Marketing and Design

Changing the Paradigm of rationing technology

Dynamic Controls

• 40 years young• Head Office in Christchurch New Zealand• 400 employees

• Traditional strength in Wheel Chair and Scooter motor control

• 100% medical mobility • Renewed focus on User experience, and the

Value Chain supporting them

Purpose

• To deliver technical and innovative solutions that enhance quality of life for people with a disability

Value Chain Insights Research

• In 2008 we commenced an on-going programme of qualitative user research

• In order to enhance quality of life, need to understand it in the first place

Value Chain Insights Research

PowerchairManufacturers

Dynamic Controls

End Users

HealthcareProviders

Funders

Mobility Dealers

Prescribers

How can we better understand users?

• A clinical means of understanding users that could be combined with attitudinal, lifestyle and emotive characteristics

• Consider the emotional driver – What drives the user? – What attitude and behavior does this generate? – What functionality does this require?

• And how is this combined with degree of disability? – Physical capabilities and needs– Cognitive capabilities and needs

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How can we better understand users?

• Users need to be viewed as whole people, with the full range of needs

• The research showed that the esteem and emotional needs did not disappear – quite the opposite, the needs appeared to go into a hyper state

• Users do not live in a vacuum – they have expectations

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Maslow

Two different worlds

Without disability With disability

Esteem Needs Framework

Needs Are:

Modal with one dominant

Evolving over time

Drivers of attitude and behaviour

CONFIDENCE AND

PARTICIPATION

The need to feel

challenged and

stimulated by life

The need to feel in control and on top of

things

The need to feel secure in

familiar surroundings

The need to feel carefree and part of

the fun of life

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...in summary

• Users wanted• Ride experience

• Safe, exciting, invisible, loud..• Health

• Pressure Ulcer• Activity (Obesity)

• Connectivity• Communication, education,

profession, independence, social networking, safety…

Paradigms

• Disabled people have less needs than others

• Technology needs to be rationed for disabled people

• Accepted to be low volume, complex, expensive

• OK to be big, black, ugly and behind the times

Rationing across the continuum of need

Low Needs High Needs

Low Cost

High Cost

Imagine a world….

• The paradigm is broken by accessing regular, consumer electronics

• Cost per person plummets

• Access is broadened so Esteem needs can be met

Meet Jonty

iPortal and iOS Devices

Anything you can do, I can do

Siri – speech command on steroids

Communication

Communication

Communication

Home Automation

Home Automation

Home Automation

Rationing across the continuum of need

Low Needs High Needs

Low Cost

High Cost

Rethink the Paradigm

Low Needs High Needs

Low Cost

High Cost

“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”